Enjoy A Holiday Business-Free

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about enjoying a holiday business free .

Can you really enjoy a holiday when you’re running an online business?

One of the things that I love about being plugged in techologically, is that I can take my business with me wherever I go — to a relative’s house in Texas, to the lake a few miles away or a beach in Florida.

The downside of this is, it’s not easy to let go and take a few days off without constantly running back to the iPhone or the laptop to check on business.

This is not good.

One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that you’ve got to give your brain — and your family! — a break from your business. If you don’t, you’ll get burned out and your customers will sense this from your attitude. It’s very important to take time away from your business and a holiday is the perfect time to do it.

So how do you take time away from your business, when you’re the only one running the show? I have two recommendations.

If you’re a very small business and the products or services you are offering are not time-sensitive, then you can simply shut down the business for a short time. Close the doors and hand a sign, so to speak. Here’s how:

1. Put a notice on your website notifying your visitors that you’re on vacation until a certain date, and that you’ll fill all orders when you return.
2. Email your existing customers, letting them know that you’ll be gone and that you’ll handle any orders or emails when you return.

While this is a good solution for some business owners, it may not be feasible for others. Like me, for example. As a web host, I can’t just close the doors and say I’ll be back in three days. Too many clients have questions that need to be answered within minutes after we receive them.

Those of you who can’t just close up shop, need to start outsourcing now. Even if you don’t plan on going on vacation until next year.

What is outsourcing? It’s when you hire someone else to do a specific job for you. That someone else is often a virtual assistant who provides the same services to many businesses. For example, one of my VAs provides customer support via helpdesk to several clients, including me.

Why start outsourcing now? Because you need time to get to know your new assistant, and she needs time to get to know your business. This way, when you leave for your vacation, you’ll know that she’ll be able to handle whatever comes her way. And she’ll know how and when to reach you in a worst case scenario.

While it’s very tempting to take your business with you, it’s also very important to take a break and rejuvenate yourself. Outsourcing can help you do that. If you’d like to learn more about outsourcing, my friend Alice Seba has a resource for you called Outsourcing Sweetie. I highly recommend it, as Alice is one of my mentors who helped me learn the importance of getting the help I need in my business. Click here for her free outsourcing tips.