Top 3 reasons for SME owners to take a vacation

The latest SME Risk Index from Zurich reports that one in seven business owners will, in effect, take no time off work this year. In short, holidays, be it a staycation or an overseas break, is off the cards.

One of the chief reasons for a lack of ‘holiday time’ for SME owners is to do with trust. Annual leave is forsaken because many SME leaders feel uncomfortable about delegating responsibilities to anyone else but themselves.

They are concerned that whoever would come in for them would lack the authority and knowledge of the business and moreover, that there is a certain level of expectation from customers that they will always be available.

Needless to say, it is inherently important for business owners to make every effort in booking time off. The thing that most people seem to overlook is the fact that a break away from the office is a key strategy when it comes to be at the top of your game.

Here are a number of reasons why stepping away from the workplace is good for SME entrepreneurs:

1. Holidays breathe new life into your creative faculties

When you’re at work, dealing with the everyday responsibilities, managing multiple projects at once and being busy all day long, it can be hard to take a lunch break let alone dedicate some time to thinking about new ideas.

Being away provides you with the opportunity to do just that. A simple change in environment is enough to free up your mind because you are not weighed down by the day-to-day obligations. According to the Business is GREAT Britain campaign, 29 per cent of small business owners have had a “eureka” moment while on holiday.

2. A vacation is good for mind, body and soul

It is logical to assume that if you work long, long hours, every day of the working week and then beyond at weekends, that eventually your ability to deliver excellence at all times is going to be compromised. Worst of all, you won’t know it.

Working excessively alone can be detrimental to your physical and mental wellbeing – going without holidays, well, the stresses you are placing on your body is going to be significant to say the least. Time off allows you to rest and recharge your batteries so that on return, you feel at the top of your game.

3. Professional and personal advantages to a work/life balance

It goes without saying that work is a fundamental part of life and takes up a great portion of it, so that being said, it is important. And if you like what you do, then even more so, work is a way of life.

However, it should not come at the expense of “life”. You owe it to yourself to enjoy the small things, to spend time with your family, see you friends, explore the world and pursue interests and hobbies you may have outside of work. Getting that balance between your professional and personal lives is vital to achieving a quality way of living.