4 Best Ways To Launch a Business While on a Work Sabbatical
Written by
J. Arky
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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Work takes up most of our days, with the weekends, holidays and vacations helping to round out our free time. If you are lucky enough to take a sabbatical from your job — that is, an extended leave of absence without losing your position or pay — and are looking for a way to jump start the next chapter of your entrepreneurship, there’s some do’s and don’ts.
Here are the best ways to launch a business while on a work sabbatical.
Start at the Beginning
That is, the beginning of your sabbatical. You might feel the urge to take some time off and relax, which might throw you off your stride for starting the groundwork of your new venture.
“When taking sabbatical for three to six (or more) months, it is easy to think that you have lots of time to relax first, do nothing and then will get around to setting up your new business after,” said Matt Collingwood, managing director of VIQU IT recruitment.
Collingwood shared some personal advice he was given under these circumstances. “Work as hard as possible right at the beginning of your sabbatical. In the first two weeks I tackled the legal and financial part of the business, batching tasks together and addressing the most time consuming parts first. I then focused on marketing and branding for two weeks, working with experts to set up the website and consult on brands and after that worked on leads and my business development plan,” he explained.
“The reality is, when setting up your business you are likely to encounter problems and delays, so if you delay starting you may feel greater pressure later on to sort everything out,” Collingwood added. “Doing this can mean that near the end of your sabbatical — if you have time — you can then easily relax with the knowledge [that] everything or nearly everything. has been set up.”
Work on Task Batching
You might get to your sabbatical, a respite from your actual work, only to be overwhelmed with all the work ahead of you for starting a business from scratch. Collingwood suggested that anyone in this position work on what he referred to as task batching.
“When you have so much to tackle at once, especially in the early days when you may be working alone, task batching can help you progress quickly,” Collingwood said.
“By categorizing tasks and focusing solely on one group of tasks at once, it can help you keep your focus. For example, set a time to focus solely on all legal tasks and not jumping between finance and marketing,” he added.
Plan for Organization
Once the ball is rolling, you might feel unstoppable, as well as a bit discombobulated. Projects can easily go off the rails, particularly if you feel like you have all the time to circle back and fix them later. Do not wait for the clock to tick down.
For project organization, Collingwood recommended using a gantt chart or something similar for task management and duty assignment.
“Set reasonable deadlines for completing various tasks, so that delays do not snowball further along down the line,” he added. “If you are working with external professionals, get deadlines locked down and make sure you’re on top of things so nothing gets too delayed.”
Take Breaks
This could be in the form of a lunch break or taking a day or two off to allow your mind and body to reset. After all, you are on a sabbatical, which you can use to your advantage for refueling and recharging.
“Don’t forget that there was a reason you took a sabbatical which might have been above and beyond starting a new business,” said Jane Galloway, founder of Quiet the Hive, a life coach business. “Don’t miss out on other opportunities to enjoy this (possibly) once-in-a-lifetime chance not to be chained to a desk. This is a great time to really look after you too. Balance your time well and remember to experience the time off that you have earned.”
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