Page 16 - ARUBA TODAY

A16 FEATURE
Thursday 29 June 2017
How vacationing business owners cope with being unreachable

them and helps your team
to grow,” says Kupfer,
who’s based in New York.
Kupfer has traveled in
recent years to Ecuador,
the Utah desert and
the West Bank, had no
cellphone service and no
worries because his staff
and partners can handle
the business without him.
His mantra: “I’m not that
important.”
Owners of brand-new
companies are less likely to
disconnect. In May, Brad
Weber was ready to leave
his laptop home and his
10-year-old mobile app
development company in
the hands of his 15 staffers.
“The business had matured
to a point and the team
jelled to a point where I
felt comfortable doing it.
I knew they’d be able to
handle whatever came
up,” says Weber, owner of
Boulder, Colorado-based
InspiringApps. He went on
a weeklong sailboat trip off
Grenada where he had to
In this Sept. 23, 2015, photo, provided by small business owner Mike Scanlin, Scanlin poses for a photo on Easter Island in the South
Pacific, a Chilean territory. Changes in technology have made it possible for vacationing small business owners to never be out of focus on the sailing.
touch, unless they decide to go to a part of the world without enough cellphone towers, bandwidth or electricity. “There was not much
(Mike Scanlin via AP) energy left to think about
the office,” he says.
By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG losing their tether to their where cellphone and weeks is a long time to Still, for some owners, being
AP Business Writer companies. Some leave internet service were often disconnect,” says Hockel, out of touch isn’t part of
NEW YORK (AP) — While the business in the hands unavailable. whose company is based the plan.
hiking in the Himalayas for of trusted employees, or Checking in is the norm for in Glen Burnie, Maryland. “There was a bit of
three weeks, Mike Scanlin have projects and pressing most owners. With tablets or At places like Machu a gulp,” recalls Chris
had no cellphone service matters dealt with so being smartphones in hand, many Picchu, the historic Incan Brantner about his Rocky
much of the time and no out of contact won’t be a set aside time on a trip to mountain fortress, there Mountain backpacking
way to charge his phone. problem. at least read important wasn’t any connectivity. trip this spring when he
Running his business — a Scanlin was able to check emails or touch base with But even at a hotel with Wi- had virtually no cellphone
one-man operation — emails when the hiking employees and important Fi, Hockel ignored his email service. His brothers,
became a very sporadic group made it to the top clients. In a recent survey of inbox. who work with him at his
proposition. of inclines during his 2012 700 small business owners “I knew, if I open this, I’m Houston-based company,
It was a calculated risk. trip. But in valleys where and managers released by opening a Pandora’s box,” CutCableToday.com,
“I felt I was going to lose they camped, there was American Express, the vast Hockel says. When he were doing their jobs,
customers, lose some no service. And even majority said they check in returned home, he found but “I’m the guy who
business if they couldn’t when Scanlin could get a by phone or email while on he’d made the right choice: gets the call at 8 p.m. if
get a response for three connection, he couldn’t vacation. More than half of “Our staff did an incredible the website’s down. That
days,” says Scanlin, owner download documents those do so at least once job communicating and was probably the most
of Born to Sell, a business or photos, and the nine a day. But nearly a quarter tackling issues.” worrisome part, if things
software company based hour-plus time difference don’t check in. Corey Kupfer, an attorney stopped functioning.”
in Las Vegas. with the U.S. meant a Aaron Hockel knew before for 30 years who also has Brantner, whose website
“But it’s worth maybe lag between emails and he left on his two-week a speaking and consulting provides information about
losing a bit of business to replies. He couldn’t go honeymoon to Peru last business, called his office cable TV alternatives, was
accomplish the items on online to fix any problems summer he would have several times a day from able to give one brother a
your bucket list.” that might come up with his minimal access to a vacations in the early years heads-up that he wouldn’t
Changes in technology website, and there was no cellphone network or the of his practice. By about 15 be able to access the
have made it possible one back home who could internet. So he decided to years ago, he was calling website if needed. After
for vacationing small do it. just be offline and leave the just once a day, and Kupfer that, with nothing more he
business owners to never It did make Scanlin, whose digital marketing company, realized the problems his could do, he went back to
be out of touch — unless company was a year-and- AltaVista Strategic Partners, staff talked to him about hiking.
they decide to go to a a-half-old when he made in the care of his three were things they could “It was nice to get away
part of the world without the trek, a little uneasy. Born business partners and 15 handle on their own. He for a few days and turn off
enough cellphone towers, to Sell survived, however, staffers. They would deal told them he wouldn’t call my brain,” Brantner says.
bandwidth or electricity. and he has since visited with customers and issues in on his next vacation. When he reconnected, he
Sometimes they find out places like Peru and Easter that were his domain. “People figure things out found the website hadn’t
by surprise. But many Island, located nearly 2,200 “It was a scary proposition when they don’t have you crashed and no harm was
understand that they’re miles off the coast of Chile, at first because two as a crutch. It empowers done.q