CPA Practice Advisor - 33

FEATURE

How to Prepare for Summer in the Office
and Not Leave Your Business Stranded
By Nellie Akalp

THE KIDS ARE out of school for summer, your staff is making vacation plans and you're ready for some much-needed
summer travel, too. But how will you be able to leave the
business you've worked so hard to build and nurture? Will
customers will take their business elsewhere if you don't
have a full staff ready and waiting to serve them? What if
you land a brand-new client who needs a lot of support?
Although these are all valid
concerns, constant working without a break is not good for you,
your employees or your business.
Enthusiasm and creativity suffer,
and resentment and fatigue grow.
Since summer is a popular
vacation season and because we
don't want to see you crash and
burn, here are a few ideas to help
you and your staff get some time
away from your business-without skipping a beat.

HELLO TECHNOLOGY!
If going off the grid isn't a reality
for you, there is a plethora of tools
available to minimize your work
time and maximize your time
away from work:
* Keep it in the Cloud: Don't waste
precious vacation time trying to
access data files you left at your
business. Store everything you
might need while on the road
in the cloud and keep files wellorganized in easy-to-understand
folders so employees back at the
office won't have to bug you to find
something they need.
* Apps: From social media to autoresponders to messaging apps, there
are very few office functions today
that can't be done through an app.
Make sure you have enough data

and storage on your mobile devices
before you leave and (it goes
without saying) make sure you
know what features are available
on the app so you aren't surprised.
Use a password manager app to
keep your passwords accessible
while you travel.
* Organizers & Auto Responders:
No one likes to see their inbox
after a vacation. Too many emails
to answer and it's so hard to catch
up. Plus, you can't let emails go
unanswered for too long. Look
for solutions that auto respond
to emails and organize them by
importance. If anything, some of
the work will be done for you by
the time you get back.

PLAN AHEAD
Communication is key when it
comes to taking time off. Let your
employees know when you'll be
on vacation and make sure your
key employees will be in the office
during that time. Also, tell your
customers and clients the dates
you'll be gone well in advance so
they feel confident their business
will be handled in your absence.
(Have your employees do the same
for their specific clients.) For projects due after you get back, give
your clients realistic deadlines. Be

transparent and you likely won't
get any complaints. It's best to put
one person in charge when you are
out of the office, so there aren't
any power plays going on to make
things tense and unproductive.
Then either check in with that
person once a day or ask them
to contact you if there's a major
issue or emergency (clarify ahead
of time what that would be). This
helps keep you from compulsively
checking your email.
Cross-training employees to
do each other's jobs (or at least
part of each other's jobs) is also
a smart way to make sure things
will run smoothly when someone
is out of the office. It doesn't
involve any new hires, and it also
gives your employees new skills
that make them more valuable.
Another idea is to form strategic partnerships with other service companies to take on some of
the work-and keep your clients
happy-while you're on vacation.

KEEP IT SIMPLE
If a grand vacation is out of the
question, try to schedule some
shorter trips to refuel. Even a
three-day weekend is a great

JUNE 2019 ■

way to get some time away from
your business. Do several of those
over the summer and you'll still
reap the rewards of quality family
and friends time. Plus, being away
for a few days helps you learn to
detach when you need to.
If your employees are itching to get away from the office
as well, summer is a great time
to build team spirit and camaraderie among your staff. Plan
some activities outside, such as
company picnics, beach days,
golf tournaments or nature walks.
Everyone benefits from a change
of environment, so make it a point
to book a few getaways now. ■
Nellie Akalp is a passionate entrepreneur,
small business expert
and mother of four. She
is the CEO of CorpNet.
com, a trusted resource
for Business Incorporation, LLC Filings, and
Corporate Compliance Services in all
50 states. Nellie and her team recently
launched a partner program for accountants, bookkeepers, CPAs, and other
professionals to help them streamline
the business incorporation and compliance process for their clients. More info
at: CorpNet.com/partners.

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

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