business owner's guide to an enjoyable vacation, The

Corporate Report Wisconsin, Jan 2006 by Ingrisano, John

HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY BUSINESS OWNERS ON vacation at the beach? They're the ones sitting under an umbrella tapping away on their laptop computers or calling the office on their cell phones. That's not a vacation, just an outdoor office with a view.

The problem: If you're like most business owners, you're convinced the place will fall apart without you. And if you simply walk out the door for two weeks without any planning, it probably will. But if you spend your vacation dragging along a briefcase full of work or calling in four times a day, you're missing the point about vacations and probably driving your family crazy at the same time.

Plus, and let's be really honest here, some of us truly hate vacations. They terrify us. Speaking for myself, a certifiable control freak, forcing me to snooze on the beach, sail from island to island on a boat with a 20-year-old skipper at the helm, or simply doing without my favorite waiter in my favorite restaurant for a week-well, that drags me way outside of my comfort zone.

Nonetheless, vacations are good for us, even if we hate to admit it. Think of a good getaway vacation as actually part of a sound business strategy. Just as sleep is crucial to how we function during the day, vacations are vital to recharging our business "batteries" and enhancing our effectiveness.

For many of us, once we get in vacation mode and get some distance from the day-to-day business chores, the change of pace and setting causes the creative and entrepreneurial juices to flow. Some of my best ideas come during vacations. If this happens to you, write down your brainstorm, then forget about it until you get home.

So, why not surprise everybody this year? Enjoy a fun vacation with the family, while making sure the business survives just fine. Here are some guidelines:

* Avoid extended vacations. Your business probably couldn't manage if you took off for a month. Generally, two weeks are okay, one is better. My favorites are four-day weekends close to home. Three days lost in Chicago can be just as enjoyable as a week in Mexico, and a whole lot cheaper.

* Plan well in advance. Mark the dates you will be gone so key projects can be wrapped around that time. Do not schedule vacations during peak business times. Otherwise, odds are that you will have to cancel your getaway because "something came up" at the last minute.

* Leave someone in charge, and provide that person with all information needed to manage things while you are away. Most of all, he or she should be the only one with your phone number and the authority to contact you.

* Tell other employees and customers that you will be "unavailable" and give them the name of your contact person. This gives employees a chance to ask questions and customers the opportunity to conclude foryour -eyes-only business before you leave.

* Do not bring any work with you. One possible exception is a single book on business or selling that you've wanted to get to but just haven't had the time. Other than that, no briefcase, no laptop computer, no anything else. No exceptions.

* Make pre-planned calls to the office if you find the hands-on habit too difficult to break. But schedule calls in advance so your contact person can have a list ready and be prepared to talk. Never call more than once a day.

Now, go have fun. If you've planned well, this year's vacation should be more relaxing and enjoyable than ever before - and you'll return to work well rested and ready to jump into the thick of it once again.

John Ingrisano is a consultant based in Algoma and a contributing writer to Corporate Report Wisconsin. Send comments and suggestions to johni@greenbaynet.com.