How easy is it to take time out of your business? Many entrepreneurs have spent so much time and energy building a business that it can be almost impossible to take time away from it! Some have got into the habit of doing it all themselves and have no support to cover their absence. Others find it hard to take a much-needed break away because the business is built around them being there.
So how can you take time out of your business without losing customers? What are the available options that will help?
Whether you’re looking to take time out of your business to spend time with family during the summer or want to take a much-needed holiday away on your own, there are ways to keep things ticking over. Here are five ways you can make that break without losing customers.
#1: Make use of your team
Get into the habit of outsourcing work as much as possible. Not only will this free up your time during your average working week, but it also helps make it easier for you to take time out of your business without it all falling apart.
If you haven’t got a team in place, find the time to make that first hire. A Virtual Assistant is a good starting point, as they can help support you in various areas of your business. And if you already have a team in place, why not see what else you can outsource? Because your team is there to support you and free up your time, you can concentrate on those areas of your business that you love and those that need your expertise.
#2: Bring in holiday cover so you can take time out of your business
If you’re just looking for someone to cover you whilst you take a break away, why not look at bringing in some holiday cover? Again, a Virtual Assistant would be great for this. They could still be managing the day-to-day administration of your business whilst also booking in client calls for when you come back.
Whilst you’re away, you could also have them tidy up your calendar, create templated email responses, or even create a procedure manual for your business!
#3: Cut back on your one-to-one work
If you know you’re going to need time away, it pays to start cutting back on your one-to-one work now. How that will look depends on the type of business you have, but for many, that could involve building passive revenue streams into your business. This could include creating a self-study option for your program or recording bite-sized training videos for individual sale.
If your main business revolves around one-to-one work, you could still cut back – just think outside the box. This includes contracting clients for longer periods of time, creating group masterminds or implementing things like Slack and Voxer as your primary contact points.
#4: Batch and schedule in advance
Scheduling things in advance is a great way to build natural breaks into your business. When you batch create content in advance, you can plan further ahead whilst also building in a cushion of content to cover you if you need to take a break away.
Think about how you can add batching and advance scheduling into your business. You could use a social media scheduler to create a month or two of advance content, you could create a year of automated emails upfront, and you can also create and schedule video training sessions for each quarter.
#5: Announce your intention to take time out of your business
If funds are tight and you aren’t able to outsource, don’t worry. You could still hire a Virtual Assistant for just a couple of hours whilst you’re away – it can still make a big difference. You could also opt for batching and scheduling in advance.
But the other option is to simply announce your desire to take time out of your business. If you’re honest and open about it, people will understand – and the loyal ones will still be here when you come back.
And if you need to shut your business down for a period of time, do it. Remember, your health and wellbeing always need to come first because, without you, you’d have no business. So take the time you need, have a break and do what you need to in order to come back refreshed and ready to get going again.
Here at Virtual Hand, we specialise in helping busy, ambitious entrepreneurs find time to get stuff done. So whether you’re looking to hire a Virtual Assistant to help you out now or are looking to build a team to have that option to take time out in the future, we can help! So why not get in touch? Let’s chat and see what options best support you to free up your time and reach your goals – you can book a quick chat here.
