Ready to go on holiday but worried about leaving your business unattended? Or worse, are your clients pestering you to sort out their taxes before they leave for Costa Del Sol?
Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Whether it’s help setting up contract terms, long-term planning, communication or a special summer hours message via social media, we’re on it.
We’ve helped countless tradies manage their time better, take care of their clients, and still go abroad with the missus.
Contract terms
You can’t satisfy all of your clients all of the time. That’s just part and parcel of the job.
But if you’re planning to go away — rightly so, you’ve earned that break — the last thing you want is a client holding you up and stressing you out before you even print out your boarding pass.
This is where having a properly negotiated contract comes in handy. If you include concessions in the paperwork, you can set feedback terms, working hours, payment schedule — the lot!
Then when Charlie Farley comes to kick up a fuss about you going away in August, you can say: “Read the bloody contract, mate.”
Not all clients are a pain — some will just want an update on the gig before you go away, and for them, it’s worth being more flexible with how you communicate.
Modern society dictates that we’re always on, always connected. While it’s great to switch off, people still expect to be updated more these days.
Create a long-term plan
When you’ve got a team of tradies working underneath you, it pays to have a plan, so when you’re on your jollies they know what they’re doing.
Long-term planning and being a trades business don’t always go hand in hand, so if you can create one, you’re getting ahead of the game.
It’s not an easy thing to start, though, so we’d deffo recommend speaking to an accountant you’re struggling (like us, for example).
Set up proper communications
Now you’ve got your trip booked, the missus has her outfits all planned, and you’re looking forward to just laying by that pool with a cerveza.
But what happens if someone calls you? There’s nothing like being taken out of the experience by having a rogue call from a client.
This is where you need a comms strategy. This could be:
- Delegating a member of your team to answer calls on your behalf — if you’ve got more staff, then this is the ideal option.
- Set up an out-of-office message — it’s worth providing an emergency option here, too, if stuff does need your input, but make sure you stress that it’s for an emergency only!
- Use your social media or website to say you’re off work and not on the phone — this can work wonders, as you can direct people to an enquiries box where you’ll receive email rather than a call.
Ultimately, the decision is up to you, but whatever you choose, ensure you have some kind of comms plan in place. Sod’s law dictates that you’ll get found out if you don’t.
Still a bit unsure?
That’s fine — we get it; you want to enjoy yourself but want to stay professional at the same time.
Look, give us a call, and we’ll talk to you about what you can do to still run your business effectively and still sun it up in Marbella.
We’ve helped loads of tradies with their business and accounting problems, so we know what it’s like.
Give us a call — we’ll help you enjoy your hard-earned holiday.