Short answer: you can't take a week off because the week lives in your head. A runbook that says who does what, where everything is and what to do when it goes wrong, plus a Board the nominated person can read, makes the week possible without hiring anyone.
What stops it
Passwords and account access. Knowing which supplier to call. Knowing which client can wait. The quote that only you can price. The fear of what will break.
What works
The owner-away runbook: weekly rhythm, roles and backups, where everything lives, decision rules, escalation list, and the ten most likely problems with what to do. The morning check redirected to the nominated person for the week. A dry run of two days before the real week.
What Stewart Systems builds
The runbook is generated from the Business Brain (Board) and the Board (Board), so it is true on the day you need it rather than written once and forgotten.
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Written by Christian Stewart, Stewart Systems, Wollongong. Published 2026-09-29. Records and flags, not legal, WHS or insurance advice; rules change, check the regulator for the current one.