What? Take a vacation? Not so fast

updated 4:56 p.m. ET June 22, 2005

NEW YORK - Like parents leaving their child with a sitter for the first time, new entrepreneurs struggle with the idea of taking a vacation. They worry about losing clients who might need them while they're away, and, if they have employees, they worry about the work being done right in their absence.

Veterans of vacation angst say they've found ways to make it easier to take time off. They've set up their companies so the business can run without the boss there. And they've armed themselves with plenty of technology to stay in touch _ although that can lead to a tug-of-war between enjoying a trip and taking care of business.

Gregg Steiner _ who this month is finally taking his first vacation since starting his Sherman Oaks, Calif., firm, Pinxav, about four years ago _ is traveling to Yosemite National Park with his family. He's made sure he can conduct business easily while they're away _ they'll be traveling with a trailer, and all the campgrounds where they'll be overnighting have Internet connections.

"I've gotten the technolgy so I really can do anything everywhere," said Steiner, whose company sells diaper rash cream.

Steiner said his sister, who works for him part-time, can keep an eye on the business, and he's arranged for a company to send out packages for him.

But while he's comforted by the fact that customers can reach him if necessary for most of the trip, Steiner suffers from the worries that afflict most business owners _ what if he misses a big deal, a big order from a big retailer who can't get him on his cell phone while he's out hiking?

Still, Steiner is aware that he needs to treat this time as time off, not a working vacation.

"I'm not going to be crazy," he said.

Jeff Ben Ezra didn't take a vacation from his Hazlet, N.J., chiropractic practice until there was enough cash flow to pay his staff and operating expenses. Solo practitioners like Ben Ezra, whether they're in a medical field or are lawyers or accountants, don't get paid if they're not seeing patients or clients, so no money comes in at vacation time.

It took five years for him to take a vacation after he started his practice.

"We really had to preplan," Ben Ezra said of himself and wife. "We needed enough money to go on vacation, enough money for home expenses, and enough money to pay the staff."

More emotional factors also contributed to Ben Ezra's vacation angst.

"You worry that you've let somebody down. People are entrusting their life to me," he said.

Eventually he did go to Florida with his family, but it was hard to let go: "I was probably calling once an hour."

Since then, Ben Ezra has made vacations easier on himself by having a colleague cover for him. He calls in at most once a day, knowing that his staff will call him if there's a problem.

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