As a business owner it’s easy to feel like your work is never done – because no matter how much you do, there is always more that could theoretically be done. Many business owners we’ve spoken with also feel that they have a responsibility to be available to their team and that if they step away they are putting an undue burden on their team. So, we wanted to hear from a broad range of business owners on whether they take vacations and we’ve shared some of their responses below.

Julia Parzyck

I absolutely take vacations! Prior to starting my own business, I would get around 2 weeks of vacation a year, which in my eyes is not enough. I was hustling, working my butt off & felt I never had time for myself. One thing I really desired when I started my own business was to have freedom to travel when I wanted without feeling guilty. I recently went on a trip to Portugal and took 2 weeks off, and I definitely got some comments about it being a long chunk of time to just take off work. But for me, success is about freedom. I want to be able to travel and deserve to travel when I want to. when it comes to creating content, nothing is that serious or pressing that it needs to be done within 2 weeks. Those things can wait and I will more likely be more productive when I allow myself to relax and check out for a bit. Burn out is real, so if you have the ability to vacation and take time off — DO IT. And if someone has something to say about it, we’ll too damn bad. We are not machines and it’s okay to rest and recharge. Read more>>

Alondra Islas

Yes, I definitely take vacations. Even if it’s just a small weekend getaway. I personally think it’s very important to step away for a minute and recharge. As business owners we tend to get so wrapped up on working and focus on everyone but ourselves and it shouldn’t be that way . We need to take some time away , reset our minds, and focus on our well being. Read more>>

Danielle Key

This question seemed fitting since I am currently writing this at JFK waiting for my flight to Spain. Vacation is one of the biggest reasons as to why I started Almond Dust. As a solo mom, I was tired of missing every holiday with my Daughter and working every weekend. I love baking but was getting so burned out in the hotel industry I had to figure out a way to do what I love while being able to spend time with my family. This is how Almond Dust Patisserie was born. Read more>>

Freddie Carlini

It’s probably the hardest challenge of owning a small business is taking vacations and making personal time. Just unplugging sometimes can be a feat. At the very least I usually need to bring my laptop with me “just in case” something small but important comes up and needs to be addressed, but most of the time if it’s not an email I can address from my phone, or it’s something big, I usually just reply to clients that it will be addressed when I return. Read more>>