For many people, getting to travel while they run their own business is living the dream. It could allow you a certain freedom that would be tough if you were someone else’s employee. However, a lot of hard work is required to get to that point and to maintain it. Traveling when you have a business to run isn’t easy. It’s even more difficult when you don’t have a huge staff to help you keep things going. Before you leave for a trip, you should start preparing to make sure your business can keep ticking along. Use these useful tips to combine your business and travels.
Delegate Someone to Run Things at Home
If you’re lucky, you have a great team of staff. There should be someone you trust to help keep everything running while you’re away. You don’t necessarily have to be prepared to hand over all control. They can make sure they get in contact with you for the most important issues. However, you can delegate the day-to-day running of your company to someone else. You don’t have to leave them to make vital business decisions. But they can supervise all the usual daily tasks. Make sure you offer them the support they need and stay in touch as much as you can.
Use a Virtual Office Service
When you’re traveling, you will often be on an odd schedule. You might be in a different time zone or just unable to use a phone or computer. So answering your calls all the time is going to be difficult. Using a virtual office is an excellent solution which means you can call people back later. You can choose a package that includes call answering, and they will take your messages for you. Many will bundle together call answering and a virtual address. For example, you can find one at Capital Office – yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk. A virtual address is useful if you want to give your business more of a prestigious look.
Make Sure You Have Phone/Internet Options
You won’t always be able to use the internet or a phone. Sometimes you might plan to be completely off the grid for weeks at a time. When you can’t access these amenities, you can make arrangements to keep your business going. But when you do want and need to access them, they need to be there for you. Wherever you’re planning on going, make a list of places where you can access a phone and internet connection. It could be your hotel, a café or somewhere else with free WiFi. You might also look at business options, such as co-working spaces and desk rental.
Plan and Create a Schedule
The main secret to running your business while you travel is to plan ahead. If you’re going to go off into a jungle for two weeks, you need to know what happens to your business in the meantime. You should decide how you’re going to balance your work with having fun. Are you going to dedicate a few hours each day to your business? Perhaps you might stick to your regular working hours, but leave early mornings and evenings to explore.
Traveling and running a business could be easier than you think. It’s all in the planning before you leave.
