Can a small business owner take time off?

We all know that individuals need to take breaks to maintain their well-being and avoid burnout, regardless of their occupation. However, there are many reasons besides health that could lead a business owner to suspend their operations. While various situations may prompt this decision, for my opening blog, I’ll share my personal experience with stepping away from my business.

Taking a break from my business meant completely disconnecting from all online activities. To observers, it may have seemed that I abandoned my venture and moved on to other projects since my online presence went dormant in December 2022. From that time onwards, there was no online marketing, no posting on social media. I also refrained from making updates to my website. So, what was I doing all this time, you ask? Building a closer relationship with my Creator, working with a single client, taking online courses, and exploring different parts of the world. Surprisingly, stepping away from actively working on my business gave me the clarity I needed to determine where I actually wanted to take it.

When I first started the business, I remember calling myself an “Independent Contractor” and “Self-employed.” It was a scary but thrilling experience, as I was venturing into the unknown. Like many entrepreneurs, I have had a few unsuccessful ventures in the past and although I recognized my strengths in working with systems, software, and spreadsheets, I never believed that my own business could provide me with financial stability. However, with the arrival of COVID, everything changed. I suddenly got the confidence to fully launch myself into a field that I had many years of experience with – business administration. 

Naturally, there were mistakes to be made, and I believe I made them all. However, in hindsight, I realize that the biggest and most costly mistake I made was not allowing my passion to genuinely guide the direction of my business. Instead, I let irrational fears dictate my decisions, ignored warning signs, and ended up with a business that felt foreign to me. This was not the future I had envisioned for myself… and that’s when things changed. My mindset, goals, and opportunities were all transformed.

It’s often said that when you’re too involved in a project, you can lose sight of the big picture. I found this to be true in various aspects of my life and knew that I needed to take action sooner rather than later. I decided to surrender to the will of the Creator and this was the catalyst that changed both my personal and business outlook. The events that followed were truly awe-inspiring and it all started with a decision to step away and refocus my priorities on my life and purpose.

Now, am I saying that “time off” may look this way for every small business owner? Certainly not.