This summer, we have had multiple business owner clients physically leave the location of their business for an extended period of time (anywhere from two to four weeks).
Most of these are physical location businesses, and no, this is not a fantasy…it is real life.
For the most part, these owners are not spending the time away from their business simply sipping bubbly and eating bon bons. Most are staying active through the duration of their time away, and in many cases working on their own business, or learning about the inner workings of another business they are visiting.
One owner traveled north for five hours and worked three days a week at another business that is in the same industry. He simply called the owner up and asked to come work as an employee so he could watch and learn.
The perspectives and takeaways were endless. He would spend a few minutes each evening creating audio notes from his time each day. No conference could equip him in the same way he was able to see it for himself.
How did he create the margin to physically leave his business? You can read and listen to the majority of our content to learn that. The bigger question is, why?
Why did he leave his business and not spend every second of the time away just resting and relaxing?
Most business owners are drivers, and most drivers rarely find replenishment from “doing nothing”... their mind never stops.
Instead, owners are now making a decision to leave their physical location for extended periods of time, and making a plan beforehand with how they will allocate their time in a rhythm of rest, intentionality, learning, and work.
While away, many of these business owners would still check in on elements of their business, but only during pre-determined times.
But why?
First, when you are physically taking a break from the all-in, day-to-day grind of your business, then you are forcing yourself to see things from a different perspective.
I have also been physically away from the central location of our business for three weeks. Two of those weeks were committed to working both in (some) and on (some) of the business, and one of those weeks was committed to absolutely zero communication around our business.
While hiking trails in the morning, or biking town streets in the evenings that are unfamiliar to me, it is forcing my mind to bend differently around many of the same issues that I was only able to see from one angle.
The second reason you should make time to take a break from the day-in-day-out grind of your business is what it does for your small team.
You have team members that are silently looking for an opportunity to grow, to lead, and to develop. Contrary to the bitter generational sentiment, there are many young professionals, leaders, and line workers who are waiting to be asked… to be invited into greater responsibility.
They cannot (err will not) step up if they believe they will be stepping on your toes. No matter how non-intimidating you think you are; your team will usually have great internal respect for your role, and you will not see them “step up” until you are willing to step out for a small period of time.
Finally, you should plan to take a break from your business for a defined period of time because it will force you to prepare for that time away. In order for your team to assume responsibility in your distance, they will need to embrace the vision, mission, and values of the business. They will need to be equipped w/ the systems, processes, and methods to bake that cake, stack that crate, pack that bait, or quote that rate.
When others are working IN the business, it allows you to leverage your narrow brilliance, that part of the business you truly enjoy while the team runs the day to day.
You will never fully know if your team is ready to own the day-to-day, if you are unwilling to leave the day-to-day… if only for a few days, a few weeks, or a few months.
Start preparing now, set a date, communicate, prepare… and go see your world from a different trail.
