By Foregoing Vacations, Small Business Leaders May Be Hurting Their Firms

Americans take the fewest vacation days (14) on average than any other country. Entrepreneurs take even less time off.  Just 5.5 days according to a recent survey by Information Strategies, Inc., the parent of this newsletter.

Among the findings from 234 small business owner/presidents were:

• 41% had not taken a vacation of more than seven days in the past two years.
• 33% had not taken a vacation in two years.
• 27% said they did not expect to take a vacation this year.
• 31% had not been abroad in three years.
• 41% said their business suffered when they were on vacation.
• 44% said their families had taken vacations without them.

With summer approaching, many small business managers may be thinking about taking a break, but few do.

We have noticed in our interaction with small business owners that many are reluctant to take vacations, said JoAnn M. Laing, ISIs President & CEO.

In our focus groups and discussions with these entrepreneurs, many thought that taking time off would have an adverse affect on their business, particularly in day-to-day operations, she said.

In talking with other small business advisers, many said one of the toughest challenges they had was getting owners to let-go for even short bursts of time, Laing added.

For better or for worse, small business owners tend to only know one season: the work season, Evan Carmichael, a Canadian consultant to small firms said.

Conversely, Laing indicated that when entrepreneurs do take a break, they tend to spend rather freely on their vacations.

Information Strategies, Inc., a marketing and management firm that advises corporations on how to sell to the SOHO, SME marketplace. It also provides information to more than four million SOHO, SME managers through a series of online newsletters.

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