Forty per cent of Australian business owners will spend more than 10 hours a week keeping their businesses running this summer holidays.
New research has found businesses owners are refusing to switch off during the festive season, with one in 10 Australian business owners and managers spending more than 20 extra hours of time to attend to business when supposedly on holidays.
The Servcorp report also found younger business owners were also facing tougher times, with almost half (48 per cent) sacrificing more than 10 hours a week.
Servcorp chief executive Marcus Moufarrige said, as all business owners recognise, it can be hard to switch off at the end of a working day or at the weekend, especially if you are just starting out.
“In the lead up to the holiday period, where family and personal time becomes even more of a focus, it’s important for Aussies to find tools and resources to help them switch off and take time out.”
Encouragingly, the research found business owners are already using various methods to help them grow their businesses while managing their time more effectively.
The most popular are mobile devices, at 52 per cent, while others include a good accountant (31 per cent) and secretarial and office support services (19 per cent).
Moufarrige said we needed to realise we do have the tools available to help us feel free to switch off our business brains and relax.
“When used properly, virtual tools can let us attend family lunches and drinks with friends without us having to worry that we’re missing any urgent requests or calls,” he said.
Here some key tips to help you through the summer slog.
Set some boundaries – it sounds simple, but letting people know when you’ll be working over the holidays is the key to carefree summer days.
Set up a virtual call answering service that can help answer your calls and clearly states when you’ll be able to get back to them.
A good service will allow you to set rules for who should get put directly through and when, so you can be confident that key clients can reach you for critical needs
Take care of your cash flow – a good accountant can help you keep your cash flow steady over the holidays and take care of the day-to-day billing tasks that can’t wait to be addressed until you’re back in the office
Reframe your priorities – at the end of the day there are plenty of tools and services out there to help you enjoy the holiday period and make the most of the time you have to spend with family and friends. Even if it’s just switching off your mobile phone during Christmas lunch, those three hours can make all the difference.
