No doubt you’ve done your 2024 reflection by now, and you’re feeling pumped up and prepared for the upcoming year. But before you get too carried away – have you planned in circuit breakers? Allow me to explain.
Have you come across the saying: “Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? Most of us decided to set up our own MSP (managed service provider) business so we could become our own boss.
And if you’re like me, when I ran my MSP, I loved it because I was great with technology and liked helping people. But that’s also part of the reason why I disagree with that saying.
Because it means that we have a tendency to work harder than anyone in a mere “job”. Be honest – do you work longer hours than you did back in your tech support days?
Do you jump on calls with clients, deal with the payroll and manage staffing issues? Then maybe you can see my point!
Why Circuit Breakers are the Answer
In my opinion, a more honest phrase would be: “Find something you love to do, and you’ll find yourself working every single day of your life”. And I know that many of you agree with me.
Over the holiday break, I spoke to several MSP owners who were still working. They were monitoring client systems, answering client support tickets, and all manner of work that they shouldn’t have been.
Which poses a problem. Even if you love your work, taking regular breaks is essential to avoid breaking yourself.
Trust me. After experiencing numerous burn-outs and mental health breakdowns during my 48 years on this planet – the danger is very real.
So that’s why you need to take time away from work, no matter how brief it is. My wife refers to these planned pauses as ‘circuit breakers’. The idea is to make sure you get the rest you need before you realise it’s too late.
For instance, I’ve just booked my first downtime for the first week of March. I don’t feel like I need it right now, but looking at my busy calendar for Q1 2025, I’m sure future Richard will be grateful for the break when the time comes.
Think You’re too Busy for Circuit Breakers?
You might be reading this and thinking, “Well, it’s ok for Richard to say that. He has a team, and I’m on my own.” Or perhaps, “My team can’t manage without me. That’s why I don’t take holidays.” Or even: “I need to grow my MSP, not have a holiday!”
So if you’re thinking something like that, I’d like to respectfully disagree. OK, downtime is harder if you’re a one-man-band, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I bet every one of your clients has got a holiday booked for 2025. Ask them!
And there’s no reason why they wouldn’t expect you to do the same. Even if you plan to take every other Friday off, that’s implementing circuit breakers. You can put measures in place for if something goes really badly wrong to reassure your clients.
Secondly, if you do have a team, they really should be able to manage without you! Isn’t the whole reason why you employed them to take some of the pressure and the work off you? So you don’t feel like you’ve got another job?
And be honest – are you really sure they can’t cope, or are you micro-managing them? Maybe they’d love the chance to have a bit more responsibility but aren’t sure how to ask you. Planning circuit breakers in advance gives you time to find someone who can manage in your absence.
How to Plan for Downtime
Speak to HR, if you have a personnel team, and ask them who they’d recommend. Or look at recent appraisals and see if anyone has expressed an interest in management. Schedule time for a handover session and allow them to shadow you if appropriate.
Everybody needs a chance to step back, to focus on something else and look after their mental and physical wellbeing. Your business, your employees and your family will thank you for it too.
And your business will still grow if you have a long weekend or a holiday! You own an MSP, which means you’re already an expert in automation, right? So let things run in the background, have some time out and come back refreshed and ready to give your clients your all.
Can you see the benefits of building in circuit breakers? Do you already do this or have we inspired you to try it in 2025? Let us know in the comments!
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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