Whether you're preparing for a vacation, going to a convention... or even hosting the Big Balloon Build, it's a good idea to plan for the time away from your business. Not only to be able to participate in the event, but to actually be able to enjoy it!

In this episode I'm sharing some of the ways that I prepare to be out of the office and away from my business for an extended period.

First, I make a point to protect my time before and after events. The minute I sign up for a convention or book a trip, I take a look at the days around that event and block off some time to get prepared or settled back in.

In fact, I got some accidental down time after last year's Balloon Boss Summit due to weather, and it turned out to be one of the best ways for me to digest all that I had learned during the convention!

Another thing I like to do before I leave is to make sure my shop is in order. It feels so much better to come back to an organized shop or home than it does to come back to a mess. In the same vein, I love to plan my outfits to support the things I'm doing while I'm away. I take care of all the laundry I can ahead of time so that I have what I need when I'm gone and when I come back.

When it comes to customer communication, I always like to warn my customers that my communication will be slow while I'm away. Normally, I take pride in being able to respond quickly, but because I know I won't be able to maintain that speed while I'm gone I want to tell my customers why.

Here are the ways that I let my customers know:

• I add a banner on my website with some details
• I update my auto-response in 17hats to let them know what to expect
• I send an email newsletter

I've specifically decided against:

• adding an away message in my email
• adding an away message on social platforms

The next thing I do is to schedule social media... sometimes. This just depends on where I'm going when I'm away. For instance, I'll be scheduling social media for the podcast while I'm busy hosting The Big Balloon Build, but as Wisconsin Balloon Decor, I'll be much better off posting content live and as it's happening.

Another thing I do before I'm away is to forecast my orders for the couple of weeks following my event. I've found this to be better than having to settle back in, figure out what inventory is needed and then hope that I still have time to get what I need to fulfill the jobs ahead.

Finally, despite the fact that I give customers notice about my slow response time, I will still monitor my email for the leads that are too good to pass up. To be able to get messages back out to these leads quickly, I have email templates ready in 17hats, and I also save some pre-written messages in my phone's notes section.

Even if the message doesn't follow my usual booking process, I love having a way to let these people know that they can count on me for their request.

So there you have it! The things I do before I'm away from my business. Is there anything that you would add?

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