If you’re reading this from your office, rather than the pool, hotel room, airplane, etc., on this holiday weekend, you’re in good company.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, 40 percent of all Americans don’t take all of their vacation, leaving 430 million days of unused paid vacation a year.
The Washington Post attributed this “work matrydom,” a tendency to wear “busyness” as a badge of honor, so the higher ups will see them as indispensable.
This may well be true in the corporate world, but what about small businesses? After all, whom do you have to impress when you’re the boss? Still, many florists said they, too, feel they can’t take time off.
Why not? The U.S. Travel Association’s survey found three top reasons: worry about returning to a mountain of work (40 percent), the belief that no one else can do your job (35 percent), and insufficient funds for a vacation (33 percent).
Rick Canale, of Exotic Flowers in Boston, who recently returned from a week at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, said it took him a long time to accept the importance of getting away.
“It’s so key to staying balanced,” he said. Driving vacations are his favorite. They force you to spend time with your family (or friends) and the quiet moments give you uninterrupted time to think. “Some of my best marketing ideas were hatched on the road,” he said. “Seeing new places can really open your eyes to new ideas too.”
He advises starting with a few long weekends to get acclimated to spending time away from the shop and trusting your staff to handle the work. He sets an “out of office” email alert, but checks in daily via email for a little peace of mind (and to avoid returning to a stuffed inbox). Then he digitally signs off.
As for funding family vacations, Canale uses points from the American Express he uses to pay shop bill. “The best thing florists can do is to get a credit cards that earns points,” he said. “Try to pay everything with that to maximize them.”
In Ormandy Beach, Fla., Rick Rivers is adamant that rest and relaxation are essential ingredients for success.
“I take the last week of each month off and at least two more weeks throughout the year,” said the owner A Floral Boutique. “If you don’t, one day your brain will become cottage cheese and your attitude will suffer for the good times when you need to make the moolah.”
That amount of leave may sound staggering, but Rivers insists you can do it.
“Planning is key,” he said. Every January, he posts a master calendar for the year in the shop’s workroom and blocks off holidays and vacations. “This way all my employees know when they can or can’t be out,” he said.
The next piece of preparation is training, Rivers said. For the dates he knows he’ll be out, he makes sure all the necessary positions are filled with employees who’ve proved themselves competent to function without his supervision.
“Lastly, you have to have one person you can appoint to make the decisions, hopefully the same way that you would!” he said. “Support them,” and enjoy your “time to download.”
According to the U.S. Travel Association, 40 percent of all Americans don’t take all of their vacation, leaving 430 million days of unused paid vacation a year.
The Washington Post attributed this “work matrydom,” a tendency to wear “busyness” as a badge of honor, so the higher ups will see them as indispensable.
This may well be true in the corporate world, but what about small businesses? After all, whom do you have to impress when you’re the boss? Still, many florists said they, too, feel they can’t take time off.
Why not? The U.S. Travel Association’s survey found three top reasons: worry about returning to a mountain of work (40 percent), the belief that no one else can do your job (35 percent), and insufficient funds for a vacation (33 percent).
Rick Canale, of Exotic Flowers in Boston, who recently returned from a week at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, said it took him a long time to accept the importance of getting away.
“It’s so key to staying balanced,” he said. Driving vacations are his favorite. They force you to spend time with your family (or friends) and the quiet moments give you uninterrupted time to think. “Some of my best marketing ideas were hatched on the road,” he said. “Seeing new places can really open your eyes to new ideas too.”
He advises starting with a few long weekends to get acclimated to spending time away from the shop and trusting your staff to handle the work. He sets an “out of office” email alert, but checks in daily via email for a little peace of mind (and to avoid returning to a stuffed inbox). Then he digitally signs off.
As for funding family vacations, Canale uses points from the American Express he uses to pay shop bill. “The best thing florists can do is to get a credit cards that earns points,” he said. “Try to pay everything with that to maximize them.”
In Ormandy Beach, Fla., Rick Rivers is adamant that rest and relaxation are essential ingredients for success.
“I take the last week of each month off and at least two more weeks throughout the year,” said the owner A Floral Boutique. “If you don’t, one day your brain will become cottage cheese and your attitude will suffer for the good times when you need to make the moolah.”
That amount of leave may sound staggering, but Rivers insists you can do it.
“Planning is key,” he said. Every January, he posts a master calendar for the year in the shop’s workroom and blocks off holidays and vacations. “This way all my employees know when they can or can’t be out,” he said.
The next piece of preparation is training, Rivers said. For the dates he knows he’ll be out, he makes sure all the necessary positions are filled with employees who’ve proved themselves competent to function without his supervision.
“Lastly, you have to have one person you can appoint to make the decisions, hopefully the same way that you would!” he said. “Support them,” and enjoy your “time to download.”
