August 9, 2023 • 37 mins
The summer has got us thinking about how we’re going to juggle it all. Get ready for a sizzling episode where we spill the secrets on how to run your business like a pro while still enjoying those sweet summer vibes. We're tossing out the old corporate playbook and embracing a new way of measuring success. It's time to take a refreshing dip into the pool of lifestyle-friendly entrepreneurship.
🌞 Embrace the Summer Mindset:
Say goodbye to the traditional grind and hello to a business that complements your lifestyle. We're diving into the art of taking time off and making the most of every sunny day, all while building your dream empire.
⛱️ Work Hard, Play Harder:
Who says business can't be fun? We're sharing our tips for infusing your workdays with a dash of summer joy. From beachside brainstorming sessions to turning your office into a tropical oasis, we've got your sunny side covered.
🌴 Epic Summer Business:
Discover why it's essential to define success on your terms and create a business that aligns with your unique lifestyle goals. It's not just about the revenue—it's about the freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment that summer and entrepreneurship can bring.
🌊 Balancing Act:
Navigating the waters of work-life balance during summer can be a breeze with our strategies. Learn how to ensure your business doesn't swallow up your chill time, so you can make the most of those lazy, hazy days.
🍹 Soaking Up the Sun and Success:
Join us as we share our personal insights on finding joy in both business and holidays during the sun-soaked season. From maximizing productivity to redefining "business as usual," we're your guides to thriving while keeping your cool.
Don't miss this sunny episode packed with actionable tips and a dash of inspiration. Tune in and make this summer your best one yet, both in business and in life. Cheers to sunshine, success, and savoring every moment! 🌞🥂
FREE Hiring & Finance Resources Links
Turn 6 figures in sales into 6 figures in profit [FREE]: https://www.theproductproject.com/moreprofit
Instant Access to The Hire and Scale Masterclass [FREE] - https://www.georgiafitzgeraldcoaching.com/MasterclassReplay
This podcast is brought to you by;
Georgia Fitzgerald (www.georgiafitzgeraldcoaching.com) and Pip Harland (www.theproductproject.com)
If you have a topic you particularly want support with, why not drop us a DM on our Instagram pages: @iamgeorgiafitzgerald OR @pipharland
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Pip (00:00):
Hey, hey, and welcome back to another episode of the podcast.
Now today's episode is a little bitdifferent from usual, and it's a little
bit more of an off the cuff episode.
Essentially, Georgia and I were having alittle chat before we started recording,
and it turns out that A few things havehappened for both of us in the last week
or so that really brought some reallykey things into perspective for us.
(00:23):
And we thought that we're not the onlypeople who experienced these thoughts
and been talking about these things.
So we really wanted to take youbehind the scenes and bring you
into the conversation with us.
And really for us, it wasall about highlighting.
How much we see people putting offenjoying their lives and letting
(00:44):
their businesses run their lives.
And I think the big thing here is thatoften we come from corporate to start our
businesses and then we treat our businessas if we're still working in corporate.
And so we were talking about why thishappens and how we've actually gone out
there and made our businesses supportour travel plans and support all the
fun things we want to do in life.
(01:05):
And so we thought we'd just sharehow we've done this, why it's
important, and maybe also giveyou just that little prompt.
If you have been thinking, gosh, I justreally need a break, or I really want
my business to support my life a bitmore and give me that freedom that I
was really hoping for when I started.
Hopefully this episode We'll giveyou that little nudge and also some
really tangible actions and stepsyou can take to help you do it.
(01:29):
So Georgia, I know this is a topic thatis so close to your heart as well as mine.
It's really about living your life andhaving your business support that, but
why is it so important that we makesure that we don't allow ourselves
to be trapped like an employee in ourbusiness and to actually allow our
businesses to give us that freedom andsupport our life and in having fun.
Georgia (01:52):
But yeah, it's such a good question because it's a
trap that, not a trap, but it'ssomething that we all fall into.
And I'm by no means saying that nowthat we're doing this episode, you and
I have completely perfected this becausewe haven't, we're at different stages
of like realizing how it's going to go.
But you know, we, we built our businessesbecause we didn't want to be trapped.
(02:15):
We wanted that freedom of being ableto not only work with clients that
we love working with to work in ourzone of genius to enjoy what we do
every day and to feel super motivatedby the businesses that we've created.
For both of us, it was really quite aholistic thing as well in terms of we no
(02:35):
longer wanted to be based in a city wherewe maybe needed to be to do our work.
We wanted to be in different locationsin the world, like making use of the
different things that you can do there.
For me, I love the mountains.
I also love the seaside.
, but I think for both of us, a lotof Time is we want to spend a lot
of our time outdoors, and that isnot conducive with still being in a
(03:00):
corporate role, which is something thatjust one of the many ingredients that
spurred us on to start our business.
But I think, as business owners, I meanyou've got a graft when you start a
business you do have to work hard, andyou do really enjoy it most of the time.
I love the work that I'm doing, so it canbe really easy to get into it for quite
(03:23):
a long day, day after day after day,but essentially, we mustn't sacrifice
the things that we started the businessfor to do that, because Once you start
getting into that routine of workinglong days, long hours, you actually find,
I don't know, maybe even 50% of yourto do list is not necessarily things
that you have to do that, that youparticularly want to do that need to be
(03:45):
done that are going to move the needle.
So how do we get into that space ofReconnecting to the reason that we
started in the first place and droppingthose things from the to do list, whether
we are just dropping them completelybecause they actually don't matter in
the scale of it, refocusing into the bitsthat are important in the business, or
(04:06):
we're giving them to someone else, youknow, bringing in team, whatever it is.
So, I think at this point in the summer,and because of, you know, things that have
been happening in our own lives recently,it's really about reconnecting with that
vision of what's important, not justabout your business, but how your business
fits in with the rest of your life.
What's the other important stuff in there?
(04:28):
Because if you start neglectingthat, it's going to impact on
your business in the longer term.
Pip (04:33):
Oh, I 100% agree on that.
And I think it's so easy, especially insummer when there's so much going on, we
allow our to do list to dictate our life.
And we think we can't go and do thisbecause our to do list is so long.
And actually, as you say, it's steppingback and going, hang on a minute.
Most of the stuff on here isn'timportant, but we get ourselves stuck.
(04:54):
I think in that employee mindsetwhere here is my to do list.
I need to get through andtick off everything on my list
for me to succeed in my job.
But the thing is, when you run abusiness, you're not an employee.
It's not your job to tick offeverything on your to do list.
It's your job to step back and understandthe bigger vision and put that strategy
(05:15):
together and understand where you need todelegate out these tasks or where you need
to delete these tasks or where you might.
Put a delay on something and it'sreally stepping back from that employee.
I'm so busy mindset into, I am theleader and I need to really step back
and think about my big, big vision.
And I think certainly for me, I knowwhen I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed
(05:36):
with everything, it's so easy to gettrapped in employee mindset because that's
safe, like that's our safe zone, right?
You're like, I just tickthings off my to do list.
I get that little dopaminehit when I take it off.
But actually, as you say, it'scoming back to why did we start
our business in the first place?
And I think another thing for me isreally, you need changes of scene often.
I find that if I've been working reallyhard on a project, and as you say, I
(05:59):
love doing it, but once you get towardsthe end of something, it You can feel
like the brakes grinding you slowly to ahalt and you really need to like inject
that enthusiasm again in your business.
And for me, getting to a different place,literally physically being in a different
place can make such a difference tolike my enthusiasm for the business.
(06:20):
It can really help me see the business ina whole new light or really increase my
vision on how we're going to get there.
, and I know certainly I'vetaken breaks in the past and.
Traveled to really help me reconnectwith the business and really bring back
that excitement and decide where I wantto go and I think that's so important as
entrepreneurs that we continue to takethe time and put importance and place
(06:42):
importance on that time of Stepping backinto our vision and not getting sort
of stuck in the weeds of all the doing.
And it's really important if we wantour business to take us to where we
want to get to, that's actually oneof one of our key jobs to do that.
But I think sometimes we don't giveourselves the permission to do that,
because back in that employee mindset,we should be ticking off the to do list
(07:04):
rather than taking that time and spaceto reignite our passion and our energy.
That's so
Georgia (07:10):
true.
When you get out from under that todo list, it changes everything, like
the way you're looking at stuff.
And I know that this is something you'redoing at the moment, because as we speak,
you are living in America for threemonths, um, riding horses and doing
all the things that you love to do.
, but I imagine to do that, you'vehad to rethink about stuff.
(07:33):
So tell me like how.
How does it feel running yourbusiness from the other side
of the world for three months?
Pip (07:39):
I mean, freaking amazing, obviously, , that my business lets me
do this, but you know, I'll be honest.
It's taken, this isn't the firsttime I've, you know, gone , for an
extended period of time and traveled.
And it's taken me a time to reallyunderstand how to do it effectively
and in a way that works for me becauseit looks different for everyone.
But what is so cool as onlinebusiness owners is that we can
(08:02):
do this if we make the decisionto To make it work and to do it.
And there's, there is definitely frontwork and I front load some of the work
to make it easier, but I think alsoit's making that decision and really
understanding what's actually important.
And some of the time it's Maybe going,well, actually for me, I need a bit
(08:23):
of me time and the business isn'tgoing to stop growing, but maybe we'll
slow down our growth a little bit andthere'll be a little bit less push
in the business as I recharge andreconnect with why I'm doing this.
And then you might come homeand be full speed, everything.
And there's also the, the very light.
Tactical operational side of things.
Well, how do you actually make this work?
If you're in a different time zone toyour team and they can't necessarily
(08:46):
get hold of you at every single momentof the day, and what can you do?
And what can you put in place toautomate things or to support your team
happening from a very like practicalpoint of view, but I think if you think
about those two aspects of kind of thestrategic place and where you are as a
leader and then the actual operationalside of things, it's so easy to do.
It's a lot easier than you think.
(09:07):
It's just making the decision to do it.
What
Georgia (09:10):
do you think are the things that you have not compromised on within
your role that you have taken with you?
And what are the things thatyou've temporarily handed
over or ditched long term?
Pip (09:25):
So, the biggest thing for me is that when I'm away, My interaction with
my team, I would say almost goes up anotch and I think more about my team than
the actual doing of many of my tasks.
So for me, it's really making sure thateverybody understands what's going on,
that communication is so clear, thatAny little, you know, miscommunications
(09:50):
or issues are picked up straight away.
And I know we talked about this inour previous episode about how to
have difficult conversations, but forme, being away and not necessarily
always working the same time of dayas my team, it's really important
that I know that they're confidentin what they're doing and they're
delivering and questions are answered.
So that has been my biggest thing.
(10:10):
Now, that didn't used to be the casewhen I didn't have such a big team, but
certainly now that the team's grown.
My view is that if I can keep theteam happy and moving things through
the business or run itself, right?
And it used to be when I didn'thave so much team, it was more
the very operational things.
What do I really needto ensure is happening?
Sales are coming into the business.
Clients are happy.
(10:30):
Products have been fulfilled and sentout to the customers that purchased them.
, whereas now it's slightly differentbecause my team deals with all of that.
It's how can I ensure that myteam are happy whilst doing that?
So I think the question really dependson kind of what stage of business you
are and what your business structurelooks like, but it's really focusing
on those needle moving things.
And actually a lot of the stuff thatI let go off tends to be more the
(10:55):
admin side of things or , trackingdata that's not actually giving
me the information that's useful.
And those are things that I then just...
leave behind.
And it's a really good way every yearto understand what are you doing in
your business every week that actuallyit's not moving the needle forward.
It's just wasting your time becauseif you're doing it every week, you
sometimes don't question that youjust go ahead and merrily do it.
(11:17):
Don't you?
Definitely.
Georgia (11:19):
And I think it's such a good way of culling those.
pointless activities, which you maybestarted because you thought, yeah,
this could be useful to do this.
And then you continue to do out ofhabit because you can't remember
why you first started to do them.
And now as you're planning to go away andyou're thinking, right, I need to condense
everything I do into just two hours a day.
(11:40):
So actually what's reallyimportant, it's brilliant.
It just gets you backinto the non negotiable.
routine rather than all the otherthings that we pile on our plate that
we're not necessarily that enthusiasticabout or might not get us anywhere.
I love this.
So what would be your big advice tosomeone that was looking to relocate
(12:03):
perhaps to a different time zonefor an extended length of time?
Pip (12:08):
I think There are a couple of things which have really helped.
First one is communicatingwith my team way in advance.
So my team, they now knowthis happens every year.
It's not a surprise when I'mlike, Oh, I'm going off to
play with ponies in the summer.
, you know, they know I'm the crazyhorse girl that just loves to
sit out on the side of my horses.
But certainly it'shelping people understand.
(12:29):
That this is happening as early aspossible in the year so we can plan
together with each individual teammember what that looks like, how
it's going to affect their role,what can we do to make sure that they
know what's going on and they knowwhere to come to with questions and.
You know, maybe it's making sure thatSOPs and all those things are really
up to date and they're really, reallyclear in their role and what they have to
(12:49):
deliver and what their deliverables are.
And then alongside that is also a lotof my team get a lot of flexibility.
So it's understanding their summerplans and how we're going to
put everything together so theycan have that flexibility too.
Because, you know, it really is frommy perspective, you lead by example,
if you want your team to have thatflexibility and produce amazing work.
You know, I'm going to do it.
(13:09):
So I expect them to do it.
But I think when they get to see theperson leading the company doing it so
successfully, then they know that theycan be really successful and having
that flexibility in their work and stilldelivering really, really good work.
And then I think it's just operationally.
What has to happen to keep the businessrunning and what markers are there
(13:31):
where if, say, sales go below a certainvalue or if something doesn't get
done, you know, like tax returns or VATreturns, you know, that kind of thing.
What are those key deadlines Ineed to mark in my calendar or what
can I prep in advance for those?
So I know whilst I'm away.
There's one or two really key thingsthat I need to keep, my brain focused
(13:53):
on, but actually everything else can go.
And then I think finally, it'strying to find kind of a regular
way to communicate with your team.
So for instance, I, , set onenon negotiable that I will speak
to my team and we'll have a fullteam meeting every single week.
And that's on Zoom.
I expect everyone to be there.
I really got out of my way to make thathappen because I know for me personally,
(14:14):
that's what keeps us really unified.
And that's what keeps everybody on track.
It'll look different for everybusiness, but if we have that really
regular touch point and then abilityto communicate outside of that, and
then I know if there's any markerswhere things are going to go wrong,
this is where I need to step in.
I think then it's actually justabout going out and enjoying
yourself and letting go.
(14:34):
Of all the things you think you shouldbe doing and actually living in that
moment and enjoying that time off as well.
Because if not, what's the pointin having a break if you're not
actually giving yourself that break?
Georgia (14:44):
It goes so fast as well.
If you don't take those opportunities,like if you suddenly have an idea, do
you know what, like I had two days ago,I really need to get to the seaside.
Like I need to be by the sea.
I need some sunshine.
I need vitamin D.
I need to just.
read some trashy books and notthink about anything business
(15:06):
related for at least five days.
, I like to do things quite last minute.
I definitely don't plan as much inadvance for such long periods of time.
But generally the thing that prompts meis I'll say, right, I need to go away.
So then I'll put my apartment on Airbnb.
And if someone then decides theywant to book it, I'm like, well,
(15:27):
now I have to go away because Iliterally have nowhere to stay.
So it pushes me into doing that.
But it's a little bit like I, I alwayssuggest this to CEOs, even because
holiday with your family, if you'regoing on holiday with family, half
or friends can be very different.
But if you are going away, , as a CEO,just for a day or two, like take yourself
(15:49):
off for a night somewhere and really havea think about what's happening in your
business, or you want to take yourselfoff for a few days and switch off from
your business, , whatever you need to do.
But I think both are really importantto, to have those breaks away from the
kind of day to day to actually work out.
Hang on a minute, what am I doing here,which, which isn't getting me anywhere?
(16:09):
And what should I be doing differently?
And it would be really easy forme because I live in a beautiful
place to be like, Do you know what?
I can just do a few hours of workevery day and then I'll go for
a hike and then I'll go this.
But actually you need that timecompletely away from it to.
To really start to mull over those new,exciting ideas about, okay, so I've got
to here and now what's going to happennext and where could that lead me?
(16:33):
And what could that look like?
And, Ooh, wouldn't it be amazing ifI could do this or that or the other?
I mean, I have grand plans aboutliving in different locations
dependent on the time of year.
, I'll keep you posted onthose this time next year.
But I love this idea of kind of.
(16:53):
Moving between cities, mountainsand the sea, dependent on the time
of year, how I feel, what kind ofenergy I need, whether I need people,
whether I need focus, whether I needsport, you know, what's happening.
So I think it's just so importantto just take stock and think.
Actually, what am I all about?
What are the things that make metick, not just in my business,
(17:13):
but outside of my business?
And how can I make surethat I'm prioritizing that?
Even when I'm stressing, Oh, butI don't, you know, we're in the
middle of a cost of living crisis.
I don't know how, , September'sgoing to look, you know.
Well, actually, if you've been consistentevery month before you've always
made it work until this point andactually by draining your battery is
(17:37):
not going to help you make it work ifSeptember really is going to be tough
or October really is going to be tough.
You know, take that minute torecharge when there's an opportunity.
I'm not saying, you know, book anexpensive holiday to the Caribbean
if you can't afford it, but Thinkabout, okay, actually, what do I need
to, like, switch off, have a changeof scene, be re energized about my
(17:59):
life and my business, and kind ofremember why I'm doing it all, and, and
sort of what the point of it all is.
Like, life is for living, youknow, do it while, while we can.
. . Pip: I love also how quickly.
You made a decision, you had afeeling, you had that gut feeling
where you're like, I need a break.
And then how quickly you'veactioned that in your business.
And I think that is such an exampleto everybody listening in that.
(18:21):
You can make these decisions reallyquickly, you can make the decision
to sit and work your nine to six andburn yourself out, or you can make
the decision to go, hang on a minute,I need a break, I'm going to make it
work, and I love that you're leading byexample and showing that actually, you
make the decision, you put your flat onAirbnb, and you figure it out, because
(18:42):
that's what we're good at doing, right?
And you can really just figure it out.
So I guess, talking on figuring itout, How does this work in reality?
Like what steps can we take if we'rethinking, actually, I need a break, I
need to get into a new location, whatkind of things are you thinking about
when you're making these decisionsabout how you can just very easily do
(19:02):
this without causing too much chaos?
Because obviously, once we're away, wedon't want to be then sitting on our
beautiful beach, stressing about ourbusiness that we've taken a break from.
So what can we do in our business toset us up for success whilst we're away?
Okay, the first thing I would look at is that overwhelming to do
list that we fall back to every time.
So first up, I would look at thatto do list and think, okay, what on
(19:26):
there really, really, really has tobe done in the next, say, seven days.
Is there anything that absolutely hasto be done in the next seven days, and
then how, how do I plan for that to bedone, whether it's doing myself, like
delaying going away by one day to get itdone or outsourcing it to someone else.
I'd also look at thatlist and think, okay.
(19:47):
What can be delayed andwhen can I schedule it in?
So I'm actually putting it into atime block so that I don't have to
worry about it because I'm no longerdragging it around on my mental to do
list of, Ooh, but I've got to do that.
Like I've allocated a time for it.
I know it's possible.
I know I'm not leaving it toolate if I do it at that point.
, What, what have I just put on there?
Because I thought I would getaround to I don't need to do.
(20:09):
It's not going to move the needle.
It's nice to have.
I don't even know why I wrote it down.
Let's be realistic.
I'm definitely going togo online by this evening.
So, cross those things off.
, and then you'll be left withsome things that perhaps are not.
They don't need you.
They're not your skill set necessarily.
(20:30):
So how could you outsource that?
Even if it's just bringing someoneelse in to do that for you for the
week, if it is adding a bit more toyour VA and say, do you know what?
I need to post something onInstagram every day this week.
Can you just go back to this time lastyear and just repost what I posted
then no one's going to know, , whateverit is, you know, find a really simple
(20:51):
way for those things to happen.
, Yeah, so first of all I would like lookat the to do list and see what can I
outsource, what can I cross off so I'mnot worrying about it while I'm away.
Pip (21:01):
Yeah, and I think it really comes down to just being really
clear on what's actually movingthe needle in your business.
You know, you don't need to writecontent this week, as you say, I
love the idea of just repurposewhat you've already created.
So you know, just thinking back to yourbig ones, sales, you know, are you going
to keep sales coming in, especiallyif you're going away for longer?
Have you got some system that'sworking for you that's bringing in
(21:23):
those sales or maybe You know what?
You're only going away for a week or two.
You don't need to worry about salescoming into your business because
you know you've showed up with thatconsistency over the last however
many months or years of your business.
And then what's actually moving theneedle in terms of, as you say, does
everybody know what they're doing?
Have you outsourced?
Have you delegated things out?
(21:44):
So, You know, that the operationalside of a business is just
going to keep plugging away.
And I think it's really taking thatstep back, as you say, from that to
do list and going, what are the keythings that have to happen here?
Client delivery.
Do your clients know what's going on?
Are you going to cancelyour calls for the week?
Or are you going to stilldo calls whilst you're away?
(22:05):
Is it kind of a working vacation?
You know, making those decisionsand making sure that your clients
have been served or your customersare getting their products.
Really?
Those are the only thingsyou need to think about.
Admin stuff can be picked uplater or can be picked up by
other things or other people.
You don't need to be worrying about that.
So really taking that step back andthinking what's really important.
(22:26):
Everything else can go.
Georgia (22:27):
Yeah, I agree.
And this could also be an opportunityfor somebody in your team to step
up and take on some other stuff.
So I would say, I mean, obviouslywe should never say, Oh, August is
quiet and think we're not going tomake any sales, but historically
August is a little bit quieter.
So actually this might be a greatmonth for someone on your team to take.
(22:52):
on a new responsibility.
And perhaps you're setting itout before you go away and you're
saying, okay, give them permissionto do X, Y, or Z happens, then
yes, alert me or delay them untilnext, the next week sort of thing.
So you're saying, it's sort ofsaying, give this a try, but if
you feel out of your depth, then.
(23:13):
It's fine.
Just postpone it till I get back.
That kind of thing.
, and in terms of thinking of the team,like, think about how you're going to
communicate with them over that week.
You know, are you going to askthem to use their initiative?
And if something isn't businessbreaking urgent, either your best
guess, because you hired them, becausethey're great and you trust them
and they understand the business.
(23:35):
Or just delay it until I get back.
Use your best initiative to make it soundlike the business really cares about
whatever this inquiry is that's come in,but we can't deal with it until next week.
, so yeah, communicating with your team onhow they're going to handle those things.
Because if you say, look, Commsare only to me if the business is
about to break, most things willget handled and it's amazing what
(23:59):
people are going to come up with.
And I think as you said earlier,Pip, it's really important
that we're leading by example.
So, you know, you're saying to them,like, don't contact me when I'm on holiday
unless it's absolutely essential becausein the same way, you're not contacting
them if they're on holiday, you know, likeyou want to let them have a break, totally
switch off and not need to be in that.
(24:20):
, and it works in with this idea ofkind of rewarding people differently.
So I, I'm slightly off on a tangent, butI want us to think about this idea of
lead by example, lead in a way that showsother people how to handle their time.
So instead of encouraging your teamto 40 hours doing whatever project it
(24:41):
is, you're saying, do you know what?
We thought that was going to take fourdays and you've done it in four hours.
That's amazing.
Like, well done.
Like, I'll pay you another couple ofhours because you did it so quickly.
Or perhaps you can move on to this,you know, find other ways of rewarding
the team or say, you know, great.
Go and take a half day offbecause you did that so quickly.
(25:03):
You know, you've deserved anafternoon with your friends doing
something nice or whatever it is.
So we're leading by example, and we'reswitching the way we try and do things.
And we're changing up thatcommunications with the team.
Pip (25:15):
And I think rewarding your team for using their initiative and for
automating things or for figuring outnew processes to do things quicker and
better, I think is so important that wereward our team for doing that and we
don't go, great, so you've managed tomake this quicker, now I'm going to like
fill every single hour of your day andnot reward you by doing that, because
(25:35):
ultimately our business will grow fasterand be better if everybody uses their
initiative and is rewarded for usingtheir initiative and bringing it forward.
It's.
And I guess on the topic ofautomation, there is so much we can
do nowadays to make things happenfor us whilst we're not there.
You know, we can schedule all of ourmarketing and our sales in advance.
There's lots we can do in terms ofpulling people through our pipeline by
(25:56):
having our automated email sequences.
If you've got a product based business,you can outsource and find a 3PL.
So they do all of your fulfillment.
You might have a customer service teamthat's outsourced or in house that can,
as you say, do a lot of this for you.
So actually.
So much of it's either automated oroutsourced, very few things should be
(26:17):
coming to you, barring, you know, thebusiness actually burning down, you
shouldn't need to be contacted in yourtime off in the same way that we're not
going to contact our team in the time off.
So really thinking about.
What, how can you use technology tohelp automate these things and take
tasks off team members so they can thenfocus on the really important things?
Or maybe as you say, step up and take onsome of the work that you do and use tech
(26:41):
to really support them in doing that.
I love that.
And
Georgia (26:45):
when you're doing that, you also need to consciously switch
your mindset a bit, don't you?
Because.
You're saving yourself all this timeby really thinking outside the box.
Kind of hate that phrase, but,you know, thinking about things
differently to automate stuffand make things more efficient
and make things more streamlined.
So if you are doing that andyou're therefore probably
(27:07):
achieving the same amount in.
a 20 hour work week, don't then makeyourself sit at your desk for 40 hours
just because you're conditioned thatway from school, university, depends
what you did at university, fromschool onwards, you know, like you've
got to actually think, well done me.
(27:29):
I have saved myself 20 hours this week.
I can make the same amount of moneyin 20 hours as I can in 40 hours.
So I'm going to reward myself by justworking the half week this week, taking
a long weekend, getting to the coast.
It's all about the sea for me at the
Pip (27:44):
moment, as you can tell.
I know sea's on the brain, but it is,it's that mindset piece, isn't it?
It's, it's not only just lettingyourself have that break, but
it's really giving yourself.
Permission to go and takethat time away for you.
And to be honest, knowing that doingthat will generally help your business.
I don't know about you, but everytime I'm away, excuse me, I come back
(28:05):
and my vision is so much brighter.
I've got so much renewedenthusiasm and energy and it's.
It's really about giving myself thatpermission to go away and take a
step back and not worry about allthe little things and really only
worry about those one or two needlemoving activities that I identified
way back when, when I was planningand going and living in the moment.
(28:28):
Cause I think that's the biggestthing that, you know, that
we're coming back to here.
It's about your business ishere to support your life.
And so don't let yourbusiness dictate your life.
Give yourself that permission to goand sit and read trashy novels on the
beach or go and drink one glass ofwine too many or just have some fun
and reignite your passion for yourbusiness and not worry about things.
(28:49):
You can figure it out when you get back.
You're, you know, a smart woman.
When you get back, if something's notgone to plan, that's fine, you'll figure
it out, you know, and not worryingand spending all your time whilst away
thinking about the what ifs that you needto be in there keeping everything running.
Actually, I've found that every time Itake that step back and I let my team
step up and I really give my permission,myself that permission to step back,
(29:11):
amazing things happen that would neverwould have happened if I hadn't have
given myself the permission to take thatbreak and take that time for myself.
So be excited about the opportunitiesthis is going to bring you.
Georgia (29:22):
I love that because if you, when you go away, if something does
break in that week away, this is sucha good way to highlight it and fix it
and improve it and move it forward.
So you perhaps don't need to beinvolved in it going forward.
Okay.
So this is all well and good, but ifwe're struggling with this, or if you're
struggling with this, this idea of.
(29:45):
How good a break is going to belong term for your business when
you're worrying about everythingthat's on your to do list.
There are a few questions thatyou can probably ask yourself.
, and I would start with the firstquestion being, you know, what
are the absolute needle movingactivities that I have to be aware of?
You know, what are, what are the thingsthat have to happen every week to keep
(30:07):
the business moving without, without fail?
Do those things need to be me?
If you're a one woman band,then maybe they still do.
So, get really specific, okay,what are those two to three things?
Give yourself permission to focus onthose, perhaps while you're on holiday,
setting yourself 30 minutes a day tolike work on those, but only those.
Okay, so you're really clear,these are the things I need to
(30:30):
do, everything else can wait.
So when you, when you switch on,that's what you're switching on to.
Pip (30:35):
and then for me, it's who do I need to communicate what with?
So who do I need to tell that I'm away?
What my working hours might be or howthey might be able to communicate with me?
What I want communicated with meand what I just prefer for them to
figure out themselves as you say,give people that space to use their
initiative to fix problems themselves.
(30:56):
And I think with that it's justunderstanding how will I communicate
with you as my team or third partiesI work with and clients as well.
And what I expect in return.
So I think it's just been really clearon those boundaries and really clear
the way in which it's going to workbecause the last thing you want to
do is not tell anyone you're away.
Somebody emails you expectingresponse, they don't get anything back.
(31:19):
You've not put your out of office on,and then you end up having somebody
that's maybe upset or can't make adecision because you've not communicated
clearly enough what's happening.
But if you just agree all of thatin advance, it makes things really,
really smooth and people will reallyunderstand why you're taking the
time or that comms might be a littledelayed or that they might get an
email in the middle of the night, andthat's not you expecting them to be
(31:39):
answering in the middle of the night.
It's just that.
Their middle of the night isyour middle of the day and you're
doing your, an hour of work.
So it's really just making surethat everybody's on the same page
with you in terms of communication.
Georgia (31:50):
I also think it's really important to think about what you
want from this change of scene,like, and how you can plan for that.
I remember.
, we were trying to book for a girl's tripto go away and I had a few calls that
were in and my friend just said, Oh, well,can't you just work while you're away?
And I almost recoiled.
Then I'd be missing out.
(32:10):
Like my idea of working is probably beingon my computer for five hours of the day.
Why would I want to do thatin the hotel room while you're
all on the beach, you know?
So, you've got to get really clear.
Actually, what do Iwant from this time off?
I really just want toswitch off for everything.
Only for three days, that's all I need.
Three days not thinking about it.
Okay.
(32:31):
So can I reschedule my clients?
Can I rearrange my diary?
Like, how can I move everything off that?
So I can allow myself to switch off.
Or if you're going for longer, likeyou are, and actually it's just
a change of scene and a change ofroutine, and you're still going to
be working, then you're going to planit slightly differently, aren't you?
So what do you actually want from thatchange of scene and how can you make
Pip (32:53):
that happen?
And that really leads on tohow can you stop yourself
working for the sake of working?
I'm sure I'm not the only person herethat is, you know, a serial workaholic.
And, you know, like you say, itdoesn't feel like work when it's your
business, because it's something youlove and you're so passionate about.
But when you're away, how do you make surethat you're really enjoying that time?
(33:13):
And for me, it's just filling mydays with all the fun activities.
So I only have.
excuse me, a certain number ofhours in the day to actually work.
But then it's also little things like.
Take emails off your phone soyou can only look at emails
when you come into the hotel.
If you're somebody that just can'thelp themselves and has to check out
emails or your Slack or your socialmedia whilst you're out and about,
(33:37):
just, just delete it off your phone.
You don't need it.
And then have one time of theday where you check things.
And I think just tiny things likethat, if you're not good at stepping
back and setting those boundaries foryourself will make the difference.
And I think it's really askingyourself, like, What am I confident in?
You know, where are myboundaries confident?
And where am I?
Maybe I do need that little bit of helpby just removing the distraction and
(33:58):
being completely honest with yourselfand saying, what, what activities do I
need to book in to make sure that I'mactually out there enjoying my activities?
Because I think some peopleare really good at doing that.
And some people Maybe you need thatlittle bit of extra nudge and this
is your permission that if you needthat little bit of extra nudge,
it's totally okay to delete apps.
It's totally okay to put that outof office on and to book yourself
(34:20):
into the spa or onto a hike or,you know, out for dinner with your
friends, whatever that might be.
If that means you're actually reallygoing to take advantage of this time
and really recharge your batteries.
Georgia (34:30):
Yes.
Give the brain time to recharge.
So this kind of givesus the takeaway that.
We really want everyone to remember thatyou built this business for freedom.
And to be honest, if you look back atthe time now, this time now in two years
time, you're only going to regret nottaking advantage when you could have
(34:52):
taken that time out of going on thattrip to spending time with your family
or your friends or getting to the sea,getting the vitamin D, whatever it is.
It's so important to feel that you'remaking use of that freedom because
When the times are stressful and,and business is busy and you don't
have time for that freedom, you can,you can take your mind back to when
(35:15):
you did, you know, that you did takethat opportunity and you did recharge
ready to go into the next quarter.
Pip (35:22):
I totally agree with you.
I think it's reallyabout remembering that.
If you're taking a week off, a week isnot going to hinder your journey, right?
You've worked so hard in your business.
One week off is not going to stopyou from becoming successful.
In fact, if anything, it'sgoing to propel you forwards.
And if you're like me and youwant to work longer periods away.
(35:42):
Working away will bring youso much excitement and really
propel your business forward.
And that's why you built your business.
So don't sit there andthink I can't do this.
My business isn't going to supportme in doing this, or I just
don't have the time to do this.
I've got too many things onmy plate taking that time off.
I promise we'll makesuch a change for you.
So just, just go and livelife and just go and do it.
Hey, hey, and welcome back to another episode of the podcast.
Now today's episode is a little bitdifferent from usual, and it's a little
bit more of an off the cuff episode.
Essentially, Georgia and I were having alittle chat before we started recording,
and it turns out that A few things havehappened for both of us in the last week
or so that really brought some reallykey things into perspective for us.
(00:23):
And we thought that we're not the onlypeople who experienced these thoughts
and been talking about these things.
So we really wanted to take youbehind the scenes and bring you
into the conversation with us.
And really for us, it wasall about highlighting.
How much we see people putting offenjoying their lives and letting
(00:44):
their businesses run their lives.
And I think the big thing here is thatoften we come from corporate to start our
businesses and then we treat our businessas if we're still working in corporate.
And so we were talking about why thishappens and how we've actually gone out
there and made our businesses supportour travel plans and support all the
fun things we want to do in life.
(01:05):
And so we thought we'd just sharehow we've done this, why it's
important, and maybe also giveyou just that little prompt.
If you have been thinking, gosh, I justreally need a break, or I really want
my business to support my life a bitmore and give me that freedom that I
was really hoping for when I started.
Hopefully this episode We'll giveyou that little nudge and also some
really tangible actions and stepsyou can take to help you do it.
(01:29):
So Georgia, I know this is a topic thatis so close to your heart as well as mine.
It's really about living your life andhaving your business support that, but
why is it so important that we makesure that we don't allow ourselves
to be trapped like an employee in ourbusiness and to actually allow our
businesses to give us that freedom andsupport our life and in having fun.
Georgia (01:52):
But yeah, it's such a good question because it's a
trap that, not a trap, but it'ssomething that we all fall into.
And I'm by no means saying that nowthat we're doing this episode, you and
I have completely perfected this becausewe haven't, we're at different stages
of like realizing how it's going to go.
But you know, we, we built our businessesbecause we didn't want to be trapped.
(02:15):
We wanted that freedom of being ableto not only work with clients that
we love working with to work in ourzone of genius to enjoy what we do
every day and to feel super motivatedby the businesses that we've created.
For both of us, it was really quite aholistic thing as well in terms of we no
(02:35):
longer wanted to be based in a city wherewe maybe needed to be to do our work.
We wanted to be in different locationsin the world, like making use of the
different things that you can do there.
For me, I love the mountains.
I also love the seaside.
, but I think for both of us, a lotof Time is we want to spend a lot
of our time outdoors, and that isnot conducive with still being in a
(03:00):
corporate role, which is something thatjust one of the many ingredients that
spurred us on to start our business.
But I think, as business owners, I meanyou've got a graft when you start a
business you do have to work hard, andyou do really enjoy it most of the time.
I love the work that I'm doing, so it canbe really easy to get into it for quite
(03:23):
a long day, day after day after day,but essentially, we mustn't sacrifice
the things that we started the businessfor to do that, because Once you start
getting into that routine of workinglong days, long hours, you actually find,
I don't know, maybe even 50% of yourto do list is not necessarily things
that you have to do that, that youparticularly want to do that need to be
(03:45):
done that are going to move the needle.
So how do we get into that space ofReconnecting to the reason that we
started in the first place and droppingthose things from the to do list, whether
we are just dropping them completelybecause they actually don't matter in
the scale of it, refocusing into the bitsthat are important in the business, or
(04:06):
we're giving them to someone else, youknow, bringing in team, whatever it is.
So, I think at this point in the summer,and because of, you know, things that have
been happening in our own lives recently,it's really about reconnecting with that
vision of what's important, not justabout your business, but how your business
fits in with the rest of your life.
What's the other important stuff in there?
(04:28):
Because if you start neglectingthat, it's going to impact on
your business in the longer term.
Pip (04:33):
Oh, I 100% agree on that.
And I think it's so easy, especially insummer when there's so much going on, we
allow our to do list to dictate our life.
And we think we can't go and do thisbecause our to do list is so long.
And actually, as you say, it's steppingback and going, hang on a minute.
Most of the stuff on here isn'timportant, but we get ourselves stuck.
(04:54):
I think in that employee mindsetwhere here is my to do list.
I need to get through andtick off everything on my list
for me to succeed in my job.
But the thing is, when you run abusiness, you're not an employee.
It's not your job to tick offeverything on your to do list.
It's your job to step back and understandthe bigger vision and put that strategy
(05:15):
together and understand where you need todelegate out these tasks or where you need
to delete these tasks or where you might.
Put a delay on something and it'sreally stepping back from that employee.
I'm so busy mindset into, I am theleader and I need to really step back
and think about my big, big vision.
And I think certainly for me, I knowwhen I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed
(05:36):
with everything, it's so easy to gettrapped in employee mindset because that's
safe, like that's our safe zone, right?
You're like, I just tickthings off my to do list.
I get that little dopaminehit when I take it off.
But actually, as you say, it'scoming back to why did we start
our business in the first place?
And I think another thing for me isreally, you need changes of scene often.
I find that if I've been working reallyhard on a project, and as you say, I
(05:59):
love doing it, but once you get towardsthe end of something, it You can feel
like the brakes grinding you slowly to ahalt and you really need to like inject
that enthusiasm again in your business.
And for me, getting to a different place,literally physically being in a different
place can make such a difference tolike my enthusiasm for the business.
(06:20):
It can really help me see the business ina whole new light or really increase my
vision on how we're going to get there.
, and I know certainly I'vetaken breaks in the past and.
Traveled to really help me reconnectwith the business and really bring back
that excitement and decide where I wantto go and I think that's so important as
entrepreneurs that we continue to takethe time and put importance and place
(06:42):
importance on that time of Stepping backinto our vision and not getting sort
of stuck in the weeds of all the doing.
And it's really important if we wantour business to take us to where we
want to get to, that's actually oneof one of our key jobs to do that.
But I think sometimes we don't giveourselves the permission to do that,
because back in that employee mindset,we should be ticking off the to do list
(07:04):
rather than taking that time and spaceto reignite our passion and our energy.
That's so
Georgia (07:10):
true.
When you get out from under that todo list, it changes everything, like
the way you're looking at stuff.
And I know that this is something you'redoing at the moment, because as we speak,
you are living in America for threemonths, um, riding horses and doing
all the things that you love to do.
, but I imagine to do that, you'vehad to rethink about stuff.
(07:33):
So tell me like how.
How does it feel running yourbusiness from the other side
of the world for three months?
Pip (07:39):
I mean, freaking amazing, obviously, , that my business lets me
do this, but you know, I'll be honest.
It's taken, this isn't the firsttime I've, you know, gone , for an
extended period of time and traveled.
And it's taken me a time to reallyunderstand how to do it effectively
and in a way that works for me becauseit looks different for everyone.
But what is so cool as onlinebusiness owners is that we can
(08:02):
do this if we make the decisionto To make it work and to do it.
And there's, there is definitely frontwork and I front load some of the work
to make it easier, but I think alsoit's making that decision and really
understanding what's actually important.
And some of the time it's Maybe going,well, actually for me, I need a bit
(08:23):
of me time and the business isn'tgoing to stop growing, but maybe we'll
slow down our growth a little bit andthere'll be a little bit less push
in the business as I recharge andreconnect with why I'm doing this.
And then you might come homeand be full speed, everything.
And there's also the, the very light.
Tactical operational side of things.
Well, how do you actually make this work?
If you're in a different time zone toyour team and they can't necessarily
(08:46):
get hold of you at every single momentof the day, and what can you do?
And what can you put in place toautomate things or to support your team
happening from a very like practicalpoint of view, but I think if you think
about those two aspects of kind of thestrategic place and where you are as a
leader and then the actual operationalside of things, it's so easy to do.
It's a lot easier than you think.
(09:07):
It's just making the decision to do it.
What
Georgia (09:10):
do you think are the things that you have not compromised on within
your role that you have taken with you?
And what are the things thatyou've temporarily handed
over or ditched long term?
Pip (09:25):
So, the biggest thing for me is that when I'm away, My interaction with
my team, I would say almost goes up anotch and I think more about my team than
the actual doing of many of my tasks.
So for me, it's really making sure thateverybody understands what's going on,
that communication is so clear, thatAny little, you know, miscommunications
(09:50):
or issues are picked up straight away.
And I know we talked about this inour previous episode about how to
have difficult conversations, but forme, being away and not necessarily
always working the same time of dayas my team, it's really important
that I know that they're confidentin what they're doing and they're
delivering and questions are answered.
So that has been my biggest thing.
(10:10):
Now, that didn't used to be the casewhen I didn't have such a big team, but
certainly now that the team's grown.
My view is that if I can keep theteam happy and moving things through
the business or run itself, right?
And it used to be when I didn'thave so much team, it was more
the very operational things.
What do I really needto ensure is happening?
Sales are coming into the business.
Clients are happy.
(10:30):
Products have been fulfilled and sentout to the customers that purchased them.
, whereas now it's slightly differentbecause my team deals with all of that.
It's how can I ensure that myteam are happy whilst doing that?
So I think the question really dependson kind of what stage of business you
are and what your business structurelooks like, but it's really focusing
on those needle moving things.
And actually a lot of the stuff thatI let go off tends to be more the
(10:55):
admin side of things or , trackingdata that's not actually giving
me the information that's useful.
And those are things that I then just...
leave behind.
And it's a really good way every yearto understand what are you doing in
your business every week that actuallyit's not moving the needle forward.
It's just wasting your time becauseif you're doing it every week, you
sometimes don't question that youjust go ahead and merrily do it.
(11:17):
Don't you?
Definitely.
Georgia (11:19):
And I think it's such a good way of culling those.
pointless activities, which you maybestarted because you thought, yeah,
this could be useful to do this.
And then you continue to do out ofhabit because you can't remember
why you first started to do them.
And now as you're planning to go away andyou're thinking, right, I need to condense
everything I do into just two hours a day.
(11:40):
So actually what's reallyimportant, it's brilliant.
It just gets you backinto the non negotiable.
routine rather than all the otherthings that we pile on our plate that
we're not necessarily that enthusiasticabout or might not get us anywhere.
I love this.
So what would be your big advice tosomeone that was looking to relocate
(12:03):
perhaps to a different time zonefor an extended length of time?
Pip (12:08):
I think There are a couple of things which have really helped.
First one is communicatingwith my team way in advance.
So my team, they now knowthis happens every year.
It's not a surprise when I'mlike, Oh, I'm going off to
play with ponies in the summer.
, you know, they know I'm the crazyhorse girl that just loves to
sit out on the side of my horses.
But certainly it'shelping people understand.
(12:29):
That this is happening as early aspossible in the year so we can plan
together with each individual teammember what that looks like, how
it's going to affect their role,what can we do to make sure that they
know what's going on and they knowwhere to come to with questions and.
You know, maybe it's making sure thatSOPs and all those things are really
up to date and they're really, reallyclear in their role and what they have to
(12:49):
deliver and what their deliverables are.
And then alongside that is also a lotof my team get a lot of flexibility.
So it's understanding their summerplans and how we're going to
put everything together so theycan have that flexibility too.
Because, you know, it really is frommy perspective, you lead by example,
if you want your team to have thatflexibility and produce amazing work.
You know, I'm going to do it.
(13:09):
So I expect them to do it.
But I think when they get to see theperson leading the company doing it so
successfully, then they know that theycan be really successful and having
that flexibility in their work and stilldelivering really, really good work.
And then I think it's just operationally.
What has to happen to keep the businessrunning and what markers are there
(13:31):
where if, say, sales go below a certainvalue or if something doesn't get
done, you know, like tax returns or VATreturns, you know, that kind of thing.
What are those key deadlines Ineed to mark in my calendar or what
can I prep in advance for those?
So I know whilst I'm away.
There's one or two really key thingsthat I need to keep, my brain focused
(13:53):
on, but actually everything else can go.
And then I think finally, it'strying to find kind of a regular
way to communicate with your team.
So for instance, I, , set onenon negotiable that I will speak
to my team and we'll have a fullteam meeting every single week.
And that's on Zoom.
I expect everyone to be there.
I really got out of my way to make thathappen because I know for me personally,
(14:14):
that's what keeps us really unified.
And that's what keeps everybody on track.
It'll look different for everybusiness, but if we have that really
regular touch point and then abilityto communicate outside of that, and
then I know if there's any markerswhere things are going to go wrong,
this is where I need to step in.
I think then it's actually justabout going out and enjoying
yourself and letting go.
(14:34):
Of all the things you think you shouldbe doing and actually living in that
moment and enjoying that time off as well.
Because if not, what's the pointin having a break if you're not
actually giving yourself that break?
Georgia (14:44):
It goes so fast as well.
If you don't take those opportunities,like if you suddenly have an idea, do
you know what, like I had two days ago,I really need to get to the seaside.
Like I need to be by the sea.
I need some sunshine.
I need vitamin D.
I need to just.
read some trashy books and notthink about anything business
(15:06):
related for at least five days.
, I like to do things quite last minute.
I definitely don't plan as much inadvance for such long periods of time.
But generally the thing that prompts meis I'll say, right, I need to go away.
So then I'll put my apartment on Airbnb.
And if someone then decides theywant to book it, I'm like, well,
(15:27):
now I have to go away because Iliterally have nowhere to stay.
So it pushes me into doing that.
But it's a little bit like I, I alwayssuggest this to CEOs, even because
holiday with your family, if you'regoing on holiday with family, half
or friends can be very different.
But if you are going away, , as a CEO,just for a day or two, like take yourself
(15:49):
off for a night somewhere and really havea think about what's happening in your
business, or you want to take yourselfoff for a few days and switch off from
your business, , whatever you need to do.
But I think both are really importantto, to have those breaks away from the
kind of day to day to actually work out.
Hang on a minute, what am I doing here,which, which isn't getting me anywhere?
(16:09):
And what should I be doing differently?
And it would be really easy forme because I live in a beautiful
place to be like, Do you know what?
I can just do a few hours of workevery day and then I'll go for
a hike and then I'll go this.
But actually you need that timecompletely away from it to.
To really start to mull over those new,exciting ideas about, okay, so I've got
to here and now what's going to happennext and where could that lead me?
(16:33):
And what could that look like?
And, Ooh, wouldn't it be amazing ifI could do this or that or the other?
I mean, I have grand plans aboutliving in different locations
dependent on the time of year.
, I'll keep you posted onthose this time next year.
But I love this idea of kind of.
(16:53):
Moving between cities, mountainsand the sea, dependent on the time
of year, how I feel, what kind ofenergy I need, whether I need people,
whether I need focus, whether I needsport, you know, what's happening.
So I think it's just so importantto just take stock and think.
Actually, what am I all about?
What are the things that make metick, not just in my business,
(17:13):
but outside of my business?
And how can I make surethat I'm prioritizing that?
Even when I'm stressing, Oh, butI don't, you know, we're in the
middle of a cost of living crisis.
I don't know how, , September'sgoing to look, you know.
Well, actually, if you've been consistentevery month before you've always
made it work until this point andactually by draining your battery is
(17:37):
not going to help you make it work ifSeptember really is going to be tough
or October really is going to be tough.
You know, take that minute torecharge when there's an opportunity.
I'm not saying, you know, book anexpensive holiday to the Caribbean
if you can't afford it, but Thinkabout, okay, actually, what do I need
to, like, switch off, have a changeof scene, be re energized about my
(17:59):
life and my business, and kind ofremember why I'm doing it all, and, and
sort of what the point of it all is.
Like, life is for living, youknow, do it while, while we can.
. . Pip: I love also how quickly.
You made a decision, you had afeeling, you had that gut feeling
where you're like, I need a break.
And then how quickly you'veactioned that in your business.
And I think that is such an exampleto everybody listening in that.
(18:21):
You can make these decisions reallyquickly, you can make the decision
to sit and work your nine to six andburn yourself out, or you can make
the decision to go, hang on a minute,I need a break, I'm going to make it
work, and I love that you're leading byexample and showing that actually, you
make the decision, you put your flat onAirbnb, and you figure it out, because
(18:42):
that's what we're good at doing, right?
And you can really just figure it out.
So I guess, talking on figuring itout, How does this work in reality?
Like what steps can we take if we'rethinking, actually, I need a break, I
need to get into a new location, whatkind of things are you thinking about
when you're making these decisionsabout how you can just very easily do
(19:02):
this without causing too much chaos?
Because obviously, once we're away, wedon't want to be then sitting on our
beautiful beach, stressing about ourbusiness that we've taken a break from.
So what can we do in our business toset us up for success whilst we're away?
Okay, the first thing I would look at is that overwhelming to do
list that we fall back to every time.
So first up, I would look at thatto do list and think, okay, what on
(19:26):
there really, really, really has tobe done in the next, say, seven days.
Is there anything that absolutely hasto be done in the next seven days, and
then how, how do I plan for that to bedone, whether it's doing myself, like
delaying going away by one day to get itdone or outsourcing it to someone else.
I'd also look at thatlist and think, okay.
(19:47):
What can be delayed andwhen can I schedule it in?
So I'm actually putting it into atime block so that I don't have to
worry about it because I'm no longerdragging it around on my mental to do
list of, Ooh, but I've got to do that.
Like I've allocated a time for it.
I know it's possible.
I know I'm not leaving it toolate if I do it at that point.
, What, what have I just put on there?
Because I thought I would getaround to I don't need to do.
(20:09):
It's not going to move the needle.
It's nice to have.
I don't even know why I wrote it down.
Let's be realistic.
I'm definitely going togo online by this evening.
So, cross those things off.
, and then you'll be left withsome things that perhaps are not.
They don't need you.
They're not your skill set necessarily.
(20:30):
So how could you outsource that?
Even if it's just bringing someoneelse in to do that for you for the
week, if it is adding a bit more toyour VA and say, do you know what?
I need to post something onInstagram every day this week.
Can you just go back to this time lastyear and just repost what I posted
then no one's going to know, , whateverit is, you know, find a really simple
(20:51):
way for those things to happen.
, Yeah, so first of all I would like lookat the to do list and see what can I
outsource, what can I cross off so I'mnot worrying about it while I'm away.
Pip (21:01):
Yeah, and I think it really comes down to just being really
clear on what's actually movingthe needle in your business.
You know, you don't need to writecontent this week, as you say, I
love the idea of just repurposewhat you've already created.
So you know, just thinking back to yourbig ones, sales, you know, are you going
to keep sales coming in, especiallyif you're going away for longer?
Have you got some system that'sworking for you that's bringing in
(21:23):
those sales or maybe You know what?
You're only going away for a week or two.
You don't need to worry about salescoming into your business because
you know you've showed up with thatconsistency over the last however
many months or years of your business.
And then what's actually moving theneedle in terms of, as you say, does
everybody know what they're doing?
Have you outsourced?
Have you delegated things out?
(21:44):
So, You know, that the operationalside of a business is just
going to keep plugging away.
And I think it's really taking thatstep back, as you say, from that to
do list and going, what are the keythings that have to happen here?
Client delivery.
Do your clients know what's going on?
Are you going to cancelyour calls for the week?
Or are you going to stilldo calls whilst you're away?
(22:05):
Is it kind of a working vacation?
You know, making those decisionsand making sure that your clients
have been served or your customersare getting their products.
Really?
Those are the only thingsyou need to think about.
Admin stuff can be picked uplater or can be picked up by
other things or other people.
You don't need to be worrying about that.
So really taking that step back andthinking what's really important.
(22:26):
Everything else can go.
Georgia (22:27):
Yeah, I agree.
And this could also be an opportunityfor somebody in your team to step
up and take on some other stuff.
So I would say, I mean, obviouslywe should never say, Oh, August is
quiet and think we're not going tomake any sales, but historically
August is a little bit quieter.
So actually this might be a greatmonth for someone on your team to take.
(22:52):
on a new responsibility.
And perhaps you're setting itout before you go away and you're
saying, okay, give them permissionto do X, Y, or Z happens, then
yes, alert me or delay them untilnext, the next week sort of thing.
So you're saying, it's sort ofsaying, give this a try, but if
you feel out of your depth, then.
(23:13):
It's fine.
Just postpone it till I get back.
That kind of thing.
, and in terms of thinking of the team,like, think about how you're going to
communicate with them over that week.
You know, are you going to askthem to use their initiative?
And if something isn't businessbreaking urgent, either your best
guess, because you hired them, becausethey're great and you trust them
and they understand the business.
(23:35):
Or just delay it until I get back.
Use your best initiative to make it soundlike the business really cares about
whatever this inquiry is that's come in,but we can't deal with it until next week.
, so yeah, communicating with your team onhow they're going to handle those things.
Because if you say, look, Commsare only to me if the business is
about to break, most things willget handled and it's amazing what
(23:59):
people are going to come up with.
And I think as you said earlier,Pip, it's really important
that we're leading by example.
So, you know, you're saying to them,like, don't contact me when I'm on holiday
unless it's absolutely essential becausein the same way, you're not contacting
them if they're on holiday, you know, likeyou want to let them have a break, totally
switch off and not need to be in that.
(24:20):
, and it works in with this idea ofkind of rewarding people differently.
So I, I'm slightly off on a tangent, butI want us to think about this idea of
lead by example, lead in a way that showsother people how to handle their time.
So instead of encouraging your teamto 40 hours doing whatever project it
(24:41):
is, you're saying, do you know what?
We thought that was going to take fourdays and you've done it in four hours.
That's amazing.
Like, well done.
Like, I'll pay you another couple ofhours because you did it so quickly.
Or perhaps you can move on to this,you know, find other ways of rewarding
the team or say, you know, great.
Go and take a half day offbecause you did that so quickly.
(25:03):
You know, you've deserved anafternoon with your friends doing
something nice or whatever it is.
So we're leading by example, and we'reswitching the way we try and do things.
And we're changing up thatcommunications with the team.
Pip (25:15):
And I think rewarding your team for using their initiative and for
automating things or for figuring outnew processes to do things quicker and
better, I think is so important that wereward our team for doing that and we
don't go, great, so you've managed tomake this quicker, now I'm going to like
fill every single hour of your day andnot reward you by doing that, because
(25:35):
ultimately our business will grow fasterand be better if everybody uses their
initiative and is rewarded for usingtheir initiative and bringing it forward.
It's.
And I guess on the topic ofautomation, there is so much we can
do nowadays to make things happenfor us whilst we're not there.
You know, we can schedule all of ourmarketing and our sales in advance.
There's lots we can do in terms ofpulling people through our pipeline by
(25:56):
having our automated email sequences.
If you've got a product based business,you can outsource and find a 3PL.
So they do all of your fulfillment.
You might have a customer service teamthat's outsourced or in house that can,
as you say, do a lot of this for you.
So actually.
So much of it's either automated oroutsourced, very few things should be
(26:17):
coming to you, barring, you know, thebusiness actually burning down, you
shouldn't need to be contacted in yourtime off in the same way that we're not
going to contact our team in the time off.
So really thinking about.
What, how can you use technology tohelp automate these things and take
tasks off team members so they can thenfocus on the really important things?
Or maybe as you say, step up and take onsome of the work that you do and use tech
(26:41):
to really support them in doing that.
I love that.
And
Georgia (26:45):
when you're doing that, you also need to consciously switch
your mindset a bit, don't you?
Because.
You're saving yourself all this timeby really thinking outside the box.
Kind of hate that phrase, but,you know, thinking about things
differently to automate stuffand make things more efficient
and make things more streamlined.
So if you are doing that andyou're therefore probably
(27:07):
achieving the same amount in.
a 20 hour work week, don't then makeyourself sit at your desk for 40 hours
just because you're conditioned thatway from school, university, depends
what you did at university, fromschool onwards, you know, like you've
got to actually think, well done me.
(27:29):
I have saved myself 20 hours this week.
I can make the same amount of moneyin 20 hours as I can in 40 hours.
So I'm going to reward myself by justworking the half week this week, taking
a long weekend, getting to the coast.
It's all about the sea for me at the
Pip (27:44):
moment, as you can tell.
I know sea's on the brain, but it is,it's that mindset piece, isn't it?
It's, it's not only just lettingyourself have that break, but
it's really giving yourself.
Permission to go and takethat time away for you.
And to be honest, knowing that doingthat will generally help your business.
I don't know about you, but everytime I'm away, excuse me, I come back
(28:05):
and my vision is so much brighter.
I've got so much renewedenthusiasm and energy and it's.
It's really about giving myself thatpermission to go away and take a
step back and not worry about allthe little things and really only
worry about those one or two needlemoving activities that I identified
way back when, when I was planningand going and living in the moment.
(28:28):
Cause I think that's the biggestthing that, you know, that
we're coming back to here.
It's about your business ishere to support your life.
And so don't let yourbusiness dictate your life.
Give yourself that permission to goand sit and read trashy novels on the
beach or go and drink one glass ofwine too many or just have some fun
and reignite your passion for yourbusiness and not worry about things.
(28:49):
You can figure it out when you get back.
You're, you know, a smart woman.
When you get back, if something's notgone to plan, that's fine, you'll figure
it out, you know, and not worryingand spending all your time whilst away
thinking about the what ifs that you needto be in there keeping everything running.
Actually, I've found that every time Itake that step back and I let my team
step up and I really give my permission,myself that permission to step back,
(29:11):
amazing things happen that would neverwould have happened if I hadn't have
given myself the permission to take thatbreak and take that time for myself.
So be excited about the opportunitiesthis is going to bring you.
Georgia (29:22):
I love that because if you, when you go away, if something does
break in that week away, this is sucha good way to highlight it and fix it
and improve it and move it forward.
So you perhaps don't need to beinvolved in it going forward.
Okay.
So this is all well and good, but ifwe're struggling with this, or if you're
struggling with this, this idea of.
(29:45):
How good a break is going to belong term for your business when
you're worrying about everythingthat's on your to do list.
There are a few questions thatyou can probably ask yourself.
, and I would start with the firstquestion being, you know, what
are the absolute needle movingactivities that I have to be aware of?
You know, what are, what are the thingsthat have to happen every week to keep
(30:07):
the business moving without, without fail?
Do those things need to be me?
If you're a one woman band,then maybe they still do.
So, get really specific, okay,what are those two to three things?
Give yourself permission to focus onthose, perhaps while you're on holiday,
setting yourself 30 minutes a day tolike work on those, but only those.
Okay, so you're really clear,these are the things I need to
(30:30):
do, everything else can wait.
So when you, when you switch on,that's what you're switching on to.
Pip (30:35):
and then for me, it's who do I need to communicate what with?
So who do I need to tell that I'm away?
What my working hours might be or howthey might be able to communicate with me?
What I want communicated with meand what I just prefer for them to
figure out themselves as you say,give people that space to use their
initiative to fix problems themselves.
(30:56):
And I think with that it's justunderstanding how will I communicate
with you as my team or third partiesI work with and clients as well.
And what I expect in return.
So I think it's just been really clearon those boundaries and really clear
the way in which it's going to workbecause the last thing you want to
do is not tell anyone you're away.
Somebody emails you expectingresponse, they don't get anything back.
(31:19):
You've not put your out of office on,and then you end up having somebody
that's maybe upset or can't make adecision because you've not communicated
clearly enough what's happening.
But if you just agree all of thatin advance, it makes things really,
really smooth and people will reallyunderstand why you're taking the
time or that comms might be a littledelayed or that they might get an
email in the middle of the night, andthat's not you expecting them to be
(31:39):
answering in the middle of the night.
It's just that.
Their middle of the night isyour middle of the day and you're
doing your, an hour of work.
So it's really just making surethat everybody's on the same page
with you in terms of communication.
Georgia (31:50):
I also think it's really important to think about what you
want from this change of scene,like, and how you can plan for that.
I remember.
, we were trying to book for a girl's tripto go away and I had a few calls that
were in and my friend just said, Oh, well,can't you just work while you're away?
And I almost recoiled.
Then I'd be missing out.
(32:10):
Like my idea of working is probably beingon my computer for five hours of the day.
Why would I want to do thatin the hotel room while you're
all on the beach, you know?
So, you've got to get really clear.
Actually, what do Iwant from this time off?
I really just want toswitch off for everything.
Only for three days, that's all I need.
Three days not thinking about it.
Okay.
(32:31):
So can I reschedule my clients?
Can I rearrange my diary?
Like, how can I move everything off that?
So I can allow myself to switch off.
Or if you're going for longer, likeyou are, and actually it's just
a change of scene and a change ofroutine, and you're still going to
be working, then you're going to planit slightly differently, aren't you?
So what do you actually want from thatchange of scene and how can you make
Pip (32:53):
that happen?
And that really leads on tohow can you stop yourself
working for the sake of working?
I'm sure I'm not the only person herethat is, you know, a serial workaholic.
And, you know, like you say, itdoesn't feel like work when it's your
business, because it's something youlove and you're so passionate about.
But when you're away, how do you make surethat you're really enjoying that time?
(33:13):
And for me, it's just filling mydays with all the fun activities.
So I only have.
excuse me, a certain number ofhours in the day to actually work.
But then it's also little things like.
Take emails off your phone soyou can only look at emails
when you come into the hotel.
If you're somebody that just can'thelp themselves and has to check out
emails or your Slack or your socialmedia whilst you're out and about,
(33:37):
just, just delete it off your phone.
You don't need it.
And then have one time of theday where you check things.
And I think just tiny things likethat, if you're not good at stepping
back and setting those boundaries foryourself will make the difference.
And I think it's really askingyourself, like, What am I confident in?
You know, where are myboundaries confident?
And where am I?
Maybe I do need that little bit of helpby just removing the distraction and
(33:58):
being completely honest with yourselfand saying, what, what activities do I
need to book in to make sure that I'mactually out there enjoying my activities?
Because I think some peopleare really good at doing that.
And some people Maybe you need thatlittle bit of extra nudge and this
is your permission that if you needthat little bit of extra nudge,
it's totally okay to delete apps.
It's totally okay to put that outof office on and to book yourself
(34:20):
into the spa or onto a hike or,you know, out for dinner with your
friends, whatever that might be.
If that means you're actually reallygoing to take advantage of this time
and really recharge your batteries.
Georgia (34:30):
Yes.
Give the brain time to recharge.
So this kind of givesus the takeaway that.
We really want everyone to remember thatyou built this business for freedom.
And to be honest, if you look back atthe time now, this time now in two years
time, you're only going to regret nottaking advantage when you could have
(34:52):
taken that time out of going on thattrip to spending time with your family
or your friends or getting to the sea,getting the vitamin D, whatever it is.
It's so important to feel that you'remaking use of that freedom because
When the times are stressful and,and business is busy and you don't
have time for that freedom, you can,you can take your mind back to when
(35:15):
you did, you know, that you did takethat opportunity and you did recharge
ready to go into the next quarter.
Pip (35:22):
I totally agree with you.
I think it's reallyabout remembering that.
If you're taking a week off, a week isnot going to hinder your journey, right?
You've worked so hard in your business.
One week off is not going to stopyou from becoming successful.
In fact, if anything, it'sgoing to propel you forwards.
And if you're like me and youwant to work longer periods away.
(35:42):
Working away will bring youso much excitement and really
propel your business forward.
And that's why you built your business.
So don't sit there andthink I can't do this.
My business isn't going to supportme in doing this, or I just
don't have the time to do this.
I've got too many things onmy plate taking that time off.
I promise we'll makesuch a change for you.
So just, just go and livelife and just go and do it.
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