5 Tips for Preparing Your Team While You’re on Vacation
If you’ve built a business that you don’t need a vacation from, congratulations, you’re winning in the entrepreneur world! However, there will be times when you want to take a vacation and unplug from work or simply need to go offline for a bit. That’s the beauty of this work and being a business owner.
So often, entrepreneurs get nervous about unplugging and leaving their team to handle the day-to-day tasks, projects, and client communication. They fear that something will go south or something will not be able to move forward without them.
I’m here to tell you… that’s bullshit! If you trust your team and prepare them well, you can 100% enjoy your time away guilt-free.
Check out these 5 tips for preparing your team while you are on vacation.
Tip #1: Communicate.
Let your team and your clients know as early as possible that you’ll be out of office. Communicate to them what days/times you’ll be offline and what your communication boundaries are.
If you’re taking a quick, last minute trip, you may be ok with them reaching out with questions via Slack or email. If you’re taking a longer vacation, you may be fully off the grid and desire no communication for the days you’re away.
Remind them of your absence a few days before you depart and the day before to ensure all of their questions are answered and they have everything they need before you unplug. Make sure your SOPs (standard operating procedures) are up-to-date and are being integrated by your team.
Tip #2: Plan ahead.
Check in with your team and see who has room in their schedule to support you in completing your important tasks before you take off. Make a plan for who can cover your tasks and responsibilities while you're away.
Tip #3: Prep and schedule your content.
It is important to prep and schedule your content, such as emails, newsletters, and social posts, ahead of time. Just because you're going offline does not mean your business should lose visibility.
With a bit of planning, prepping, and scheduling, your business can continue to stay front of mind and produce new content while you’re relaxing on a beach with a mimosa in hand.
Tip #4: Make sure all cylinders are firing.
If you have a product you're selling, make sure people can buy it while you're gone. If you have a pipeline running for a freebie, make sure it's working properly before you're offline. If you have a payment due or invoice set to go out, make sure your accounting processes are set up and good to go.
By ensuring that all cylinders are firing on the backend of your business, you can continue to make money, bring in new leads, and take care of clients and teammates while you’re on vacation.
Tip #5: Have a backup plan.
By implementing the 4 tips above, you are setting yourself up for the most successful and smooth-sailing vacation. However, business and systems aren’t always perfect. Therefore, it’s important that you have a backup plan for if something goes wrong.
Think about what the procedure will be. Are you going to hop online to do the work? Is a team member going to step in and do the work? Do you have a teammate who is next in command who can handle the issue? Make a plan and communicate it to your team so that in the case of an emergency, the issue can be solved quickly and effectively.
If you’re a virtual assistant who is preparing to go on vacation or you simply want to get a rock solid process in place for when you’re out, click here to sign up for our 1:1 Get Shit Done Coaching where we can chat through the mindset and process for preparing your team and your business for your vacation and time off.