Closing up Shop

In my business owners group this week, this trip took on a new meaning. "You mean you are really closing up shop and just taking off for a month? So you actually mean all this stuff about setting boundaries and creating life balance?" We've been talking about productivity, time and energy management, and running a values-based business for quite some time. We've discussed books like the "E-Myth" and "The Four Hour Work Week. But I'm not sure one business owner in the group actually believed it could be done.

One participant told me that if I could actually do this it would give me ten times more credibility in terms of having practiced what I preach. So, now this is a business trip of sorts as well, as I conduct the personal experiment of whether a small business like mine can thrive and still go dark for a month every year.

Of course it's easier said than done. I had to turn away business in July that I would have loved to take on. Although I've handled most of the major things on my to do list, there are still some things that simply didn't get done. They will have to wait, and I may lose opportunities as a result. Although I've decreased my client base, I still have long term clients that I would like to support while I'm gone if they need me. And, I have to trust that when I return in September, I will be able to make up for lost time. Being gone for one month actually cuts into three months of revenue.

In order to get to the point where I was willing to risk something like this, the main thing I had to build was personal confidence, trust in myself, and a longer term perspective. In the long run, once this month is over and I've gotten back on track, my absense in August wont mean much to other people. But to me, in the long run, this will mean a lot. Yes, there will be inevitable missed opportunities and losses. But overall, is it worth it? Absolutely.

So the e-mail auto-responders are turned on and the vacation voice mail is activated, and I am now immersed in packing, taking care of last minute errands, and worrying about what I'll miss. Luckily I realize that in this day and age, almost everything I miss can be fixed in some way. It's probably a good thing that I only have a few hours after my training to pack tomorrow evening - less time to stress!