Small business owners are fast tracking themselves to burnout by not having a holiday, a recent survey, of 515 small business owners by cloud accounting company Xero, has found.
As a couple that help tradies make money, gain back time and basically get their life back (and take a holiday every year), the results were truly disturbing….more than half (57%) claim they have not had a holiday in over a year, and nearly a quarter (23%) of owners claim not to have a holiday in over two years.
The thing is, the survey also revealed some ground breaking news that could change EVERYTHING … get to that part in a minute.
Facts from the survey: The key reasons Aussie small business owners struggle to take time off are:
- * 42% need to be available at all times as they are the decision makers
- * 37% can’t take holidays as they are the sole employee
- * 25% are too busy to take holidays
- A third claimed they were unable to relax if they don’t know what’s going on
- within their business (37%).
If this is you, you need to stay mindful of the impact of how this affects not only you, but those around you. It means you don’t have the opportunity to switch off, break bad habits, allow time to think, be creative and most importantly, spend time with family and friends.
Beyondblue, the national initiative to raise awareness of anxiety and depression, has documented that working long hours is associated with poor psychological health, increased family conflict, excessive fatigue, worry and irritability and increased rate of injury. None of which sound great.
But then came the REALLY interesting and ground-breaking statistic:
More than half (56%) of small business owners admitted that using mobile technology to manage their business or work remotely would make it easier to take more holidays.
‘Yes’… this simple sentence is the gold within the survey. It is heaven to our ears to hear that some small business owners DO realise there is a way to make things better (56% of them), or at least know one of the things they are doing wrong. Not embracing mobile technology.
But, are they doing anything about it?
Embracing technology is only one part of the puzzle in helping trade business owners relax and take a well earnt break, and when you simply don’t have the time to do the research to understand where to start, then…. that’s where we can help.
STOP sitting on your hands watching other tradies do better than you. Buying new trucks. Employing more staff. Leaving you in their dust. Instead…
We invite you to join us on a Tradie Revolution webinar where you’ll hear Andy and I talk trade technology, amongst other things. It is specifically for trade business owners who want to take a holiday EVERY year.
Thankfully the study wasn’t all doom and gloom. It reported that 45% of small business owners don’t find it difficult to take time off from their business. They claim the key to their relaxation is delegation and preparation. Or better still, be one of the 19% that have hired employees that they trust to run the business in their absence.
What’s your secret to taking a well earnt holiday?
Xero In on Summer survey, October 2015. The survey was conducted by PureProfile and consisted of 515 Australian respondents who own or manage their own small business.
The full Media Release can be read HERE
What’s next?
- Join our Kick-Ass Tradies Facebook Group, for access to trade business specific conversations, tips and resources, plus a like-minded community of tradies.
- Book a 15-minute Game Plan Call with Andy, owner of Dr. DRiP plumbing and co-founder of Lifestyle Tradie, to clarify your priorities and get clear action steps.
