By Holly Reisem Hanna

You may not have known, for the past two weeks I’ve been away, five days in Florida for a family beach vacation, and five days in Oregon for girl’s getaway. As a work at home mom, I have the luxury to work when and where I want, but no matter who you are or what you’re doing, there comes a time that you need to unplug and leave work behind.

To be able to do this, especially when you’re an entrepreneur or freelancer, you need to have clear cut systems in place for everything to run smoothly. But with a little planning and preparation, you can get away and manage your home business on the go.

Here are some tips to get your started.

Plan Ahead:

Just like you’ll plan for your vacation, you need to take time out to plan for your business activities while you’re away. I suggest doing this at least a month in advance. Look at all areas of your business, figure out what you can do beforehand, what needs to be delegated and automated, and what projects you need to turn down because you’ll be gone. If you plan to check on your business while you’re traveling, ensure you have all of the appropriate smartphone apps installed before you leave. Make sure that you know your usernames and passwords for your accounts if you’ll be using a different computer, and check to see if the hotel that you’re staying at has WI-FI. For places that do not have Internet access, you can install a personal hotspot via your smartphone, turning it into a wireless router that can share its Internet connection with your laptop or tablet.

Automation:

Technology has made it possible for you to automate almost anything, from email to social media campaigns and automatic bill pay. Blog platforms like WordPress allow you to schedule your blog posts in advance, and third-party applications like Hootsuite, allows you to schedule updates and automatically run your RSS feed to the various social networks. Email marketing campaigns can also be scheduled, and if you’re looking to send out individual emails, check out Letter Me Later.com.

A House Sitter for Your Business:

When you go on vacation you probably have a friend, family member, or paid house sitter watch over things while you’re away… why should your business be any different? Even if you don’t use a virtual assistant on a regular basis, it is an excellent idea (not to mention very affordable) to hire a VA while you’re away. They can monitor your website, social media presence and answer emails when you’re not able to. Having an extra set of eyes to supervise your business while you’re getting some rest and relaxation, will help to alleviate stress and unforeseen circumstances from wreaking havoc on your home business.

Communicate:

Keep the lines of communication open, by letting your current clients and potential customers know that you’ll out of the office. I like to inform clients a week before hand, letting them know the dates I’ll be gone and what to do in my absence. For potential clients and customers, set up an autoresponder letting them know when to expect a response from you.  Again, having a virtual assistant watching over things will help to put client’s minds at ease.

Give Yourself a Cushion:

I’m sure you’ve heard this before… “I need a vacation, from my vacation”! Schedule in an extra day of non-vacation where you can catch up on sleep, laundry, errands, and household chores. Having to immediately get back to work after a vacation can be overwhelming; give yourself a cushion so that you can ease back into your normal routine.

By having a clear plan and schedule, you can rest assured that your business will run smoothly while you’re enjoying some vacation time.

What tips do you have for managing your home business while you’re away?

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Tags: Business, Entrepreneur, Freelancer, Holly Reisem Hanna, Home Business, Manage Your Home Business on Vacation, Technology, The Work at Home Woman, Travel, Vacation, WAHM, Work at Home, Work at Home Mom