Last week I caught the brilliant Gordon Ramsay’s new show on Channel 4, 24 Hours to Hell and Back, where he has a day to turn around failing restaurants in America. The first programme was about a family-owned Italian in upstate New York and one of its owners, Vinny, was spiralling into despair and causing a world of problems for the business, its staff and the customers. There was a million and one things wrong with this restaurant that Ramsay had to sort out. However, the root cause of Vinny’s disastrous efforts could be attributed to him not taking a step back and looking at the strategy of the restaurant and what it needs to do to appeal to customers. Instead, he was getting bogged down by daily issues. Once Ramsay had transformed the menu, the styling and how the restaurant operates, it gave Vinny the chance to have a long hard look at himself and the business to consider how best to take it forward.It’s about taking time away from the business and, subsequently, benefiting the business.
That’s why holidays are so important. We all know entrepreneurs never switch off, but they can use their holidays to direct their energies into new ideas and strategies that can be put in place when they return to the business.It’s also a good time to learn from others. There are some brilliant business books and autobiographies out there – Bog Standard Business by Charlie Mullins OBE available now, by the way! – and holidays can provide that rare moment where business owners actually get their head stuck in a book. They can discover ideas and experiences that can be applied to their enterprises. By seeing a holiday as an investment in the future of the business, entrepreneurs should be taking time away from the front line. It will allow them to be far more prepared for the battles ahead.
A look at the eclectic plans SME bosses have for summer holidays
It’s peak season for the summer holidays, but it’s been reported SME leaders don’t know how to take time off – Real Business found out if that’s true.
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