Business advice: Close your doors for Christmas
Accountant warns that business success in 2010 is linked to Christmas holidays
Local business expert, Butch Mawdsley, warns North Shore business owners that failing to take a break from their
business over the Christmas period can have damaging effects on both their health and their business. While not taking
holiday leave can cause exhaustion, anxiety and stress, Butch says that it can also lead to reduced levels of
productivity and result in a lacklustre start for the business in the New Year.
“It’s hard for business owners to separate themselves from their business, as so much of the business’s performance is
dependent on their management,” says Butch, director of accounting firm RES Group and its business development division,
10X North Shore. “Many of them are concerned that the business won’t run without them, or that they will miss out on
important opportunities while they are away. This is especially the case for small business owners, who are less likely
to take holidays because they are often alone in the business.”
Butch, says that the recent economic climate has put pressure on local business owners to commit longer hours to running
their business and achieving their KPIs. “Business owners are increasingly finding that they have to work late into the
night, or on weekends, or on their days off,” he says. “Dedicating more hours to your business will inevitably impact on
the amount of time you have to spend with your family, and even the quality of that time, as many business owners are
likely to be drained in those precious few hours outside of work.”
According to Butch, taking a holiday, even for just a few days, is important for gaining perspective. “Stepping outside
of the business will give you a more objective view of what needs to be done when you come back to it. Not only that,
but a short break can refresh and re-motivate you, enable you to make better business decisions, and allow you to derive
greater satisfaction from your work.”
How business owners can take a break this Christmas:
Butch, says the key to not worrying while away is for business owners to be well-prepared. Closing the business for a
short period is possible if customers are informed in advance and appointments are made around the closing period.
Planning ahead and anticipating what customers may need during this time will ensure that there are customers to come
back to. If closing is out of the question, leaving your business in the hands of a trusted, prepared and capable
manager or team is the best way to give a business owner peace of mind. Further, Butch cautions business owners against
bringing their work on holiday, as this is likely to cause even more stress for them.
Mr Mawdsley’s warning to North Shore business owners follows the release of a new study from the Australia Institute,
which reveals that Australians work the longest hours in the Western world - working 6 hours longer per week than the
standard working week of 38 hours.
ends