How to Take Time Off Without Stressing Over Your Small Business
If you’re like 1/3 of small business owners, you’ll take time off this summer. But if you’re like me, that doesn’t mean you can completely shut off from your business. Even if there’s someone else running the show, as a business owner, you probably find it hard to not worry about your business.
Small Business Expert, Mike Pugh, offers the following tips to help you maximize your relaxation time, and if you have to do a little work on the beach, how to prioritize your communication while on the beach:
Let People Know You’re Out Catching Rays Set up an automatic email response or update your voicemail greeting with a vacation memo. If people don’t know you’re on vacation, chances are they’ll keep on hounding you or feel offended that you haven’t returned an email or call. Simply letting people know you’re out is one of the best ways to cut yourself some slack and enjoy your time off.
Don’t Miss a Beat While on the Beach As a small business owner, wearing multiple hats on any given day is the norm and things can get lost in translation when switching from vacation to business mode. Call Recording features on most small business phone systems help capture important verbal details on the go without taking notes ensuring that nothing gets overlooked. Keeping recorded calls on file helps keep you organized while you may not be focused on the immediate task at hand.
Know When to Pick it Up or Stay in the Pool More than half of small businesses say that keeping their cell phones on them helps keep stress levels down. A virtual phone number like eVoice enables a small business owner to work from anywhere without worrying about missing an important call or losing touch with the business. Call forwarding routes incoming calls to your business number anywhere you designate — cell phone, cabin, hotel room, etc. It also gives small business owners the ability to screen their calls with caller ID to know when to pick up. Another plus, voicemail to text makes checking in on messages easier than ever.
Designate Office Time from Pool Time Whether you’re a running a one-man shop or a sales team of 20, you may need to check in once in a while when you take time off. While away, make sure to let team members and partners know when you will be checking in. Whether it is an hour of checking emails or 30 minutes of making phone calls, cue your teams into when you’ll be in the office and stick to it. Respond to the most urgent first and set aside some responses for when you return.
File Important Documents Away in Your Beach Bag Rather than holding up the momentum of business while away, eFax users can now drop digitized signatures onto all kinds of documents including timesheets, expense reports, and invoices without having to rush to a desk to print, sign and forward paper documents. Paper or electronic documents that need a signature can be faxed to a user’s own eFax account through email, the web, or even the iPhone camera to add a digitized signature in a snap. The approved document can then be sent along via email or fax.
Now that you’ve got the tools to keep your mind off your businesseggmarketingpr.com/blog.where are you headed? I’m visiting family in Arkansas. In August. The hottest time of the year. I know, I know. I’m crazy!
Photo: Michelle Brea via Compfight
