As a long weekend with a US holiday approaches, I was wondering:
How many startup and small business owners take a REAL vacation?
One of my good friends, who owns an Internet marketing firm, is on ‘vacation.’  She’s still answering emails, sending out proposals, chasing down some contracts… etc.
Is that a vacation? Or is it just a nicer place to work?
Vacations can be a much deserved time away from the office. You need it to refresh, re-energize and sometimes just to take a time-out. If you’re worried your business can crumble during a week off, it’s time to re-examine your business operations.
So …read more

Yesterday, I talked about the new Staples survey, that said many small business owners are doing their creative thinking and problem solving while sleeping or showering.  (Read more here.)
But the reason that people are doing it, is because of time – or lack thereof.
The survey also revealed that the majority of US small business owners and managers are also working overtime on their own time:  98 percent reported working during the nights, weekends and vacations.
So why are we working like this? According to the survey, 38 percent of small business owners can’t remember the last time they took a vacation, …read more