• “I need a vacation… but don’t know if my business can afford it.”

    I hear this all the time from my coaching clients. Let me put your mind at ease as I share some proven tips to keep your business thriving while on vacation, but before I do let me share a little secret on how your vacation can be a tax deduction and many times pay for your vacation. Sound good?

    With careful planning you can schedule a business trip every time you go on vacation. Now, before you start thinking, “That defeats the purpose. I am trying to get away from work”, hear me out! You don’t have to work the whole time you are on vacation. Just be intentional to schedule a business appointment while you are on vacation, do a party, or something like that. If you do, you can take half of the miles for travel as a tax deduction, and if you drive a Prius, like I do, you will be banking! This is a legitimate deduction.

    You may also be able to take the meals, entertainment, and hotel for the night. This can really offset the cost of your vacation. Let’s be honest, if you are like me, you are so passionate about your business it’s going to be really hard not to talk to someone about your business while you are getting a little R & R, anyway.

    Take Your Business With You on Vacation – Are you going on vacation? Don’t leave your business behind! Take along promotional items that talk about your business, and be sure to network with people you meet along the way. When someone shares a need they have that your business can meet, be sure to share information about your business. If you sell through parties or appointments, try to schedule some in the city you’re visiting ahead of time. By planning ahead, you can develop some new business, and possibly even write off your trip as a business expense (check with your tax advisor on this!)

    Summer doesn’t have to mean a drop in business. You simply need to look at your business differently, and create opportunities that work with what people want to do and with what you want to do.

    • Go to Farmer’s Markets, Fairs, and Festivals
    • Run a Christmas in July Sale
    • Share catalogs and water on the beach
    • Send out Beach Bag Parties… just like a show on the go or basket parties… just do it with a beach bag. Incentivize your great customers and hosts with more free goodies or a gift from your destination spot.
    • Offer incentive challenge for a gift from your destination spot for IPAs as well as results to keep them working, moving and shaking while you are gone.

    This works for while you are National Convention as well as for trips and vacations.

    Plan Ahead:

    Just like you’ll plan for your vacation, you need to take time out to plan for your business activities while you’re away. I suggest doing this at least a month in advance (if possible to alleviate additional stress).

    1. Look at all areas of your business, figure out what you can do beforehand, what needs to be delegated and automated, and what projects you need to turn down because you’ll be gone.
    2. If you plan to check on your business while you’re traveling, ensure you have all of the appropriate smart phone apps installed before you leave.
    3. Make sure that you know your usernames and passwords for your accounts if you’ll be using a different computer, and check to see if the hotel that you’re staying at has WI-FI. For places that do not have Internet access, you can install a personal hotspot via your smartphone, turning it into a wireless router that can share its Internet connection with your laptop or tablet. Be sure to check your data plan with your carrier as well as checking international rates.
    4. Also remember that you can skype for calls in your absence as well.

    Communicate:

    Keep the lines of communication open, by letting your current clients and potential customers know that you’ll out of the office. I like to inform clients a week before hand, letting them know the dates I’ll be gone and what to do in my absence. For potential clients and customers, set up an auto responder letting them know when to expect a response from you.  Having a virtual assistant watching over things will help to put client’s minds at ease.

    For direct sellers, it is so awesome to put your best customers to work with beach bag parties or even a special offer of selling 5 of their favorite item to get their free… and then do a special drawing for all of the host benefits accumulated from the sales. It adds some fun, and sales don’t have to diminish. It’s also a great way to introduce and offer them your business opportunity.  After all, they were successful doing what you do, even while you were away.

    Automate:

    Technology has made it possible for us to automate almost anything, from email to social media campaigns and automatic bill pay, and even your blog posts if your use WordPress you to schedule your blog posts in advance, and third-party applications like Hootsuite, Check out the Social Media for Today’s Direct Seller ebook (Katherine please hyperlink this to the sales page) that covers how to set up and do all of your social media with pictures and instructions.

    A Sitter for Your Business:

    When you go on vacation you probably have a friend, family member, or a paid house sitter watch over things while you’re away… why should your business be any different? Even if you don’t use a virtual assistant on a regular basis, it is an excellent idea (and not very expensive) to hire a virtual assistant while you’re away. They can monitor your website, social media presence and answer emails when you’re not able to. Having an extra set of eyes to supervise your business while you’re relaxing, rebuilding and refreshing will help to alleviate stress.

    Give Yourself a Cushion:

    Have you ever said “I need a vacation, from my vacation!”? Schedule in an extra day of non-vacation after your vacation where you can catch up on sleep, laundry, errands, and household chores. Having to immediately get back to work after a vacation can be overwhelming; give yourself a cushion so that you can ease back into your normal routine.

    By having a clear plan you can rest assured that your business will run smoothly while you’re enjoying some vacation time.

    What tips do you have for managing your home business while you’re on vacation?