Heather Villa

If you are a small business owner, you are likely inundated with marketing messages everywhere you go about the latest in cutting edge business technology. Every new device comes with the promise that it will unchain you from your desk and earn you thousands of dollars. It can be easy for a business owner to be swept away in the hype. To help sort out the market and decide what you really need, try asking yourself a few basic questions before you purchase new business technology:
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With innovative ideas such as mini-retirements, outsourcing, and the paradigm the “New Rich,” the book The 4-Hour Workweek written by Timothy Ferriss received rave editorial reviews upon its release in April 2007. The book also reached the New York Times Bestseller list almost immediately, and continues to be a hot topic of discussion all over the internet.

In The 4-Hour Workweek book, Ferriss, an entrepreneur and self-proclaimed ultravagabond, outlines his philosophies for financial freedom, guiding readers through the process of breaking free from the usual preconceptions most of us have about work and responsibilities. He also covers the subject of fear, how many are paralyzed by being afraid of failing, how to define those fears, and then how to conquer and overcome them.

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There is an old saying that holds true even today: “Success breeds success.” In the early days of your business, you were likely concerned with simply staying afloat. Lining up consistently paying customers may have been difficult and you may have gone for long periods with little business. However, something happened since then that caused you major success. You may have signed a deal with a very important client. Perhaps word of mouth advertising spread. Maybe you were simply in the right place at the right time. Whatever the reason, you are now successful. In fact, you may be reaching the limits of what your company was designed to do. The next logical step seems to be expansion. However, unguided expansion can lead to innumerable difficulties, even causing the business to fail. Here is what you need to know to expand your company responsibly.
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If you run a small business, you may find yourself quickly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work that is required. Not only must you juggle constant deadlines from a wide range of clients, but the housekeeping tasks can be immense. From bookkeeping and accounting to cost estimating and project management, the small business owner can quickly become overwhelmed.

But at the same time, trying to take time off for business owners is extremely difficult. With so much to do, it can be extremely difficult to break away at the end of the day. Twelve or fourteen hour workdays may soon become the norm as you try to keep your head above water. Success breeds success, leading you down an ever busier path. No matter how much you love your work, sooner or later you will begin to feel ready for a vacation.

When a business owner considers taking some time off they inevitably begin asking themselves:

• What will happen during your vacation?
• Will you be able to completely clear your schedule for a week or two?
• What happens if you do?
• Will you lose track of important clients, or possibly even lose work due to the inability to get things done in a timely manner?
• Will you lose out on future clients simply because you were unable to answer your email before someone else was hired instead?

There are no simple answers to these questions. Every business owner’s personal, vocational and financial picture is different. However, a basic truth holds for every person on Earth, whether or not that person is a business owner. We as human beings need down time. We need time to relax, spend time with loved ones, and have fun. Not allowing yourself some time off is a sure path to burnout.

Here are some tips on how to take time off for business owners

Begin by outsourcing as much as possible. A virtual assistant can transform the small business experience for the business owner who is struggling to keep up. Your virtual assistant can manage many of the day to day tasks of business management, from bookkeeping and accounting to answering phones and email. He or she can also manage your calendar, sending you reminders of important upcoming events. A VA can work as many or as few hours as you require, and those hours may change by the week, month or project. The cost of a VA is generally much less than that of recruiting, hiring, training and retaining an employee.
Plan your vacation well in advance. Work longer hours to get as far ahead as possible before you leave town. Let your clients know about your vacation well ahead of time. Plan realistic project deadlines that account for the time that you will be away.

Working during your vacation is a viable option, as long as your work hours are limited. There is little point in paying for a hotel room that you will sit in for days on end, working. However, setting aside an hour a day to check email and return phone calls, and perhaps one or two days a week to complete work tasks is a reasonable goal.

Let your VA work for you while you are on vacation. Arrange for him or her to answer your phone and respond to emails. Have anything that requires your attention forwarded to your voicemail or email for you to respond to at your leisure.

Balancing work and downtime can be difficult for any business owner. However, time off is essential to mental health and stability. Outsource those tasks that you do not need to personally handle and structure your schedule to allow for vacations. The peace of mind and refreshment of mind, body and spirit are worth the effort.

About the author: Heather Villa, MBA CMA MSM, is a Business Coach and Entrepreneur. She helps business owners achieve success in operations, productivity, project management, and social media. Read her other articles at http://hireheathervilla.com/resources/articles/ and visit http://heathervilla.com for more information.

Disclaimer: © 2009 Heather Villa. Permission is granted to repost this article. Article must be published in its entirety, including author bio, and all links must remain intact.

Many small businesses begin as one-person operations. A new small business owner may have neither the budget nor the workload to justify hiring employees. In the early days, this generally works just fine. A small business with a slow stream of work usually allows its owner plenty of time to focus on all aspects of each project.

However, success tends to breed success. Soon you may find yourself with a steady stream of projects. You may even get to the point of turning down projects that you simply do not have time to complete. The decision then becomes, do you continue to do it yourself, or hire someone? It can be a difficult decision. But you must take into consideration that continuing to work alone can be counterproductive. Click here to read more »

As a business owner you are comfortable with the daily routine of your office. You know the intricacies of your workplace and are comfortable with the workflow. You can see the friendly faces of your employees in every cubicle or behind each desk. Your business has a rhythm and when you achieve that rhythm, everything seems to go so well.

What happens when you decide to use the services of virtual staff? How does that impact your traditional office? What adjustments will you need to make? These are good questions and the answers can help you easily navigate the transition.
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Business owners who are advancing from the solopreneur to a staffed organization can’t always make that leap from one to the other cleanly. They will often discover that there is an intermediate step in between, although not everyone knows this.

It’s true! In the steps between running a business on your own and running a staffed organization, you need to get more done (so hiring makes sense) but you don’t always have the money to hire a part time or full time employee.

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When you are considering the possibility of hiring staff – whether that staff includes a virtual assistant, an onsite assistant, freelance consultant, or an entire office of staff – you want to make the right decision as quickly as possible and get the role filled. After all, every passing day without a person in the empty role will cost you money and time! Print and use this article as a checklist to review resumes and to make sure that you cover these points during your interview.

Experience
This should be one of the main considerations when looking at a potential candidate. You need to determine how much experience he or she has working at the tasks you want them to do. It doesn’t mean that they must have performed the exact role, but they should at least have experience in the tasks you need done. For example, a branch manager who is applying for the job of marketing manager might still be well qualified, just because they did marketing while a branch manager. Insist on and check references. Be sure that the experience listed matches what you are seeking.
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