I’m going to Sri Lanka in just a few days.
On 28th February my girlfriend and I will be stepping on a plane to Dubai. From there we’ll catch another plane to Colombo, and my Asian adventure will begin!
As the time to leave grows nearer, I find myself getting more excited – for more that one reason. Vacationing in a completely alien part of the world will be an adventure in itself, but beyond that, my trip to Sri Lanka represents a experiment that could change the way I do business forever.
New Year’s Resolutions
It all started with the New Year’s resolution conversation that we all have with one another around 1st January.
Now I’m not a resolutions kind of guy – I think the notion of setting (often arbitrary) goals on January 1st is faintly ridiculous. Why not set goals on any day of the year? Nonetheless, that ubiquitous question – “What are your New Year’s Resolutions?” – gave me a good excuse to think about what I wanted from 2015.
One of my resolutions was to spend our fourteen nights in Sri Lanka completely away from my business.
For someone who hasn’t been away from his business in some capacity for more than a couple of days, that was a bold statement. After all – my business relies on me heavily. I am deeply intertwined with its day-to-day functioning; without my daily presence, my brand would be negatively affected and my income would drop.
But the gauntlet had been laid down. At the time I was just thinking how I could get away from my business for a couple of weeks – how I could defer and delegate to achieve a two week window where my presence would not be required. After all, taking a “proper” holiday for the first time in four years was a seriously attractive proposition.
But in reality, I had released a monster that would not be sated until complete autonomy was achieved.
Finding Inspiration in Books
Rather ironically, my goal took a backseat for a few weeks because I was so involved in the day-to-day running of my business. But a couple of weeks ago, I snapped out of it and realized that I was nowhere near my goal of enabling my business to take care of itself during my two week absence.
My first reaction to remembering about my goal was, “There’s no way that’s happening.” How the hell was I going to go from being deeply involved in my business to stepping away from it just a few weeks? I told my girlfriend that my goal was a big fat failure. I had been so involved in my business that I’d forgotten to put the necessary measures in place, and now there simply wasn’t time. I figured I’d have to spend at least 30 minutes a day dealing with emails and vital tasks to keep things going while I was on holiday. It sucked, but it was necessary.
Fortunately, my self-imposed pre-emptive failure was halted and reversed by a book recommended by my brother. I started reading The E-Myth Revisited one afternoon, and finished reading it a few hours later. I was hooked.
Now I’m not going to delve deeply into the principles that The E-Myth Revisited extols, but I will tell you the main concepts and realizations I took away from it:
- “True” businesses operate autonomously of their owners. You can’t truly call your business a business (at least, not in the way I want to define it) until it can operate independently of your day-to-day influence.
- I wasn’t working on my business, I was working in it. In other words, I was so involved in keeping the business going that I was spending barely any deliberate time on growth.
- A business should rely heavily on its systems, not its staff. There should be no such thing as individual mistakes – only failures within the systems you set up.
I wasn’t really reading anything I hadn’t heard before (in fact, I first read The E-Myth Revisited a few years ago), but it was a refresher I was in dire need of.
After I finished The E-Myth Revisited I followed up with The Checklist Manifesto, and my mental transformation was complete. Not only was I going to take two full weeks off from work in Sri Lanka, I was going to use it as the platform upon which I would build a fully autonomous business.
Which was simple enough to say, but the how the hell was I going to do it?
Building a Fully Autonomous Business (In 2 Weeks)
I started putting my plans into place near the end of last week, which gave me about two weeks to turn my business from being deeply reliant upon me to fully autonomous.
Let’s get this out of the way first though: I included a bit of ‘cheating’ in my plans:
- I am submitting some client work ahead of time so that I don’t have to deal with it while I’m away.
- There are a small handful of writing clients for whom I have no other choice but to tell them that I am away for a couple of weeks and will not be available for work.
- I am scheduling a couple of posts in advance for Leaving Work Behind.
Obviously the above moves are not sustainable for creating an autonomous business, but I have two weeks to get this done – I never said it was going to be a pretty solution.
Now let’s focus on what I need to do to build an autonomous business before I leave:
- Find someone I can trust to manage my email account
- Find someone I can trust to handle sensitive elements of business administration (handling product refunds, access to bank accounts, etc.)
- Find an editor that I can trust to submit ongoing client work in my absence without my oversight
- Find people I can trust (and with the necessary experience) to handle queries via the Leaving Work Behind Blogging Mentorship Program
- Find someone I can trust to handle blog comments management, social media management, sharing blog posts written for clients, sales query responses, business metrics tracking, blog management (theme/plugin updates and backups) and email broadcasting.
As you can no doubt spot, there are two common threads running through each of the above items: I need competent people, and I need people I can trust. We’re talking about “Here’s my business, I haven’t stepped away from it for more than a couple of days in the last 3½ years, it’s all yours for the next two weeks” kind of trust.
How I Know I Will Succeed
Have I got all the answers at this stage? No. But I have a plan. I have it all written down and I know what I need to achieve. Just as importantly, I have a solid, unmovable deadline and huge motivation to achieve my goal.
Despite the scale of my goal and the number of things that could (and might) go wrong, it’s amazing how those three elements – a plan, a deadline and motivation – have gifted me with an unshakable confidence.
Perhaps confidence is the wrong word though – it’s probably more determination than anything. I have to make this work, I know what I need to do (at least in theory), and I know that I have to get it done by a certain time.
In other words, it’s a straight win or lose situation, and losing isn’t an option.
The allure of a full two weeks off from my business (and the longterm psychological benefits that could lead to) and the potential in terms of what this could mean for my business down the line is just too strong for me to screw this up.
So What Next?
I plan to tell you how everything went on my return from Sri Lanka, but for the time being, I’ve got a lot of work to do!
In terms of how things will affect you, I will not be around on the blog for a couple of weeks, nor will I be contactable via email. I do have measures in place to ensure that this situation is as smooth as possible for you – I’m not a fan of ‘out of office’ automated emails; I think you deserve better than that.
But more importantly than a two week vacation, what do my plans mean for the future of my business?
- How can I continue to write posts for the blog if I’m creating an autonomous business?
- How can I offer personalized email support via the Leaving Work Behind Blogging Mentorship Program if I’m uninvolved with the day-to-day running of my business?
- How can I rely so heavily on my personal brand to continue developing my writing business if I won’t actually be editing the pieces?
- How can I continue to promote such a personal brand if it isn’t personal?
I think I have the overruling (and overwhelmingly positive) answer to all of those questions, and all will be revealed in time. But for the time being, please rest assured that any business decision I make is weighed up against a single, immovable constant: you come first. If you’ve been a Leaving Work Behind reader for a while I’d like to think you’ll believe that; if not, then I hope you’ll come to believe it in time, because your appreciation of that fact is incredibly important to me.
With all that said, I’d love to know what you think about my plans. Please fire away with your questions and comments below!
Stunning photography courtesy of Becky Hesilrige.
Hey Tom,
Hope you manage to switch off on your holiday. Will be exciting to see how it goes, with you setting up your business to be autonomous.
Kind of ironic but you might find that although you are away from your business, your mind is more open, meaning you may come up with new ideas business wise 😉
Enjoy your holiday!
Hi Leandro,
That’s definitely something that could happen, although to be honest, I’m going to do my damnedest not to think about business at all. I’ll enjoy my holiday, take no business-related books with me, and switch off completely (if I can!).
Cheers,
Tom
I’m really interested to see how this goes. I am in a very similar position to you, and aside from Christmas Day, I have not taken a full day off in four and a half years. Even when I have tried letting people know I am away for a day or two, I still get work requests coming in. And when I’ve tried to take a holiday, I’ve had to take my laptop and work whilst I’m away. Good luck with it, I hope you’ll let us know if it works.
Having a lot of work requests coming in isn’t a bad thing though Laura 😉
Thanks for the well wishing; I will let you know how it goes (and how I did it!).
I will have to pick up The E-Myth Revisited – I keep hearing about it. Like you, I am too busy working IN my business to work ON it.
I hope you were able to create your dream team so you can enjoy your vacation!
I’m still working on it Beth 😉
I am always looking for new books to read that will help me in my life and business. I may be new to freelance blogging, but I’m not new to running a business. It can take over your life, if you let it.
Have a great vacation, Tom!
Thanks Terri!
Good for you on systemizing, Tom! It took me months to get my business systemized to the point where I could take a few weeks off without worrying about it — Two weeks is setting the bar high!
I remember when I was going through those months, I was working really hard. And my biz coach helped me see that you have to work about 25% harder/more to get systems in place, on top of doing the work you normally do — which is one reason why we have to push ourselves to get that all set up. But once you do, it is so worth it!
Even though my business can run without me now for several weeks, I still use an email autoresponder when I go away. It gives me peace of mind, knowing no one is hoping I’ll respond quickly or waiting on me. (I also let them know they can email our project manager if they have urgent issues; he knows how to take care of just about anything.) Oddly enough, clients and readers really respect that, because it helps them see I’m a real person who needs time away. Often when I leave on my autoresponder, I get nice replies from exactly those people telling me to have a good time =)
One thing I do to make this more fun is personalize my autoresponder. I don’t give the classic “I’m out of the office” line, but instead say something about the amazing trip I’m on, and give a link to my most recent blog post to occupy that reader while I’m gone.
Have fun traveling and relaxing and unplugging!
That’s a cool idea Lexi; I’ll think about that!
I know two weeks is setting the bar high, but like I said, I’m cheating a little as well 😉
You can totally do this. It’s going to be a great “experiment” and confidence booster to be able to do it more frequently in the future too!
Exactly! Thanks Gina 🙂
Congratulations on finally taking the plunge and going to Sri Lanka – I am sure you will LOVE it!
And even if it doesn’t change your life/business in the ways you will expect it to, I am sure it will change in other, positive ways. (Speaking from experience, here)
Enjoy!! 🙂
Thanks Chelsea!
Hi Tom,
I outsourced my entire business for different (health-related) reasons. Although I didn’t really have a choice, it turned out to be one of the best things I’ve ever done. It means incuring higher costs, but it’s such a weight off my mind knowing that the business will just keep on running regardless of where I am or what I am doing. Plus, it’s kind of fun to watch something you created running (and making money) without you having to be involved.
I think it’ll probably take a little longer than two weeks to get the required systems running like clockwork, but I’m willing to bet you can at least get them in place. Good luck!
Nick
Thanks Nick, appreciate the support and it’s great to know that you’re still reading!
Go for it Tom ’cause I will be very curious to learn how you achieve it.
Enjoy Dubai, even if only a fleeting visit. I lived there for 12 years just as it was starting to become a “bling” city!
Cheers John!
That is awesome Tom. I am sure once you pass the first day anxiety you will relax and start enjoying your holiday.
And I am also sure that with the passion you put in all you do, everything will work out just fine. Besides, the people that really appreciate you and your work (LWB community included) will be here when you come back.
Have fun in Sri Lanka!
Cheers!
I’m hoping so 🙂 Thanks Corina!
While stepping away from your business for two weeks is a scary thought, I think it will come with multitudes of benefits. Having two weeks in Sri Lanka, being away from work and surrounded by adventure instead will do wonders for your mind. I think treating it like an experiment is perfect. You’ll learn what works, what doesn’t, and you’ll find out how just how attached (or unattached) to different aspects of your business you really are. All this to say, I think you’re doing the right thing – enjoy your time away!
Thank you Robyn, and I agree entirely! Here’s to learning new things 🙂
Hey tom
Good for you and good luck setting it up! Have fun in Sri lanka – it’s super high on my list of countries to visit – let us know how it goes! Btw check out a blogger called what’s dave doing if you’re interested in reading about Sri lanka – he spent a while there and wrote a good free ebook.
Alex
Awesome – thanks Alex! Hope you’re well wherever you are right now (I’m never on Facebook to check ;-)).
Haha! Yeah Ive decided to take a leave of absence from facebook (deleted the app) – life is better without it! Currently in cusco – beautiful place. Btw – I remember reading you’re learning French – download memorise on your phone – similar learning style to anki – I use them both and find memrise really effective too. (Oh and def do skype sessions on italki!)
I tried Memrise but it wasn’t for me!
Good luck with your plan!
I was in a similar position over Christmas as we were going to Oz for 2 weeks and I really didn’t want to have to do any work while away.
In the end I managed to get ahead of myself enough so I could take the time off without having to do any freelance blogging work or losing any income.
It felt great to have my first proper break in years, but as I didn’t do what you are attempting, when I returned it was back to the grind.
It did give me some motivation to try and find a way to start a ‘business’ rather than freelancing but not made any in roads on that yet (wasn’t quite enough motivation I guess).
Have a good trip!
Joe
Cheers Joe!
I guess a writing business centered around your expertise and brand is going to hard to get yourself completely out of… maybe the only answer is to transition into an agency of sorts. (Didn’t you already experiment with that a while ago?)
But the other parts of your business seems like they could run smoothly without you.
Enjoy Sri Lanka! But be prepared for the temperature change, and glaring sun. I’ve gone from 8-10 degrees to 38-42 before and it can be hard to be as active as you want to be. I remember some days I would just stay inside my air-conditioned room for large parts of the day! Haha.
Yeah, the temperature is definitely going to be a shock to the system!
Thanks Ragnar 🙂
Have a nice holiday Tom and have a safe journey. Hope you will enjoy your vacation.
Thank you!
Hi Tom,
I commented on another one of your posts yesterday, and your blog posts have inspired me to start my own. I don’t know what I want it to be eventually, but for right now I want to write about beginning my career at a software company.
I still have a long way to go, but your tips on blogging for beginners have been extremely helpful and I’ve even written a lot of them down.
I hope you have a good time in Sri Lanka, and thanks for being such an inspirational blogger!
-Cassie
Thank you Cassie – it’s great to have you on board!
Good luck! Leaving your business can feel like leaving your child alone with a stranger some times. It is hard at first and all you want to do is call every 5 minutes to see if it is ok.
If you can truly get away it will be totally worth it! Good luck in getting everything automated in a short time, that is a bold task!
Chris
Haha, good analogy Chris! And thanks 🙂
Exciting stuff Tom, thanks for sharing. I hope you’ll tell us all about Sri Lanka and your insights you had from your hiatus when you get back.
I will; don’t you worry about that 🙂
Sometimes breaks help you come back with more ideas to rejuvenate your business! I’m going on a cruise the last week of March and I won’t have any internet access at all (or rather, I refuse to pay the exorbitant fees for only a few minutes of access). I’m more than looking forward to it.
Breaks have always helped me Bree. So I figure, with a “proper” break – i.e. no laptop, no work at all – I could be even more inspired! Here’s hoping 🙂
HI TOM am a businessman here in kenya and i would like to how freelancing works.please educate me on this i have a feeling that freelancing is good especially to business oriented people like me
Start here Rashid: http://leavingworkbehind.com/archives/ 🙂