Small business owners are a hardworking bunch but it’s important for them to schedule in downtime over the holiday season to avoiding burning out. It’s wise for them to plan a break well in advance and by now small business owners should already have a good idea on when they’ll take time off. They just need to make sure that they clearly communicate that information to their customers.
According to a survey by NRMA, 37% of small business owners take less than five day’s annual leave each year and 61% take less than 10 days. But owners can learn a lot when they step away from their businesses to recharge.
If you are a small business owner planning to take a holiday over Christmas and New Year, you need to let your customers know when you will be away well before you go on leave.
The owner of educational startup Loopa Saj Devshi spoke to Fast Company about how he sends an email newsletter out to customers and posts a note on the company website about his holiday availabilities:
“People like to know where they stand with their queries, even if that’s an automated response. The thing that’s guaranteed to lose you a [potential] customer is if they get no response… Because if you can’t answer their problems when they haven’t bought from you, how can they have faith that you will be there to help them when they have?”
Ideally, you would have your days off all potted out so you can let you customers know now. If you haven’t, you might want to get cracking.
Are you a small business owner who is planning to take a trip away? How have you planned for the holiday season? Let us know in the comments.
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