3 Tools to Keep Up With Your Business While on Vacation

Business owners, you don't have to let worry overshadow your well-deserved vacation. Nothing disastrous is likely to happen while you're away. Even so, it's a good idea to keep up while you're gone, and here are some tools to help you do just that.

Reliable People

Granted, people aren't exactly "tools," but their usefulness puts them at the top of the list of things you need to use while you're on vacation. Sba.gov says, "The most important thing to make sure that your business continues uninterrupted while you're away and after you return is to provide for continued customer service." Make sure you leave someone behind who knows the business almost as well as you do so.

If you're a one-person business, make sure that all your clients know when you're going on vacation. If something happens while you're away that requires immediate attention, refer your clients to someone you trust, like a friendly competitor.

Gadgets That Keep You Connected

The whole point of a vacation is to escape from the everyday hustle and have some time to enjoy yourself, so hopefully you'll spend as little of that time as possible working. Still, you need to prepare in case circumstances call for you to swoop in and save the day. Take the following gadgets along with you.

• Your smart phone. It'll stay with you most of the time anyway, so make sure it's equipped to help you keep pace with your business. The BlackBerry 10 operating system is efficient and ideal for businesspeople. If you aren't satisfied with your current phone, consider trying to find a BlackBerry 10 online for a good price.
• Your laptop. Don't let yourself be glued to it, but keep it nearby in case you need to do extensive typing or anything else that your smart phone isn't ideal for.
• Your tablet. Besides being a great on-the-go business tool, a tablet serves the dual purpose of enhancing your vacation. Visualize yourself reading an e-book while you relax poolside.

Apps That Help You Manage Your Business

Well, you have the technology with you, but how do you equip it to help you keep up while you're on vacation? Check out these apps.

• Dropbox. This cloud-based apps lets you share, create, and backup files. Your employees can easily send you any important files and vise versa.
• Vault Password Manager. Freelancefolder.com suggests that you take your passwords with you when you're on vacation. Ditch the hand-written list and use a secure, encrypted app like Vault, which is one of the best business apps for BlackBerry devices according to blogs.blackberry.com.
• SayIt. The blog mentioned above also recommends this app, calling it a personal assistant, organizer, encyclopedia, and dictionary all in one - basically "a veritable Swiss knife of usefulness." It'll save you time so you can get back to relaxing as soon as possible.

Can you already picture yourself getting a massage at the spa or walking with the kids around the amusement park? Whatever your vacation plans are, dive into them fearlessly with the knowledge that you can keep up with your business even while you're away.