Pop quiz: is the ability to travel for the sake of your business a blessing or a curse?
Sure, most of us want more opportunities to get out of the office, see the world and meet new people as our business grows. That said, it’s not uncommon for us to feel a bit of separation anxiety from our companies as we fly from Point A to Point B. This is especially true if your business has a ton of moving pieces.
Think about it. Employee screw ups. Security snafus. Snap decisions that require your attention.
These are all incredibly daunting, but often exacerbated when you’re stuck across the country or even in another time-zone.
If you’re looking for peace of mind while you’re on the go, consider the following three strategies for keeping your cool, ensuring that you don’t miss a beat even if you’re a frequent traveler on behalf of your business.
Invest in Tracking Tools and Essential Alerts
Simply put, having foresight and understanding of what could go wrong is the most important aspect of keeping your business under control. For example, the ability to remotely monitor your business’ performance and well-being in real-time is a game-changer for traveling entrepreneurs, but are often overlooked for those who aren’t aware of them.
For example, if you’re worried about your business’ traffic or SEO performance, what’s stopping you from checking your real-time analytics in Google to calm your mind? Additionally, those with brick-and-mortar businesses can keep track of their alarm systems and other essential data through a comprehensive web HMI dashboard.
If you don’t want to constantly be glued to your phone, consider also setting up email alerts from specific team-members and clients so you know that any notifications you get are of legitimate importance. After all, you won’t be able to focus or get much done if you’re constantly scrambling.
Conduct a Daily Check-In
On a similar note, daily check-in’s and progress reports are popular for traveling employees, but who’s to say that they roles can’t be reversed as your team reports to you? Conducting a daily check-in with your team via Skype or Google Hangout can help ensure that everyone’s on the same page regardless of geography. Requiring your team to manage their workflow in a visual productivity platform like Trello or Basecamp is also a good idea as you can understand where any given project is at without lifting a finger.
Your check-in’s can be as short as long as you’d like, granted they serve their purpose of providing you a sense of how your business is running without you.
Set Explicit Expectations
When you’re out of the office, it certainly pays to have someone underneath who you that has your utmost trust. While you should speak to your team prior to any long-term travel, setting expectations and goals for your other higher-ups while you’re gone acts as an extra sense of checks and balances. By having someone on-site who knows your expectations, it’s much easier for your team to operate without you actually standing in front of them.
Regardless of how often you travel, any of these tips are totally fair game to ensuring that your business runs smoothly. With these processes and expectations in place, you can hop on your next flight without having to worry about “what-if” situations and focus on getting down to business.