How to take a vacation as a solopreneur

When I worked a corporate job, I had unlimited PTO. And I easily took 6+ weeks of time off every year. I have kids and followed their school schedule, taking time off for spring break and Christmas (for example). Now, I’m a solopreneur. When I started my own business, I was certain that I wouldn’t want to change how much time I take off each year. But to make that happen requires a bit more planning. In a corporate job, PTO just exists. You request the days, someone approves them, and your paycheck stays the same. As a solopreneur, you have to create that infrastructure for yourself. On top of that, you don’t have coverage or backup when you’re gone. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-1.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-mobile-1.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Work Better\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn\u0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.workbetter.media\/\u0022\u003Eworkbetter.media\u003C\/a\u003E.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457605,"imageMobileId":91457608,"shareable":false,"slug":"","wpCssClasses":""}} A fellow solopreneur polled her audience recently and found that one-third of solo business owners never take time off. If you don’t actively build time off into your business, it simply won’t happen. Plan for the income gap For many solopreneurs, a week off is a week of zero income. That’s how my business operates: if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. There’s no money coming while