The Best Thing You can Do for your Startup is Take a Vacation iIf you are on a holiday, it is up to the team to work just as hard in helping the company grow and make suitable decisions.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
It's December and New Year is just around the corner. As a startup founder, you must be yearning for a much-needed vacation and might even take one. You will calculate the time that will be lost that could otherwise be used to increase sales and work on the operational side of the business. The feeling of guilt takes over, as the belief that the business being heavily dependent on you is very high.
You stare at the pictures on Facebook of your friends having a good time in exotic locations by the beach, and the very next moment, reality strikes and your mind is inundated with thoughts about your startup and how a small holiday may impact sales. Just leave all your worries behind and take that much vacation, you will feel refreshed and inspired once you come back.
Here are the reasons why the best thing to do for your startup is to take a vacation.
Burnouts
A person, working continuously on his/ her startup from the initial stage is bound to get worn out. At the same time, it is also important to keep the passion for your startup alive at all times. Take that one vacation with your friends, family or alone, and once back, you will be ready to work just as hard on the problems your startup is facing.
Harshal Katre, Director of ProfitBooks a Fintech Startup which has attracted 20,000 business owners to his platform believes in vacations to avoid fatigue.
"I make it a point to take at least one long vacation once a year. Short breaks can help you get over physical tiredness but a minimum 2-week break is needed to shed off that mental fatigue. It allows you to detach from the daily chores and think clearly about the future path, "claimed Katre.
Team Building
Your startup has employees, and in most cases, it is you who spoon feeds everyone on the various tasks. This needs to stop, and if you are on a holiday, it is up to the team to work just as hard in helping the company grow and make suitable decisions.
Jayesh Kitukale, Founder, and CEO of Whitesnow a Software startup with over 50 employees agree that his team has learned to reciprocate success when he is away on vacations.
"Any success you can't repeat is not a success," Kitukale added.
Kitukale believes he has hired the right team in place, and this is crucial for success. He believes in delegating work to his team and believes they should be able to handle their responsibilities from start to finish. Experience is the best teacher, and when you are away on a vacation and if a problem arises, the team will think, strategize and solve that problem. Their reliance on you decreases, and this will eventually give you time to plan the startup's future instead of wasting time and energy on everyday decision making.
Think Time
Startup Founders in the office or at home are forever connected through technology in staying up to date with their startup activities. This keeps them busy in operations, but what about the time needed to think about the future and new strategies.
Jayesh Kitukale, Founder and CEO of Whitesnow further feels that it is important to take at least a week away from your venture.
"Startup founders should have ThinkWeeks away from their desk and home, and be into the wild or some faraway place. I call them ThinkWeeks because it is an entire week dedicated to analysing the startup from a larger point of view," explained Kitukale.
So, leave your worries behind and take that vacation you always wanted, and you will notice that your decision-making skills have considerably improved. You will also see signs of increasing productivity and creativity after a nice long week vacation. Don't be afraid to step away from work, as it is a necessity which can make your startup a success.
