Taking a Break

Jeremy started mowing his neighbors’ lawns for extra cash when he was 15, and by the time he graduated from high school had built up a pretty healthy landscaping business. Over the next five years, he put his profits to work, invested in top of the line equipment and even hired part-time help for big jobs. The one thing he didn’t do was take a vacation. Now, he is eyeing a trip to Tahiti with his new wife and needs to figure out how to keep his one-and-a-half-man business running while he takes a break.

The first thing Jeremy did was look at his calendar. Business was slowest in January, as expected, though he would often get periodic calls for clean-up help after storms. He made a nice bit of off-season earnings from the occasional falling tree limbs and didn’t want to disappoint customers who depended on him. If they had to call somebody else, that somebody else might horn in on his regular business, too.

Jeremy started training his part-timer, Ricky, to answer phone calls and pitch prices. Ricky was happy to take on some extra work, and Jeremy made sure he knew how to take care of the basics and how to get in touch in case of an emergency. Before he left, Jeremy did a test-run with Ricky for two weeks, letting him sit in on business calls and handle a few while Jeremy listened. The process gave Jeremy the opportunity to see details he would have missed otherwise and to see how Ricky worked without him. Then, his mind was at rest for his vacation.

As a small business owner, it was key that Jeremy planned well in advance. Not only did he have to save money for the vacation itself, but he also had to have enough money to cover ongoing business expenses while he was gone. He returned home refreshed and ready to get back to work, with an employee who could grow along with the business.