I've not been active here for the last two weeks because I was in the hospital, seriously ill and recovering from surgery. Yet my business was not only maintained, it grew! How was that possible?

Fortunately we planned at the end of last year for tremendous growth in 2009. In fact, it's our goal to quadruple the business. So my husband and business partner, Joel D Canfield, took a more active role as project manager and contact point for additional team members. We also put into place additional team members as we prepared to grow. So when I unexpectedly took ill, Joel and our team were able to step up to the plate and handle all client projects.

During the two weeks I was unable to work directly in the business, we added new clients and received large retainers for new projects. Everything got done in a timely manner. Emails were checked regularly, phone calls returned, and new projects started. This experience showed us where systems in place worked and what additional steps need to be put in place to become even more efficient.

Do you have a backup plan in place in case you are unexpectedly called away? We'd love to hear about them. If you'd like help in making sure you have systems in place, Joel's business is all about helping small business owners such as us do just that.