[27.11.16]

Christmas is a time for celebrations, but for small business owners, the festive season can bring with it a number of daunting challenges. From covering staff holidays and illness to dealing with supplier closures or heightened demand, many small business owners simply can’t bear to close the doors on their business for a week or more over the festive period.

However, just like your staff, you should look forward to a break over the Christmas period to re-energise, rejuvenate, relax and recharge your creativity.

Small business owners work longer hours than most people, which can lead to exhaustion and a build-up of stress over the long-term. Taking a break over Christmas will allow you to return to work revitalised and refocused. Spending time with friends and family is also a healthy way to rebalance a life that is frequently dominated by the needs of the business.

It is an unavoidable truth of running a small business that there is never a good time to leave the business to go on holiday. But this shouldn’t stop you. If you don’t close over Christmas, at least book yourself some time off well in advance so that you, and your employees, know what’s coming –and make sure you take that well earned break.

If you are one of those business owners who really can’t switch off, here are a few ideas that will help you to make the most of the holiday while still taking time to wind-down.

• Set aside an hour a day to deal with urgent issues so you can feel you are staying in control of the business without spoiling your time off. If you spend the whole time away glued to your laptop or smartphone, that’s still working! It is important to actually have a break in order to reap the benefits.
• Allocate some time to research and plan some new strategies to incorporate during 2017. While you aren’t bogged down with day to day tasks and your mind is relaxed into the festive spirit you might come up with some great ideas.
• Think about your staff. In the new year people can be tempted by new opportunities and challenges. Consider how your business can utilise employees in a more productive way or how you can keep them motivated and challenged to keep them engaged.
• Don’t forget to have fun and spend time with family and friends.

Castletons Accountants