The Vacation for Entrepreneurs

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Productive Learning & Leisure, http://www.productivelearning.com

Having just returned from two weeks in Maui, I’m writing to suggest that you too can take a vacation. (I swore to myself that I would write this to you – as I was sitting there watching my 10th sunset.) Sure, as entrepreneurs and business owners, we make all the decisions, make all the money and can take off whenever we want as much as we want… but do we? (Make all the decisions and money, sure(?)) Take off? There’s too much to do… Who will run things when I’m not here? This isn’t a good time, etc. I’m sure you can add to the list of reasons to stay home. Have you noticed that you can get sick for a week and things still get done and keep going? That’s different you say. It seems that we can somehow manage to be sick, but we can’t seem to afford to take a vacation. There is no formula here, but I’ll bet that taking a vacation will prevent getting sick. The good news is that you can schedule a vacation, but you can’t schedule sick. (This is another reason we recommend using Paid Time Off (PTO) vs. giving your employees sick time, vacation time, personal time, etc. – reward them for staying healthy and consciously choosing when they will abandon you (take time off).

Do I need to enumerate the benefits?

One trick is to take off when business is slow – not hustle more in futility.

Take some time before you start-up again.

If everything is going to "Hell in a hand-basket" is another good time to be out of the country or otherwise unreachable… No one can do anything until you return. This can buy a lot of time to make rational and more powerful decisions a little later.

Another reason to take off is that it offers an opportunity to offer your people more responsibility. They must come through because you aren’t there to back them up. How can you tell who can really do the job if you aren’t there constantly hovering? Unless you want to be found dead in your office some day, you would do well to train/enable someone else to take care of things for you.

A week goes by so quickly when we’re working, so you won’t miss much, no one will notice you’re gone, and a whole 9 days away will re-center your soul.

You’re no good to yourself, your family or your business if your health were to falter… “Sickness is the vacation of the poor,” said Apollonaire. You didn’t come this far to be poor in any way. Enough said.

Now that you might be getting more interested, I want to recommend an organization that provides an outstanding learning opportunity while you are away. I've taken a variety of their trips and ALL of them were memorable, educational and useful immediately upon my return to business. Take a look at Productive Learning & Leisure

And please remember to tell them that Burke Franklin sent you. I may be able to wring some browny points out of them for a future vacation of my own!

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