One of the biggest indicators of small business success is the business owner’s ability to take a relaxing vacation. For most entrepreneurs, that is a foreign concept because either:
- They don’t have the money; and/or
- They can’t take the time away from the business; and/or
- If they go on vacation, they stress about the business the whole time.
I love it when I see a business owner take a nice, stress-free vacation because it means the business is serving them. They have achieved a measure of success that is personally and profoundly impactful. To get to that point, they have worked ON their business, they have worked on their mindset, and they have usually built a support team around them to make it possible. My deep desire for business owners is the ability to take nice, stress-free vacations. It’s one of the many reasons I’m compelled to teach and deliver small business success at Keap.
You see, for me, it’s personal. In the early years of our business, we couldn’t take vacations, for all the reasons I’ve mentioned above. I knew my wife had a dream to visit Hawaii. We had five kids, a mountain of debt, and a struggling business—Hawaii wasn’t in the cards. In fact, I just avoided the subject like the plague because it was a painful reminder of my shortcomings as a breadwinner.
Well, as the business became more successful, there was space to talk about the possibility of going on vacation to Hawaii. Mind you, we still couldn’t do it, for the three reasons above. But we could consider it, talk about it, and dreamt of it without me going into a fit of discouragement.
When the business was five years old, we went to Hawaii. It was magical. Charisse and I love that place. And that’s where we are today as I write this blog on Monday, February 8. In fact, I’ve tacked on an Elite Mastermind to our Hawaii vacation so I can enjoy this trip, along with 12 elite small business owners who have achieved the kind of success that affords them this opportunity. We are working on our businesses together for one day and enjoying the rest of the week with our spouses.
So, I will not be blogging the rest of the week. I will be on the beach, supremely grateful for the ability to enjoy a Hawaii vacation with my wife and friends, and humbled by the incredible team I get to work with at Keap that makes it possible for this entrepreneur and tens of thousands of others to achieve their dreams.
I’ll be back at it next Monday. Until then, go grab success!
SBS Idea of the Day: Plan your next vacation—even if it’s in two years. Plan for it today and then connect the dots between here and then to make it a reality.
