VACATIONING AS A 24/7 OPERATOR:
Today I begin my annual “big” vacation. I will be providing daily updates when I have something to say. Of course you are probably thinking that I am going to tell you about my snorkeling trips, days on the beach, parties until wee hours of the morning, etc.
I might drop a little bit of that stuff in but there is much more important stuff to report on. Our industry is a lifestyle. It is not really like an 8 to 5 job. We live it and breathe it 24/7 because we operate 24/7. That is why regular vacations are so important in this crazy world we live in. If you don’t take days off for yourself on a regular basis, you can easily become burned out and no longer effective at marketing, managing, or even viewing the big picture of your operation.
While most people would be content enjoying their vacation doing nothing, I can’t. It is a time when I get to reverse roles and become the customer. I have this annoying habit of evaluating service every place I go because I feel it is so important in our business to provide exemplary service to our luxury clients. I expect the same. I watch from the standpoint of learning what to do and what not to do in terms of customer service.
From hotel check-in to fine dining, I like to see special touches or take note of obvious flaws and then try to compare it to our business and how it might apply. I want to apply the special touches that appeal to me and eliminate things that I find annoying or irritating. Sometimes we spend so much time in our business doing the same thing day in and day out that we lose the big picture in our own operation and don’t get to experience being pampered because we are always the one doing the pampering. It is my turn!
So join my wife Hillary and our dog Gizmo as we embark on vacation through Monday, June 8. I will share the good, the bad, and the ugly with you. I will share how problems that arise at the office are dealt with being away for so long. It is a glimpse into my personal life with business issues addressed at the same time.
The first event of vacation starts tonight as we host a cocktail and dinner party at our favorite location, RJ’s. You may remember my feature story of my partnership with RJ’s, and of course since they send us a ton of work, we must reciprocate by patronizing them. We have invited our top 1- clients to kick off the Memorial Day weekend and break bread. Have a wonderful weekend and fire up the barbie.
-- Jim Luff
Print | posted on Friday, May 22, 2009 11:03 AM