Business with the Donnos
Join the Donno family each week as we share the real highs and lows of running a business together—mixing practical advice with unfiltered stories from behind the scenes of family life and entrepreneurship.
Email jade@1accounts.co.uk with any questions or just DM or comment on our episodes!
Business with the Donnos
How to Actually Enjoy Your Holiday When You Own a Business
Ever wondered how to take a proper holiday when your business relies on you? For family businesses, this challenge multiplies when several key people want to vacation together. How do you keep operations running smoothly while actually enjoying your time away?
This episode tackles the real struggle business owners face when planning time off. We share candid stories about our upcoming family cruise and how we've prepared our team to handle things while five of us are simultaneously away. From HR emergencies during past holidays to the challenge of truly disconnecting from work emails, we explore the pitfalls and solutions for effective breaks.
Many small business owners face impossible choices – close temporarily and lose income, or never take proper holidays. We examine how setting clear expectations with clients, proper delegation to your team, and strategic planning can create guilt-free vacation time. Plus, we discuss how modern technology both helps and hinders our ability to disconnect.
Beyond the practical concerns, we emphasize why holidays are absolutely essential for sustained business success. The creative thinking space and regeneration they provide often leads to your best strategic ideas – proving that stepping away can actually move your business forward more effectively than constant presence.
Whether you struggle with vacation guilt or simply need practical strategies for time away, this conversation offers both empathy and actionable advice. Your business benefits when you prioritize proper breaks – and we'll show you exactly how to make it happen.
Have you mastered the art of taking holidays as a business owner? We'd love to hear your experiences!
🎧 Listen now on Spotify & Apple Music and don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review – and send us your questions for future episodes!
Welcome to Business with the Donos, where we talk about family business and everything in between. I'm your host, jade Dono, and I'm here with my dad, paul Dono. That's me. And this week we are talking about taking a holiday as a family business. Good topic.
Speaker 2:I think Good topic. Why are we doing that, jade?
Speaker 1:Why are you saying it like that? Why are we?
Speaker 2:doing that? When is this going out?
Speaker 1:This is going out when we're on holiday.
Speaker 2:So is that why we've got this topic? That is why it's very topical dad We'll be on our boat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're going to be on a cruise when this goes out, so oh, it's only much better.
Speaker 2:We'll be on a boat on the mid.
Speaker 1:Fine, we'll be on a boat, we'll be on a really big yacht.
Speaker 2:It's not a yacht, it's a boat. I don't know Yacht's got a sail. It won't have a sail.
Speaker 1:No, it won't have a sail.
Speaker 2:No, I don't think they do have a sail.
Speaker 1:No, it's got an engine no, the yachts don't all have a sail. They do.
Speaker 2:No, they don't oh, okay, whatever no, not a super yacht well, you didn't say super yacht that's a yacht okay, alright.
Speaker 1:I've watched a lot of below deck oh and they don't all have sails. There is a Below Deck sailing yacht which does have a sail and then all the stuff moves, they find it very hard to provide good service because you're in the kitchen, you're chopping something and then your knife's at the side.
Speaker 1:Oh, dear, sorry Anyway. So we're saying this topic because we understand, as a family business, sometimes you want to go on holiday as a family. I don't know why, because you spend enough time together in the working year. But we have all made the decision anyways to go on holiday and that takes five of us out of our small business.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Which is quite a lot of people to take out of the business at one time.
Speaker 2:Five in fact.
Speaker 1:Five.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So we thought we'd talk about it, because we can't be the only ones who have to tackle this issue. There must be other small family businesses that also know that if they go on a family holiday, family businesses that also know that if they go on a family holiday they I mean some family businesses that we act for they wouldn't have any staff left. They just have to close the business for a week or two weeks yeah which then is really problematic, so we thought we'd talk about it great great.
Speaker 1:So, dad, why? Why is taking a holiday harder for family businesses?
Speaker 2:why is it harder? Well, as you said, a lot of the key people are actually not going to be in the office at the same time, and also, with us five not being there, it's also quite hard for other team members to have time off as well yeah so you know, you know, and yeah, and that's quite a bit to juggle really, especially with five, because normally if I want to go on holiday I don't actually worry about anything else.
Speaker 1:No, you don't, I just go In fact, you're not worried about it this time.
Speaker 2:Well, no, because it's not yeah, but that's for you to worry and worry I have I'm still going oh, me too.
Speaker 1:Um, I think as well. This is a real disadvantage for small businesses versus your corporate businesses, because if you do want time off, you haven't necessarily got the people to fill the gap. We're lucky because we have got a team of there's 13 of us. There's still a team that will be running the business yep, as it would be without us. So that's fine, but, like I said, some, some people have to shut the business if they want a holiday which means they're not earning any money.
Speaker 2:I think from our client's point of view, as well, just bear that in mind, that all five of us are going, but the business will still function.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So and that's what they're not getting with smaller businesses that are, you know, allegedly compete on price, is that if us, as a small business, was only five of us, they'd have no one to answer the calls and we would be taking our laptops and our phones and all that sort of stuff with us?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So are you taking your laptop.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:No, nor am I.
Speaker 1:No, I've got my phone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I've got my iPad, but not necessarily to do work.
Speaker 1:No, no, it's not to do work. No, I think it's been very established that we all need a break. We're all getting a little grumpy.
Speaker 2:I'm not.
Speaker 1:That is such a lie. He's getting so grumpy To all the listeners out there. He has been so grumpy and he needs a holiday, and I don't say that lightly.
Speaker 2:I'm not being grumpy, can't sound grumpy. Very cheerful.
Speaker 1:Quite grumpy Hangry Hangry.
Speaker 2:I am hangry at the moment, because I've only had like 200 calories today so far I've not had my lunch. So yeah, and today's a day where I can have a lot of calories ah see, hangry grumpy, it needs a holiday um you just do well, I'll be on holiday when this comes out yeah, you will.
Speaker 1:It'll be lovely, and I think it is important to have a holiday, isn't?
Speaker 1:it, it's really important to take a break. So for a family business it's harder as well because we can't replicate the family in the business we we can't replicate the family in the business, like we can't employ people to be part of the family, like the family business is still. It's still a family business, but when we go away, obviously if we get a new client come in, they're not going to meet any members of the family business and stuff like that is. It is tricky and the team's really good but the team's really good.
Speaker 2:They've got our values as well, you know, and if a new client you know knocks on the door, comes in, they'll get looked after. So but that's because we've given our family values and our business values that we've all agreed on as a team to everybody. So you know that.
Speaker 1:I suppose that that shows the confidence we got in our team to be able to go away Absolutely, and I know small business owners will have real trouble doing that. Your business is your baby. It's something you've grown and you've sort of nurtured and looked after. To then entrust your team with that, that is a difficult thing to do. It is, but you have to do it because you need. We've come up with some of our best ideas and strategies and stuff on holiday, like I don't know.
Speaker 2:It's sad how do you first get to the buffet? You know that's a good strategy. Oh, you're going to the buffet.
Speaker 1:Such an unliked thing to do. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:More like let's go to the buffet no, such an unlike to do.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:More like let's go to the bar only if it fits in my calorie counting you're not calorie counting on holiday.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not mum's not, you know, is she hopefully not. No, no calorie counting on holiday, it's not allowed. Okay, so it's important to go on holiday it is. Anyway, like even if you're feeling a bit guilty about leaving your team, I'm not I know you're not. Even if you feel guilty about leaving your team, you should do it because you'll be a better employer when you come back. Um so burnout is a real thing.
Speaker 1:It is that I think a lot of business owners suffer from, and you, you can't pour from an empty cup like you. You can't. You can't keep up the energy and the ideas and the decision making all of the time. You need a break every now and again. Even if you love what you do, you still need a break and relax every now and again. Do something different and, like I said, we've come up with some of our best ideas just sitting on a sunbed and that's because you've got the space to think. You're not in the day-to-day dealing with little problems. You have the space to think about the bigger picture and your business bigger. You can be more creative, don't you think?
Speaker 2:absolutely lots of creation while sitting on my sunbed yes and also and. Josh is drinking his pina colada.
Speaker 1:Oh he will be drinking a pina colada or five. And also, while we're away, the team do get a chance to not rely on us and to really show what they can do, and I think it's a really good opportunity for them as well, and we will be setting an example to have a healthy work-life balance as well, absolutely, which is really important. We really do promote that to the team. We really, you know, we notice it when people are starting to get burnt out and they need a break, and we do encourage them to go on a break.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's only this morning I was speaking to a small business owner and they basically said oh, we might cancel our holiday in September, why it's only a week. Oh, we're just too busy. We've got so much work on it's like okay, but you need a break. Yeah, I know, but we don't want to let people down, etc. Etc. Well, what? Sort your workload out and don't let people down by promising stuff to do whilst you're away.
Speaker 2:you have that break yeah, that break, even if it's only at home, still have that break you need. You need a break.
Speaker 1:I've always, always, set my holidays yeah, I think it's really important, um, really really important.
Speaker 1:And if you plan, if you like, for example, that client's holidays in September, that is plenty of time to plan and set expectations as well with your, your team, your clients, making sure that you're communicating, that you're not there and that you can, you know, work your work around it. It's like I heard you on the phone to somebody out there and you said we're not here for the next couple of weeks, so we will get this to you in three or four weeks' time. That is setting the expectations. The client didn't have an issue with that. No, not at all. Oh no, you're going on holiday. Have a lovely time, Didn't? Say that Well they should have.
Speaker 2:I know I'm going to give them a call back. I think you might.
Speaker 1:You have to but I think people don't mind. They know humans are humans and they know that you need a break and you need to go away, and people are generally nice about it. Now, if you said you were going to do something and then went off on holiday and then couldn't fulfill it because you're on holiday and you said you're going to do it, that is a different story. Don't do that.
Speaker 2:No, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And even if you're trying to be nice by trying to rush to do it before your holiday and you just don't get to it, you need to set your expectations out and plan for your break so you can actually relax and so you're not letting anyone down. Yeah, you can also I've written down here use automation to help you while you're away yeah, absolutely just just a bit, make sure you're out of offices on um.
Speaker 1:All of those little things that you can do to help to really again set expectations so you can enjoy your holiday and things like you know.
Speaker 2:I mean some planning that happens. I don't know carrie and we're really lucky with carrie is that she plans her holidays around the fact that she doesn't have a holiday at month end yeah, she does our payroll, she does our payroll so she has deadline. We have a lot of payrolls and, and you know, and that's something that carrie's decided to do you, know, it would put us in a bit of problem if she did do it over a month in.
Speaker 2:But we don't enforce that. But Kerry feels comfortable with that, so she plans her time and her holidays around it, and you know, and I think that's important and you know, and for us okay, we are all away together it would really. I'd really get a little bit panicky if we went at the end of the month, because I am always paranoid about the wages being paid right and on time and I know that we can automate that and we can put it all in, etc. Etc. But that's kind of something if something does go wrong.
Speaker 2:it's quite nice to be in front of a laptop yeah and I think if we did struggle a month end, then we would. I would probably take my laptop just as a security thing, but I'm not going to take it now because we're going mid-month, we'd have sorted everything else out. So I think they're sort of like things to plan on where your workload is as well and the timing of your holiday.
Speaker 2:And as you say we've got a team of 13 people. So you know, I don't think there's anything that our team couldn't do. That we can do, apart from that, relates directly to the business.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Like paying suppliers or, you know, dealing with whatever. No.
Speaker 1:Well, we're quite fortunate in the fact that me and Katie do stuff that pushes the business forward. It's not the day-to-day working on the accounts and stuff, and you don't do a lot of that stuff now either.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:Because you need to be there for other reasons.
Speaker 2:Well, we've automated a lot of it.
Speaker 1:Well, not producing accounts.
Speaker 2:But I mean the other thing that people can do if they're going on holiday and they're worried about, you know, not servicing their clients, etc. You can always get a virtual PA or something like that. Yeah, absolutely, you know you can always outsource part of that. Um, you know, certainly the bookkeeping admin stuff people have outsourced to us we've even done remember James did it one year for one of our clients, he actually they wanted to go to australia for a few few weeks and james actually did their stock fulfillment for three weeks.
Speaker 2:It was hard work it was, I remember I helped him yeah, so we had a lot of their products around and we were fulfilling it for them, um, but you know that there is help to allow you to do these things and, whether you know, I'm not saying it's just us that does the help there is is virtual phone people, virtual PAs that can answer your emails, etc. While you're away. So there's a lot of that sort of thing to allow you to go away.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, appreciate if you're a hands-on type business can't make the shelves and all that but unless you want to sell it out to someone, you probably wouldn't want to do that.
Speaker 1:No that. But unless you want to sell it out someone but you probably wouldn't want to do that no, and I think you've got a. If you are on your own with no team, you have to factor in to your numbers that you will be out of action for a holiday allocation for the year.
Speaker 2:You've got to factor that in if it is just you and also if you're looking at selling your business, you've got to factor that in. If it is just you, and also if you're looking at selling your business, you got to think of it as though what happens if you go on holiday for you know, six months, can your business still function?
Speaker 2:if it can, then you're going to get a best sale price yeah, absolutely if you're going to look at selling your business, go on holiday, yeah I don't know whether that's the best advice, but you could do it.
Speaker 1:Why? Not Just see how it functions.
Speaker 2:It'll prove a point.
Speaker 1:See how it goes. So I've written down here to share a story where it hasn't gone well and us going on holiday.
Speaker 2:Us going on holiday.
Speaker 1:And I have a story.
Speaker 2:Oh no.
Speaker 1:So last year when we went to Centre Parcs was it last year? It might have been the year before we went to Centre Parks, was it last year? It might have been the year before we went to Centre Parks, as the five of us and we always go every year pretty much.
Speaker 2:Mainly over Katie's birthday.
Speaker 1:Over Katie's birthday and I think no, it was. We did go over the week for this particular one, but we normally just go for it all weekend. But on this occasion we went for the week and I get a phone call from one of the team going somebody's not showing up for work and I'm like, oh no, I was the only one who had access to all the HR stuff excellent didn't.
Speaker 1:Oh, I did have my laptop, but that was very limited signal in the forest that we were in and it was a nightmare, and but we learned. We learned from this mistake. I ended up spending probably a good well at least it wasn't a full two days, but I was definitely distracted for two of the days sorting this out because the guy didn't turn up, he didn't let us know. It was a nightmare, yeah, um, we did. What we learned was that we needed, we needed support for the team if I wasn't there, and I needed the support as well to know what to do in these sorts of situations because, equally, the team didn't know what to do and, although I can make the decisions on what to do, I didn't have much support behind me either to know what do I do in this situation. So we hired a HR company after that, yeah.
Speaker 1:And this time I've said to Shea and I have this time I've said to Shay, who's sort of running the office, doing sort of my part of the job while we're on holiday, I've said to her, if you need anything HR wise, if there's any issues with any of the team, you can contact Fig HR and they will help you. Yeah, and that covers for that that element that I there was nothing I could do, I had to help yeah that there was.
Speaker 1:There was literally nothing else that could be done, but that did ruin that first part of the the break because it was firefighting, something that was out of our control um and I think that you know that's kind of allowing for that side of it and fig will deal with it quite a few of our team.
Speaker 2:Now I've got capital on tap cards, yeah, um. So you know, if something urgently needs getting I can't even think what that might be um, but you know they've got the ability to pay for something if they need to yeah um, so you know, there actually shouldn't be anything whilst we're away that causes a problem.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Apart from my inbox.
Speaker 1:Apart from your inbox and my inbox. To be fair, there's not much we can do about that.
Speaker 2:Well, no, because we haven't got a virtual PA or anything but that might be on the cards or anything but that might be on the cards yeah.
Speaker 1:So I mean, have you got any sort of wins, dad, of when you have gone on holiday? You've completely switched off and you've felt much better for it.
Speaker 2:I think I mean, you know a lot of holiday, so I do go away a couple of times, but I think what I learned early on and this is where smartphones are a nightmare, but when I first had a mobile phone, you know, Because I did actually have work when I didn't have a mobile phone.
Speaker 2:And I know that's like alien to you. Long, long time ago, long, long time ago, but in the proper days when the you know the proper phones were about the nokia 3310s they were not smartphones. You actually. What you did with them is you made a call wow yeah, you spoke to people, wow, um, and you used the text just using the numbers on the keypad wow.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah, indeed. So I mean, Uncle Keith was brilliant at that. I mean crikey, he could send texts just on that keypad. He didn't even have to look at the numbers. Blimey, it took me ages. So I used to leave my work phone at home and just take mum's. So if anyone needed me it was only the people that actually had mum's number and not mine. So that was useful. Unfortunately, now we've got smartphones, there is a tendency to look at your email because it's on my smartphone.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know I can do a lot of other things on my smartphone. I think that's a bit of a problem and trying to get some discipline around that is worth doing rather than being on your phone all the time amount of times you go on holiday. You hear people speaking to people either in their office or customers etc. And you just gotta switch off you do.
Speaker 1:You. You really do need that break. And it is harder with the phone. I'm I'm bad at it. I'm bad at not looking at the emails. Josh is terrible at it as well. He on our honeymoon. He was looking at his emails and I was like, why are you on, why are you working? And he's like, oh, I'm just making sure my inbox doesn't get too full, I'm just getting rid of the spam. And I'm like, well, stop it. And he actually got told off by james. James messaged, messaged him back on carbon and it's like enjoy your honeymoon, stop working. Yeah, like, but it's so tempting on the phone, especially when you're just lying on a sunbed and you might be on your phone anyway, so easy just to jump into it. Yeah, that's hard, just do a little bit.
Speaker 2:That's hard, but apart from that, yeah, everything else is all right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:Ah, me too, Me too, and it'll be nice as well. So, and it'll be nice as well. So, as a family business, obviously we do talk about work all the time. It's just part of the part of the thing, isn't it? It's the nature of the thing and we enjoy talking about it. But we're actually going on holiday as a family, and I don't think we've done a full, a broad family holiday since we went to Disney a few years ago, but that was three or four years ago yeah, when the hurricane hit yeah, we went in the hurricane yeah, that was that was interesting, so that'll be fun but yeah, having time away as a family business, as an actual family and not as like colleagues, is also really important.
Speaker 1:I think if you are in a family business, you need to take the time to have family time as well as business time. Absolutely, it's very, very important. So what are your tips, dad?
Speaker 2:to end this little segment, Tips on well A have the holiday. Have a holiday together. We've planned it together. Well, everyone else has planned it apart from me.
Speaker 1:I'm just going oh no, it's done nothing. I've planned, I booked the holiday, I've delegated some stuff to katie, mum's done some bits, especially around the accessibility you and josh have we're just going you're just going you're just turning up, just rocking up, having a lovely time absolutely, so hopefully you've got it right. If I haven't got it right, you can book the next one.
Speaker 2:I have again in late September.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, without me, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Rude. So yeah, so tips are really just, you know, make sure someone's planning it. I don't get involved with the planning, I just go go with the flow. Quite easy, easy with that not everyone has that luxury no, I know, but yeah, yeah, it doesn't. I don't really mind what I do, so it doesn't really matter it doesn't mean I don't mind what I do, but yeah, what you do well, I'm the same as you, you do mind.
Speaker 1:I don't think you'd like it if I obviously as long as you book like Benidorm. It's not really your vibe, is it?
Speaker 2:oh, whatever, I don't think I've ever been to Benidorm I don't know, maybe you'd like it.
Speaker 1:I'll book the next holiday there, shall I?
Speaker 2:yeah, if you want to come.
Speaker 1:I might enjoy it, yeah okay moving on moving on.
Speaker 2:So no more tips, no more tips, no no more tips I'll only get in trouble okay.
Speaker 1:Well, my tips are plan your holiday, make sure everybody is aware, especially your team, and if you haven't got a team, then make sure your clients are aware if they're needing stuff. Over your break, you want to make sure you're out of office and everything is on. It's basically setting your expectations and making sure you do take it and don't cancel it. Just just do it and you will feel so much better for it or you come back, you're not talking to each other, or hopefully not that or you throw me overboard yeah, that's more likely.
Speaker 1:That's more likely. So I have put on here as well how to actually switch off during your holiday, and I think that is really important. Turn off your notifications, people on your phone just do it. Don't. Don't let your phone ping at you, and that includes all your social media and everything. Be present on your holiday. Don't be stuck in all your technology. Um, and if you're really really concerned about your team in your business, allocate 10 minutes of your day to call them and just do that.
Speaker 1:But that's only if you have to yeah, I'm not doing that no, well, we don't, we don't need to the the team will be fine, the team can work it. But you need to do it on your terms so that you can enjoy your break. You let your team enjoy their break. You wouldn't expect them to work on their holiday, so why expect?
Speaker 2:yourself, and we don't expect them.
Speaker 1:No, we absolutely don't.
Speaker 2:In fact, we try and make sure they have a holiday.
Speaker 1:We do, and when they're away, we wouldn't bother them. No, so that expectation you have to have for yourself as well. Um, so that you can have that break. We have holidays for a reason, and that is to switch off and regenerate. I think that's the right term. Who knows? Okay, right, our unfiltered minute. So I've got another rant about you.
Speaker 2:I could do a whole podcast just on.
Speaker 1:Let's moan about dad anyway. So in preparation for this podcast, I had it booked in the diary shared diary. Dad's gone on his phone just because he's that uninterested?
Speaker 2:no, I'm looking at my.
Speaker 1:Oh, you've got notes. Yeah, I have notes, Okay that's fine, I'll let you off. So yeah, in preparation for this podcast, we had it in the diary along with a manager's meeting that Dad has said are very, very important, and they are very important.
Speaker 2:They are. Keep that going in the loop. They're really important.
Speaker 1:Really important. For the managers so you're, there's a mysterious meeting, show up, meeting with Ellis. Yeah, and now in a family business. This is where dad forgets that we all know who Ellis is. We know that that's his friend and we know that's his girlfriend, so we know His girlfriend. Well, it could be you and ellis. Oh no, golf golf friend we all know that even people in the office who dad has played golf with with ellis with them know that that is not a meeting it was a meeting and so he puts it over the meetings, which you know is annoying.
Speaker 1:But what was most annoying is that he just didn't tell anyone, so he got to like who's in my diary? Well, the other meetings were there. First, you have to tell people if we need to move oh, okay and the manager's meeting I can do on my own. That's fine. But this podcast business with the donos, I need more than one dono yes, because it says donos it does, it does, say donos, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I sort of need you to be here. I can't magic you here well you weren't here yesterday when it was booked in. We've had to move it to today yeah and then it was booked in for 11 o'clock and dad changed the time.
Speaker 2:I went around in 88.
Speaker 1:Oh, well done. Yeah, but if you are working with your dad and he does things like that, I understand. I understand how you feel. Reach out to me, we can have a good chat. Anyway, what's your unfiltered minute?
Speaker 2:Oh well, my unfiltered minute for a start is you just don't listen to me, because I did say I wasn't going to the manager's meeting. A start is you just don't listen to me, because I did say I wasn't going to the manager's meeting, but you had those ear things in at work Just saying Can't help it. You didn't hear me, anyways.
Speaker 1:That is not the point.
Speaker 2:Two things A good thing. So I took my bike to work the other day.
Speaker 2:So a cycle to work where I can get, so cycle to work rather than get in the car. I nearly got in the car because I had to open the car to get my sort of like key entry card from inside my car to get into the new offices. I needed that, so I had to open the car to get into it to then go and get my bike, which is a bit of a faff because it's quite a process to take it out. My bike's got a tracker on it so I have to make sure I have to turn the tracker off, I have to take all the things off, so it's quite an effort to get the bike out of the shed To go to work and I really, really was pleased that I actually cycled to work.
Speaker 2:Well done I thought it was good. I thought it was good. I thought it was good. Bless you, thank you, despite having my meeting with Ellis in the afternoon. Just saying 17,000 steps Meeting, so that was a good thing. And then my rant cars.
Speaker 1:Cars oh, we've had a nightmare with the cars.
Speaker 2:So you've got a new car, haven't you?
Speaker 1:I have A BYD C-Line. Yeah, it's lovely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's lovely, yeah, it's lovely. It looks like a sea lion. It hasn't got any birds poo on it at the moment, which?
Speaker 1:is quite useful.
Speaker 2:But last Friday you got an email, didn't you? From our insurance broker saying give us a call. You were obviously looking at something. Didn't have your email on, we didn't get a phone call. And then on the Monday we speak to our broker who's brilliant.
Speaker 1:Yeah, excellent.
Speaker 2:We speak to him and he went. We've got a little bit of a problem, all right. Okay, aviva, who insure? Our electric cars for our work, have decided they don't want to insure a BYD C-line it's too new. They don't understand whether you know, if something goes wrong with it, what their liability is. And I said that's great. Phil Because his name's Phil.
Speaker 1:Okay, I did know that.
Speaker 2:Ah, well done, but the car arrives tomorrow.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:So what do we do, anyway, yeah, I know. So we've had to get separate insurance, haven't we?
Speaker 1:Yes, we have.
Speaker 2:Up to renewal, which is on the 10th.
Speaker 1:Which luckily was only a few days, and that was lucky.
Speaker 2:And we've had to change insurance provider, which is a nightmare. Yeah, well, say a nightmare. It was a nightmare for Phil, not for me, because he did it. To who are we with Allianz? Yeah, and he did. Actually, in fairness to Phil, he did a cracking job in negotiating the fact that we didn't have to fit trackers to these cars that have got umpteen million levels of security, but that was all that was on the Monday.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, where was you on the Monday? London for Josh's birthday.
Speaker 1:So that was a that was on the Monday. Yep yeah, where was you on the Monday? London for Josh's birthday London.
Speaker 2:So that was a little job he gave to me yeah, lucky you yeah, all morning just trying to work out how we're going to get insurance for a car that is arriving the next day yep we were going to cancel the car and get it after the renewal, which was meant after the holiday yeah but the cost of that was something like five or six hundred quid to cancel it.
Speaker 2:So we might as well report the insurance, which is what we've done. So it's a lovely car, it's really good, but what a nightmare. All I'll say is if anyone is buying electric cars, particularly through their business, please, please, make sure you get your insurance right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, make sure it can be insured, because I had the same problem with the.
Speaker 2:Tesla, which is my car, and your car is obviously a BYD. That's now become what is no longer an issue, but was a big issue on Monday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, and this isn't even the entire car story.
Speaker 2:Oh no, we've got more car stories.
Speaker 1:We've got more car story so my kia that needs to go back got hit. It got hit, some amazon driver hit it so that's still in the garage, so like at the moment, it's all. It's been such a faff, everybody it's been such a faff. But my byd is nice, it is nice, it's very nice. I can't drive it. Only Josh is insured on it.
Speaker 2:But well you can when you come back from holiday. I can drive it when I come back from holiday, so that's, that's okay it's lucky Josh is 30 because the new policy is any driver over 30, so now he's old, he can do it, he can drive it. That is lucky he's, he's just in there.
Speaker 1:Just snuck in there, fair enough. Okay then. So I think that's everything we've got for this week. Next week, we are taking a week off of the podcast, so we will see you the week after next. Please like, subscribe, share this podcast with all of your business friends, let us know what you think and, yeah, we'll see you week after next. Bye, bye, your business friends. Let us know what you think and, yeah, we'll see you week after.