Escape from Enterprise

How Small Business Owners Can Make a Vacation Their Next Venture

Call them crazy, but entrepreneurs sometimes think they can do pretty much anything. They take risks the likes of which most of our hearts would not be able to handle. They wake up at 4 a.m. to call that potential client in Moscow, and stay up until 11 p.m. to reach another one in Sri Lanka. And, they pour all the money they can scrounge up into getting their babies – their businesses – off the ground and running.

But, as much as they might hate to admit it, there is one thing that entrepreneurs do not seem to be very good at, and that is taking vacations.

 "For better or for worse, small business owners tend to only know one season: the work season," said Evan Carmichael, a serial entrepreneur and frequent contributor to American Venture. "You would be hard pressed to find an entrepreneur who has taken a real vacation in the past few years."

Whether it is due to a fear of losing ground to their competitors or because there is simply no one else to run the show while they are gone, more and more entrepreneurs are putting their own personal rest and relaxation on the backburner.

"It becomes so easy to say, 'Just one more year – I'll just work for one more year and then I'll finally be able to take a break,'" he said. "But, that year never ends."

A recent study by Expedia.ca and Ipsos Reid found that the number of vacation days that Canadian workers take on average went down from 21 to 19 last year. This puts Canada just behind Australia and the U.S., where workers take an average of 14 vacation days, the fewest in the world. This decline was caused in large part by the growing number of entrepreneurs.

It is a trend that is worrying to many who see the lack of vacation time as bad for business.

"When people take vacations, they come back to their jobs rejuvenated and motivated," he said. "Entrepreneurs need to find creative ways to take a break from their business, or it too will begin to suffer the consequences."

 So, just what are some of those creative ways?

Short weekend retreats where you make sure to turn off your cell phone and leave your laptop at home are easier for most entrepreneurs to stomach than two or three week vacations.

Strike up a deal with a fellow entrepreneur in a similar field to pinch-hit for each other for a few days when the other is away. If you cannot fathom the idea of being gone, try to turn a holiday into a business affair.

"Company retreats or weekend barbeques are becoming increasingly popular," Carmichael said. "While they allow for some down time, they are both still great ways to network and keep the ball rolling."

Vacations abroad could also be a good opportunity to scout out potential new clients and markets.

But no matter where you decide to go, or what you decide to do you need to first realize that you are not indispensable.

"Get your business in order, have your policies clearly written out, and train your employees so that you will be able to take the time off you need to unwind," Carmichael said. "Bringing that balance will, in fact, benefit your business in the end."