three months holiday this year
Ben is 37. He takes three months holiday a year. And his business runs better when he is not there than most businesses do when the director is sitting right in the middle of it.
He owns a restaurant near me, capacity of about 120. He started there at 16, worked every hour going, saved his money, and eventually bought the place from his employer. Brilliant story in itself.
But here is what I really want to tell you.
Ben has been to the Maldives three times this year. And Mauritius. Three months holiday a year.
And when he is not there, you would never know it. Miguel, his number two, runs that restaurant as well as Ben does. Every single member of staff knows exactly what they are doing and why. There is no chaos. No panicked calls. No one waiting for Ben to get back before a decision gets made.
That is not luck. That is not even talent. That is clarity. Everyone in that business knows their job, knows the standards, and knows what to do when something goes wrong.
The directors who are always stressed, always needed, always the last one to leave? They have not built a business. They have built a job. And they are trapped in it.
The ones who disappear for three months and come back to a business that grew while they were gone? They did one thing differently. They made themselves unnecessary to the day to day.
Yesterday I mentioned an AI prompt that builds you a one page document to start this process. If you would like it, email me or call me directly or drop your email below. It takes thirty minutes. It could change everything.
I’m Mark Smillie. mark@ringroseandco.co.uk or 07710 466166.