Entrepreneurs and vacation?!?

If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner, you know that your ‘job’ isn’t a typical 9-5(!). Instead it can sometimes be a 5-9-5 a 24/7 or some other in-between combination. So, when it comes time for a vacation – can you ever really take one? We asked a group of entrepreneurs what they thought and guess what? Everyone said that not only SHOULD you take a vacation – but that it’s something that’s necessary to sustain your business’s momentum.

Karen Usher. Chairman and Founder, TPO, Inc., Customized HR Leadership, "I think it’s critical for me to clear my mind and critical for my team to have me out of the way for a while…"

Dave Maskin. Professional Tradeshow Booth Traffic Builder and Event Entertainer, "All work and no play makes for a very miserable life"

Keith Oxenrider. Principal Software Engineer at MasterPeace Solutions Ltd., "I think I think the most critical element is being able to hire trustworthy people (and then actually trusting them!) to manage your company when you are gone. I knew a man who literally died because he couldn't trust the people he hired to run his company and instead of resting with a case of pneumonia, he kept working and died. I have seen many other small company owners struggle to take even week-long vacations and tend to stick with long weekends (often wrapped around existing holidays), not enough to get me recharged after work as a non-owner drone, I am sure it isn't enough to recharge as the boss."

Martin Thomas. Crisis Management§Interim Executive, "It is foolish in the extreme not to take the odd vacation. If you're going to be working so hard and so long you can't give yourself a break what's the point of doing the business. Might as well have a job and let someone else worry...
Of course for REAL entrepreneurs - as opposed to a freelancer or someone starting-up out of necessity - often see work and vacation as the same thing. Life is one big playground."

Christine Hueber. Social Media Marketing at GoalsOutLoud.com,  "Focusing on something enjoyable besides business is extremely productive, in my experience"

Stuart Preston. Small Business Coach and Consultant, "In my opinion, just as important as taking a vacation, is taking time each week to work on the big picture, new ideas, brainstorming. Getting away and giving yourself space to think is huge. In those first few years, vacations might be add-ons to business trips, but the time (and money) will come to take real vacations. On a related topic, I also get a little nervous around entrepreneurs who take pride in working backbreaking hours. That may work for the first year, but it's not something to take pride in and expect to go on forever."

Bob Kenney. President at Kenney Marketing & Advertising, "In the early days of a business, you can feel guilty taking a week off; taking a couple of weeks off at a time seems frivolous. That's a natural feeling for a newly responsible business owner who cares about his or her employees and clients. You don't want to let anyone down. As the years go by that guilt will subside as you come to the stark realization that the world will in fact not go to hell in a handbasket just because you aren't there. Actually, you'll find that the health of your business will probably improve if you let others step up and run things for short periods in your absence. It's a learning experience for them and vital to your organization to build depth. Then you will start to use vacation time the way it should be. Time away from everything. Time to think about something else, or nothing. And sometimes you really will have a valuable epiphany about your business when you are not focusing on it. Even if you don't, it won't matter. You'll be on vacation."

Alan Noblitt. President / Owner at Seascape Capital Inc., "Vacations are necessary to clear your brain and think more creatively. It is difficult to take them when you are self-employed. I take 2-3 weeks each year, but usually have to spend 1-2 hours of each day doing work-related items. I'd prefer not to, but that is the trade-off of running your own business."

Martin Anderson. Managing Director at Third Space. Co-owner at Really Great Coffee Company, "You have to have some down time...if nothing else it can help spark new ideas and new insight. I tend to take a week out during spring and autumn, with the occasional day here and there to indulge passions and hobbies.

Member Marie Forleo also tackles the idea of burn-out in this fun video where she talks about something that I've started taking to heart, non-negotiable time (NNT).

So, there you have it. And here with the last few weeks of summer still remaining, make sure that you take at least a day or two to completely clear your head. Trust us, you’ll be better for it.