How to Prepare Your Business for Vacation During the Holidays
December is here, Christmas is right around the corner, and New Years will be knocking on our door before we know it! If you’re anything like me, you’re ready for a break and time off to either spend with family, to relax, watch Hallmark movies, eat good food, or all of the above. When I sit aside these days to be “off” work, I want to make it count. I want to make sure my business is prepared for the holidays. I don’t want to have to worry about posting on social media or responding to emails. Both my laptop and phone will be tucked away. Out of sight and out of mind.
As a business owner, it is so hard to truly take off work. I know how it feels to be on vacation and to worry about whether or not everything and everyone is taken care of. I know what it is like to step away from family dinners just to post on social media. It isn’t fun, and it isn’t fair to those around you who you should be spending your time with. Luckily, there are so many tools available now to automate our businesses. Because of this, we have no excuse to not put the work away for a day!
Here are some tips to make sure you are ready to take off for the holidays. Whether you have a team or you’re a one woman/man show, this should help us all to prepare!
1. “Out of the office”
Be sure to schedule your “Out of the office” email responder. Include the date(s) you will be gone and the date they should hear back from you. If you have someone on your team who will still be checking in, include their email address as a contact for “urgent” matters only. If you are a one woman/man show, and nothing about your business is life-threatening, then do not include an “in case of emergency” contact or “urgent” matters email. It is 100% okay to be unavailable sometimes!
Is that scary? I know it takes a lot for me to totally unplug from my business. I care about my clients/customers and I want them to be taken care of and happy. However, we are all human and we all need breaks!
Take a deep breath and say this to yourself, “Nothing about my business is life-threatening. The emails can wait!”
2. Auto-Responders
Emails aren’t the only auto-responders you should set up. Did you know you can set these up on Facebook Messenger and your Instagram DM’s as well? This is another way to not leave your followers hanging or wondering when they will hear back from you!
3. Give your clients/customers a heads up
I reached out to one of my suppliers last week for an order that I needed within 10 days. 10 days was more than enough time to get it in, but alas, they informed me they were going to be closed the entire week of Thanksgiving. This completely put a wrench in my plans and I had to scramble in more ways than I would like to share. If they had told me the week prior, put it on their website, made a note of it in their emails, posted about it on social media… SOMETHING, it would have made the world of difference for me and my business.
If you know you are going to be out of the office, I recommend that you give your people a heads up.
Put it in the footer of your emails, put it on the banner of your website, or choose whatever means of communication that you think is best. But please, please, please let your people know! It could make such a huge difference for you and them.
4. Social Media Scheduling
Social Media is ever-changing. The moment I feel like I have a grasp on things, a new feature is released and/or the algorithm switches up on me. I try so hard to not spend as much time on my phone, but these platforms are trying to get me to be on my phone more! Can anyone relate?
Social media scheduling apps are your friend any day of the week, but especially on the days you want to take off. Go ahead and plan out your posts, make the graphics, write the copy and let the apps handle the rest. Your posts may not get as much traction, your IG stories won’t be as tended to, but you have to make the choice. Personally, when weighing the costs, it is 100% worth it to take the break.
You can try using:
- Tailwind
- Buffer
- Hootsuite
- Planoly
5. Look ahead
This may be last, but it is certainly not least in preparing your business for vacation during the holidays. There is nothing like getting back into the office after a vacation and realizing you have something very important due that day, or even the following day. I encourage you to go ahead and look at your calendar, see what you need the week you return, and work on what you can before you leave. If finishing the task or project is possible to do before you leave for vacation, do it! This will relieve so much pressure on you not only while on vacation, but especially when you return.
I hope these tips are helpful as you plan to take some time off and make sure your business is prepared for the holidays. I hope that if you hadn’t planned on TRULY taking off at least a day or 2 in the next few weeks, that you will reconsider. Breaks are so good for all of us; mentally, emotionally, & physically. Here’s to being business owners and leaders who are well rested and present with our loved ones this holiday season!
Interested in bringing a Virtual Assistant onto your team after the holidays? Want some tips for hiring and onboarding a new virtual assistant? Download our free guide below!
