How to Plan for Unplanned Time Off
Episode 684: Show Notes
Today we’re talking about unanticipated leave. We’ve spent a good amount of episodes talking about how to prepare for maternity leave or a longer vacation or break, both of which are amazing! But for the most part, these are eventualities that you can anticipate and plan around. So what do you do to prepare for things that you can’t anticipate like family emergencies or medical leave?
This year we have both had major health challenges as well as family emergencies that left us unable to work for days and weeks at a time. These events were stressful in themselves. But, had we not taken the necessary steps to prepare for unanticipated leave, things could have been a lot more dire and overwhelming, especially for our team. To find out whether you’ve prepared your business for unplanned time off, make sure you tune in for our breakdown on how to elevate your systems, build better communication, and plan for unplanned time off!
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You Don’t Need to Be Indispensable
On some level, most of us would all like to believe that we are indispensable, especially in our jobs. But if you are a business owner and you need to deal with an emergency that leaves you unavailable for an extended period, then you need to be sure that you have systems in place that can continue to function in your absence. We want you to be thinking about how you can protect and keep your business operational if, and when, these things come up. Ultimately we want the business to be completely operational without you in it. At least for a while. You should be able to step away from every single task you do in the business and someone can cover for you.
It’s About the Little Things
If you had to suddenly leave, would you be able to give someone a bulleted list of the things in your brain, and they could simply go off and handle it without any instruction? If the answer is no, then you need to start putting systems in place to prepare for these eventualities. One of the biggest things that you will likely need to address is file access and management. It may seem boring and inconsequential, but when done illogically it can be one of the most frustrating things for those trying to step in while you’re away. Ask yourself some basic questions. Are your files stored where the necessary people can access them? Do your naming conventions make sense? Is it easy for someone to hop into your Dropbox and search for the thing that they need? If someone needed to log into your email, could they do that? In many ways, it’s the little things that most urgently need to be addressed to make sure people can seamlessly handle things while you’re away.
You Shouldn’t Be The Only One Bringing In Revenue
One of our biggest wishes is for you to get to the point where you aren’t the only person who can bring money into the business. Primarily because it’s a really dangerous way to operate. And while you may still be the primary salesperson in the grand scheme of things, you don't want to be in a position where you’re the only person who knows how your financial systems work. So even if you’re doing the sales calls, in your absence someone else should be able to run a promotion, sell a course, charge a client, or pursue any other revenue-generating task.
The Next Step to Preparing Your Business for Unplanned Time Off
We realize that looking behind the scenes of your business isn’t the sexiest thing to be spending your time on. But it can have huge benefits down the line. It’s the structure you spend your time on now that enables a sustainability period. We know that working on these types of things can feel like you’re losing time. But ultimately the efficiencies you gain will save you hours, days, weeks, and even months in the future.
If you need help figuring out what this could look like, or if you would like someone to help you implement these systems, we would love to chat with you. Our team is super passionate (and nerdy!) about client management systems, project management systems, team communication systems, and all the rest, and we love figuring these things out with you! Head on over to bossproject.com/waitlist to get started on your crisis management plan. We’ll be there to have a chat and help you figure out what makes sense, and see if there's some magic that we can make happen together!
Quote This
I want the business to ultimately be completely operational, without you in it. You should be able to step away from every single task you do in the business and have someone who can cover you.
Highlights
You Don’t Need to Be Indispensable [0:08:06]
It’s About the Little Things [0:15:36]
You Shouldn’t Be The Only One Bringing In Revenue [0:25:22]
The Next Step to Preparing Your Business for Unplanned Time Off [0:26:48]
Today’s Guest:
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
Key Topics:
Unanticipated Time Off, Structures, Management Systems, Organizing
