Holiday advice for business owners

As many people head back to work this week, spare a thought for the thousands of small business owners who skipped taking a break this year. 

The latest MYOB Business Monitor survey of more than 1,000 small business owners around New Zealand reveals that 13% have not taken a holiday in the past 12 months.

“This is a busy and stressful time of year for many business owners,” says MYOB Head of Small Business Ingrid Cronin-Knight. “We know how hard these people work so it was no surprise to see how many miss out on taking a holiday during the year. Keeping a small business running can be a challenge.”

The survey also found that 7% took less than one week of holidays, 7% took one week, 18% took two weeks, 17% took three weeks and 13% took four weeks leave.

However, it’s not all bad news, with almost a quarter (24%) taking more than a month off. 
Cronin-Knight puts that down to the flexibility that some owners have and the fact that many have started their small business to get a better work/life balance.

“Our survey found that 71% of SME owners were satisfied with their work/life balance, with 14% dissatisfied,” she says.

“We understand owning your own business can be a richly rewarding experience, but it can also be a challenging one. We encourage SME owners to make sure they’re getting down time they need. It’s important you don’t burnout, because that can be devastating for you and your business.

“For those taking some time off over the holiday period, this is a great time to reflect on your operations and plan for the year ahead,” says Cronin-Knight.