Working vacations - getting away

I am writing this from the wonderful city of Toronto where my wife and I are visiting friends. Here the discussions focus around babies (our friends just had a baby boy) and soccer (Manchester United vs Arsenal and the World Cup). I am an avid United fan while my friend is an Arsenal fan. Even though I am away for the Memorial Day weekend, my thoughts inevitably turn time and again to my magazine.

It reminds me of an interview I had with the owner of a specialty store who told me that he has not had an all out vacation in a long time. Usually when he gets away it is a working vacation, meaning that he combines work with leisure. He would have to call on suppliers and customers while trying to get away to the beaches or clubs or other areas he likes to hang out.

Now there is a big difference with what this business owner does and what I do. His business accounts for how he feeds his family but my venture is a venture on-the-side or a weekend project. I still have my 9-to5 which pays the bills and my career is intact. So while I can take vacations in the true sense of the word, most small business owners have to roll their vacations in to their business trips.

Despite the fact however that this is a vacation weekend getaway for my wife and I, I still make mental notes about what to do when I get back. As a matter of fact, my flight from Fort Lauderdale was 3 hours and I took that time to write an opening "welcome" letter that I aim to print that will introduce the magazine to readers. That was 3 hours well spent.

I guess there is no getting away anymore.