We were lucky to catch up with Kayla Hollatz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kayla thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

As a business owner, you need to proactively plan for your own vacations. Since you’re working for yourself, you don’t have coworkers or a supervisor to remind you to take time off. If you feel like you’re constantly glued to your computer or can’t seem to take a break, I have a few tips.

1) Take regular days off. In the last three years in my business, I’ve simplified my schedule and packages so I’m able to consistently take Fridays off. Since my weekends and work days often leave little time for relaxing, I use Fridays as a Sabbath to rest.

2) Make certain vacations a tradition. I like to take off anywhere between one to three weeks around the holidays every year to end the year by spending more quality time with loved ones. Since this is a tradition I’ve held since the beginning of my business eight years ago, it’s helped me to create space in my calendar every year.

3) Plan vacations in advance. Is there a destination you’ve been dying to explore? Make sure to plan it two to three months in advance if possible. You’ll give yourself more time to work ahead on projects and communicate with your clients so they’re prepared when you’re on vacation. While you can stay available on vacation through email and phone, I highly recommend taking unplugged vacations so you can really rest and recharge. Put your autoresponder on and enjoy your vacation!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

After using my public relations background to start a social media consulting business, I quickly transitioned to website copywriting in my second year of entrepreneurship. My passion for writing paired well with my interest in understanding websites and conversion strategies from an SEO perspective. I take a “strategy first, words second” approach to writing because I believe the most impactful stories are rooted in strategy. Over eight years of entrepreneurship, I’ve learned a lot through trial and error about how to create a sustainable business model, prioritize deep rest and deep work, and resist burnout throughout the creative process.

Have you ever had to pivot?

During the COVID pandemic, many of my SaaS clients indefinitely paused our retainer work since they were faced with uncertainty. I lost over half of my income in a matter of a few weeks. Determined to adapt to the needs of my clients, I began to notice more entrepreneurs needed help on smaller projects with a fast turnaround time. I decided to test a day rate offer behind the scenes which later became my most requested service. It allowed me to pivot and quickly replace the income I had lost (and then some). Today, day rates drive around the same revenue as my website copywriting service which is my specialty. I’m so glad I took advantage of the opportunity to pivot!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Unsurprisingly, as a website copywriter who focuses on SEO, Google has been my top referral source for leads and clients. While I have a considerable amount of personal referrals come through, I haven’t had to rely on social media and its ever-evolving algorithms for clients. SEO takes time to grow, but once it does, you’re able to reap the benefits of it for the long term.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kaylahollatz.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kaylahollatz
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/kayla_hollatz

Image Credits
Carly Milbrath Photography