How I prepare my business before taking a 2 week vacation (Part 1)
As of today... I'm officially on a TWO WEEK Vacation in PORTUGAL!! ☀️
Literally just arrived in Faro TODAY (as this blog post is being scheduled to publish) and I'm so excited because this will be my first work-free trip since I started Aroha Visuals!! 🙈
Buuut work-free doesn't mean I still can't share helpful and inspiring content with you! And it certainly doesn't mean that my business has to freeze to a complete halt!
Take this post for example: it was actually written in advance a few days ago! But does that really matter if the message still rings true?
There are so many ways you can efficiently prepare your business to run smoothly without you for a few weeks so that you can ACTUALLY enjoy being on holiday without the desperate need for WIFI and worrying about your business or clients!
I think it's going to be a super fun experiment to see how well I organised my business for this! And so I wanted to share a few things that I did with you!! Hope you find it helpful!
So without further ado, let's dive into the 5 main things I did to prepare my business for my two weeks off!
And then I'll go a bit deeper on why this was so important for me to do and what kind of work I MIGHT be doing while in Portugal ;)
1. Block off all meetings in my Scheduling Calendar
This is something that's super easy to forget, especially since I publicly display my scheduling link on my site for free consultations! In the future, I might consider taking this down as I'm in the process of revamping my entire client application process!
So in the future, all my call links would be private and clients or potential clients would be invited to schedule a Discovery Call once I've reviewed their Client Application and decided they'd be a good fit!
2. Inform any current or upcoming clients
Since I have some monthly retainer clients, upcoming clients, and clients that I've JUST finished wrapping up projects on - I inform them in advance and give them the opportunity to set up a zoom meeting before I leave.
That way, I can answer any important questions they have and record any tutorials they need during the time I'm away so they can confidently make changes themselves. With my monthly retainer clients, we touch in for an update or talk about future website updates.
3. Set up an "Out of Office Auto-Reply" in Gmail
I usually respond pretty quickly to emails, so some clients have come to expect a fast response. Buuuut of course, I really don't want to be in my inbox much at all!!
So I set up an Auto-Reply email, which people will get when they email me during these two weeks. Basically, it lets them know that I'm out of the office for two weeks and to not expect a response until I get back from my vacation.
Orrrr if it's a super urgent website-related issue, they can contact Squarespace support instead - so I try to give them alternatives to seek support!
At the same time, I don't want to be missing out on any potential leads, so I've also directed potential clients who want to work with me (in my Auto-Reply email) - to my Client Application form and let them know that I'll get in touch with them once I've reviewed it and invite them to a Discovery call (after I get back) if I think they'd be a good fit!
running towards my holiday like...
4. Batch Create and Schedule Content in advance
I still want to share helpful and inspiring content, even whilst I'm away! So I batch create content for my social media and email newsletters - and schedule as many of them in advance as I can!
Staying consistent with posting IS important, but it doesn't mean that I have to be consistent in the way that I produce or create the content!
So before my trip, I set aside an entire day to work on basically a MONTH'S worth of content (emails, social media posts, blog posts).
You're probably wondering how I schedule everything? Do I still post while in Portugal? Well, anything that I CAN schedule in advance like Flodesk for emails and Squarespace's schedule tool for this blog post - I will schedule in advance.
Buuuut a few other things, like IG posts (esp. reels or videos and stories), I actually outsource and entrust to my AMAZING VA's (virtual assistants). Which ties in nicely to my last point!!
5. Touch in with my AMAZING VAs
Even though I'm aiming to take a break from work for two weeks, doesn't mean that my entire business has to freeze to a halt just because I'm away!!
I have two incredible VAs that support me in different aspects of my business - and it feels SO amazing and expansive to know that they will keep things running smoothly while I'm on holiday! Seriously, I adore them! 💛
My social media manager (Sivan) is more like a Chief Visionary Manager because she's ALWAYS keeping me on my toes and organises my content calendar like nobody's business! She's the one that makes sure IG posts are published consistently and tells me everything I need to do (or hand over to her) before I leave for Portugal 😂 Don't know what I'd do without her - so immensely grateful to work with her!
I recently onboarded another VA (Criselle) who takes care of my finances (ie. tracking business expenses, invoices, and monthly subscriptions). She's also just a SUPERSTAR and helps me with sooo many random tasks that I outsource to her! If anything needs to be done while I'm away, I know that I can entrust her with it. I'm SO grateful for the amazing and super meticulous work she does!!
Honestly, I think that taking a 'Work-Free' 2-week vacation to Portugal without these two amazing humans supporting me would not be possible. I mean, I can't even imagine running my business without them anymore!!
Because outsourcing work to them, actually frees up SO much mental space for me to focus on aspects that I excel at and love to do - like web design, coding, and the Visionary stuff!
Anyway, they are invaluable to my business and I love and appreciate them both so so much! 💛
Why setting processes up to step-back from my business is important to me
In all honesty, I COULD have kept working while in Portugal, because I love working while traveling and from cute cozy cafes!! But I chose not to this time. Why?
Well, for a few reasons. Firstly, purely because I COULD and I wanted to see if it was possible to set up processes in place that kept my business running while I was away! It's something that I will continue to refine and improve on in the future.
The dream is that one day, I can take a few months off and go off-grid even, all whilst knowing that I have the processes (and amazing, trustworthy people) in place to take care of everything for a little while.
Another reason is that the last 8 months have been a MASSIVE growth spurt for my business. I haven't really taken an extended amount of time to step back, reflect and visualise which path I want to go down next.
I do not want to blindly find myself going down a path, being overwhelmed with the sort of work that doesn't excite me. So slowing down to see the bigger picture is so important for the future of my business (and life!)
Lastly, I'm a recovering workaholic. You know that saying: Do what you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life? Yea for me, it was more like ... do what you love and you'll work every single day of your life including weekends, late nights, and holiday trips - because it doesn't feel like work!! 😜
Well, thanks to COVID and to my loving circle of female entrepreneurs who embody slow living and self-care over the hustle & grind culture - I've learned to embrace having a better work-life balance AAAAND I've noticed how much my creative work has THRIVED because of it.
Extended breaks and play are essential for my soul and my creative work. To rediscover what inspires and excites me. To receive creative downloads and zooming out to see my life and business from a more holistic bird's eye view.
“Basically, not to forget that we’re here on this beautiful earth living this wonderful experience called life - gifted with the sensitivity of emotions... to ENJOY, to LIVE and to be present.”
Will I do ANY work while away? Should I? Do I want to?
Oh trust me, I will feel the itch to want to do work! 😂 It's honestly really hard when you love what you do! And I mean, what is work anyway?!
Does it include catching up on my online courses? Redesigning my website and re-writing my own website copy? Dreaming up my next template idea? Or how to pivot my travel blog business? Coz I'll probably be doing some of those!
So the work I'm taking a total break from are: emails, client work, content creating, blogging and any other social obligations from a business standpoint.
If I do 'work' it will be because I want to and feel inspired to. It would be things like creative direction and the visionary side for my own business - which I really enjoy. And less of the nitty-gritty things - which I don't enjoy so much!
So I see these two weeks off as more of a 'Visionary' trip - an opportunity to come up with ideas on how to elevate my client/customer experience and running my business even more efficiently!
👉 Tell me, what are some things YOU do for your business before a long trip?
Stay tuned for Part Two when I get back from Portugal and review how well it went and what I would do differently next time! 😉
Feel free to save this when preparing for your summer travels or share this with your fellow business circle amigos!! And if you have any questions, feel free to message me here @arohavisuals 🙌
