Small Business Owners Squeeze in Time for Vacation

Summer is here, and along with it, the lure of a vacation. Whether it’s an idyllic, sunny beach scene or a scream-filled, fast food-fueled pilgrimage to Disneyland, many Americans will seek a sunny getaway regardless of widespread economic worries.

But 41 percent of small business owners will not be among those fighting the vacation crowds, according to a recent survey conducted by American Express. That figure is unchanged from last year.

Getting away from it all can be very difficult for entrepreneurs. There’s always the concern that, upon departing, the place will fall apart, the employees will shirk their duties, business opportunities will be missed or some combination thereof.

Of those small business owners who will take a vacation, 36 percent are worried about client care, 31 percent fret about missed opportunities for more business, 30 percent think their employees will slack on the job and 29 percent are concerned about an equipment or operational failure and their staff’s response to it, according to the survey.

And then there are all of the electronic leashes – cell phones and BlackBerrys – which might make the whole affair more stressful than restorative.

“Vacation?” asked Bill Palkowsky, laughing, “I’m going to take one.” Palkowsky owns Spring Street Grill & Catering in Springdale. He tends to take vacations when the opportunity presents itself.

“You look for your moment,” he said.

That moment is often a holiday that falls on a Friday or Monday. Palkowsky hasn’t had a vacation of more than four days in at least 10 years, he said.

Whether Glen Smith, co-owner of Impressions in Fayetteville will take a summer vacation, “I don’t know, I really don’t,” he said. “With us we kind of decide at the last minute.”

Smith’s gift store and embroidery is open six days a week, so some downtime is important.

“You’ve got to recharge,” he said. “When you own a small business, and particularly with retail, you live and breathe it constantly. You have to decompress. But it’s hard to get away totally if [employees] can reach you on the cell phone or computer.”

For some business owners, vacations are dictated by the season.

Devon Nelson owns Nelson’s Landscaping & Irrigation, based in Bentonville. Nelson plans his vacations “a long time in advance,” he said. “And it has to be seasonal, never in summer or spring. You’ve got to try to fit things into the off season.”

In the past, Nelson has either shut down the business while he’s on vacation or kept it running and relied on his employees. Of the two options, he prefers the former.

“I’ve done it both ways, and generally I’ve never been really happy with keeping it rolling when you’re gone,” he said.

Jeffrey Black doesn’t have to worry about staff while he’s on vacation because he doesn’t have any employees. He owns ABC Home Inspections, and schedules his workload around his vacation needs.

Black tends to plan time off according to his wife and kids’ schedules, he said. Because his children are in school, those vacations often fall during summer.

“When the summer months come, I want to spend time with my wife and kids and recharge my batteries,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean work can’t still come calling, literally.

“I booked an inspection last year when I was at Disney World with my family,” he said.