Australia is dominated by small business. In fact, the federal government estimates that family enterprise and businesses with 20 or fewer employees represent 98% of the country’s economy. This dominance across the workforce means that, despite it feeling like the challenges and issues of running a small business are yours alone, in reality there are literally millions of others like you. As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved.
Why take a holiday?
Whilst it can be hard to switch off from a job you love, burnout and exhaustion are real threats to your everyday success. Downtime from the day-to-day demands of your business can help you sleep better, feel better, and boost your mood. In fact, swapping your office for a change of scenery can be all you need to renew your energy and give your brain a chance to zoom out and see the bigger picture.
How can you take a holiday?
When you throw everything you’ve got towards your own business, it can feel impossible to take a holiday. Yet, it is possible. Plus, you and your business will benefit from a break. Here’s how to make it happen:
- Plan for it
- Consider whether it’s more beneficial to close your business for a set time period or arrange for a trusted team member to operate it whilst you’re away. If you choose the latter, ensure you allow enough time to train this employee to run the business for you.
- Once you’ve scheduled the break, ensure you give your customers plenty of notice of the dates and how it might impact their business. For example, if you intend to stop shipping orders during your break you will need to advise this in advance.
- Remember to set your out-of-office notice on your phone, email and website (if relevant).
- Automate what you can
- Review your daily financial and administrative tasks. Which ones can you schedule in advance or automate without human input? Dexter, our fast and friendly bot, is capable of automating tedious tasks for you. He can automate monthly invoices distribution, export and convert data from one system to another, or complete other repetitive accounting tasks. All the little but essential tasks you need to keep on top of and don’t have time for. Especially when you return from a holiday.
- Consider outsourcing
- As you plan for your break, consider outsourcing your daily financial tasks so you can really switch off and relax. Our team of professional accountants are poised to scale up to take care of tax, cashflow forecasting and management, bookkeeping and more. Get in touch for an obligation-free consultation and our team can help manage these accounting responsibilities for you whilst you take a break.
- Be realistic
- Remember there is never a perfect time to holiday from your business. Choose your time away with what you know about your business and go for it. Be prepared that something might go wrong. If it does, set expectations with your team member about how and when to contact you.
- Set boundaries for yourself and stick to them. Whether you choose to go offline completely or check your messages intermittently – make this decision in advance and obey it. If you’re checking emails, ensure you set yourself a time period or limit to keep yourself honest.
Can outsourcing financial tasks help while you take a break?
If you want to feel rest assured that your business’ financial tasks are up-to-date whilst you relax, Dexterous can take on daily accounting, bookkeeping or payroll needs for you. With a series of tailored, scalable support packages available to suit all budgets – our team is here to offer you support when you need it most. Simply call, email, or contact us here to make an obligation-free consultation appointment. We look forward to supporting your business’ growth.
