Thursday, July 08, 2010

Entrepreneurship And Vacations, Or Lack Thereof

We recently ran a column in our August edition by Sandy Washington at Commerce Bank dealing with entrepreneurs and vacations. Sandy wrote a great piece about protecting your accounts while you are gone. Great, solid advice.
But one sentence Sandy wrote stuck with me: "If you're a business owner, taking a vacation may seem like a pipe dream."
Sandy is certainly correct. Many owners I know never take vacations. "Can't leave the business," they always say.
Let me say this. If you are saying this, sell your business or shut your doors. Maybe you don't belong in the entrepreneurial club?
Why so mean? Your business must work for you. If you can't get away for a long weekend, it's not working for you. Work for someone else and get vacation time.
Get some help or advice and let someone help you build your systems and business so you can take a vacation. Especially for entrepreneurs, vacations are vital to recharging our batteries and preparing for future challenges.
-Ron Ameln, SBM