Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

To wonder how self-employed people go on holiday?

54 replies

Elmoespanol · 22/01/2019 20:07

I have just set up a small cleaning business and am self-employed. I am building up my clients slowly. We have booked a holiday for a couple of months time and now I am panicking that my clients will leave me and go elsewhere if I'm not able to offer my services during the week that I'm away.

How the heck do people who offer services needed weekly/daily, go on holiday? I'm thinking cleaners, dog walkers, childminders, etc, etc. What do your clients do whilst you're away?

OP posts:

Cakecrumbsinmybra · 22/01/2019 20:09

Just let them know in advance. I’m sure they can manage to not have cleaning for a week. And if it’s a holiday let/business then give them plenty of time to find someone. I always appreciate a recommendation (holiday let).

19lottie82 · 22/01/2019 20:10

They don’t (another self employed person here 👋)

donajimena · 22/01/2019 20:12

I'm a cleaner. Just give them plenty of notice. If they are happy with you they will let you have a holiday

Original poster

Elmoespanol · 22/01/2019 20:12

Oh no, Lottie, that's not what I wanted to hear. Can't you ever go on holiday??

OP posts:

19lottie82 · 22/01/2019 20:16

Elm I was being a bit dramatic! I opened a garage with my DH 6 months ago. I do the admin / finance / driving and apart from DH there is just one more mechanic, and an apprentice. I think we will need to wait until further down the line until we are doing well enough to take on another mechanic until we can even THINK about another holiday!

Livedandlearned · 22/01/2019 20:17

Some of my clients don't mind me being away and some are funny about it. I'm a cleaner and sometimes I find the responsibility of being needed quite a claustrophobic feeling. Just give them plenty of notice, that's all you can do, if they find someone to replace you then you can find someone to replace the cf's!

BunsOfAnarchy · 22/01/2019 20:17

By telling them at the earliest opportunity.
Like now.

Shiklah · 22/01/2019 20:18

I take all the school holidays - my clients know and it isn't a problem as I discuss it when I take them on.

flowery · 22/01/2019 20:19

People who are otherwise happy with your service aren’t going to go elsewhere just because you are on holiday for a week. Just make sure you give them plenty of notice.

Unescorted · 22/01/2019 20:22

From when I was a kid ..there was either enough time or enough money. Never the twain....

Iamclearlyamug · 22/01/2019 20:34

I'm self employed and go away 5 times a year! I just tell my clients I'm not available - I do give them several months notice.

Luckily a) my services are pretty niche so difficult to source elsewhere and b) they are all long term clients who have become friends as well so although they complain (jokingly) they don't mind really

CatnissEverdene · 22/01/2019 20:38

DH and I run our own business. If we want time off, we either have to shut the retail premises and workshop (meaning our staff have to take annual leave which causes a riot) or we rely on a freelancer we employ 2 days a week to cover.

It never really works out well. We had 2 weeks last year (one week in March and one in June) that took weeks in arranging. Year before we didn't get a holiday at all together. It's shit. And our freelancer is leaving soon which means a holiday this year is almost out of the question.

MatildaTheCat · 22/01/2019 20:40

My cleaners take so much holiday that I am about to change to someone else but that’s unusual I think. Previously I’ve always just accepted it fine if they are away for a couple of weeks at a time. If you have a network of cleaning friends you might be able to help anyone desperate to find temp cover ( my Dogwalker does this).

Unless you are otherwise unreliable or unsatisfactory most people are cool with 4-6 weeks a year ( spread out).

PurpleDaisies · 22/01/2019 20:42

Just let your clients know you’re unavailable with plenty of notice. I used to be self employed. It was fine.

fluffyblanket17 · 22/01/2019 20:56

Give plenty of notice. Last couple of years I've been on holiday for a week in June then didn't have time off until Xmas, I'm not doing that again it nearly killed me (not literally)so I'm taking extra off this year, it is what it is. Everyone is entitled to take time off work

ShalomJackie · 22/01/2019 21:13

Seriously good cleaners are hard to find so if you are any good your customers will muddle on through until you get back. Just give them as much notice as possible.

underneaththeash · 22/01/2019 21:17

It's only one week. Just give everyone notice now.
It's worth saying when you get new clients that you take 4 weeks a year.

flowerycurtain · 22/01/2019 21:29

My cleaner tells me a month or so in advance and it's fine. She goes away for a week twice a year. I'd be fine with up to 4/5 weeks.

I'm a farmer. We are in a sweet spot whilst my parents are still young enough to look after the place whilst we go away. In a few years they will be too old and our kids won't be old enough so we'll have a gap of a good few years I think!

cinemalover · 22/01/2019 21:55

My boyfriend is self employed but luckily can work entirely from his phone/laptop as long as he has internet. We have been on a weekend away together which he didn't work at all during but he will usually do some work during the weekends when we're home.

We went for a week to Spain and he worked during that, unfortunately when you are SE you don't have the luxury of sick/holiday pay.

Ladyoftheloch · 22/01/2019 22:05

Just give them notice and they will be fine. They won’t replace you for the sake of a couple of weeks!

DoJo · 22/01/2019 23:47

Can you maybe team up with another cleaner and cover for each other for the odd client who can't cope without you?

Fr3d · 23/01/2019 00:09

Childminder was great, she took 2 weeks in August and 1 week and Christmas and that was it. So we knew we had to cover that every year.

Back when I had a cleaner, it would have been great if she had done the same. But she would go on holiday and just not turn up...drove me mad. If I knew she wasn't coming, I would have done the cleaning over the week.

So just give plenty of notice!

Some places close during quiet times...e.g. a local garden centre closes for 2 weeks in January as it's the quietest time of the year. They take their holiday then

GunpowderGelatine · 23/01/2019 00:11

DH is self employed and earns the vast majority of household income, it's a little but if -
Just taking the hit for a week or 2
Getting temps/freelancers in
Planning well in advance and doing nothing on the hoof

BackforGood · 23/01/2019 00:37

Agree with everyone else. You just give them enough notice - as much as you can / the more the better if it were something they need (like childcare), slightly less crucial if it is something that they can do without for a week, like cleaning, or a plumbing job or hair cut or having some work done on the car.
As others have said, if you find someone who is good at the job you are paying them for, you are happy to miss a week or two and pick up when they are back.
I'd say child care (possible dog walkers?) are slightly more difficult, but you think about that before signing the contract - the CMer and the mindees families have to match up to when they can both have the same time, or some folk are lucky enough to have people who don't want to mind their dc all the time, but would help out to cover CMers holidays, for example.

unexpectedgifts · 23/01/2019 03:56

I remember a friend answering a telephone call on a beach in Rhodes......'I'm away from the office just now......' Yes she was, a very long long way from the office.

You never truly get a break. Unless you can afford to pay someone to cover you.

My child minder used to schedule her holidays for the same 4 weeks every year. This way we all knew. Some types of businesses can do this without losing customers.

Flip

1 2 3