A Working Vacation? What Do You Mean By That?
On rest, reality, and what vacation actually looks like when you're the CEO, the mom, and allegedly on a break.
As the CEO and co-founder of Conteh & Brown Group, I find that taking a substantive break from business operations and planning is a challenge. Even after 10 years in operation and finally experiencing significant growth this year, the field of management and consulting feels less like work and more like a passion to me.
Every day, with each project and through every task, I genuinely enjoy what I do. This enjoyment often makes it hard to recognize when I'm overworked or stretched too thin — leading to neglecting necessary breaks.
It's important to understand that even when you love what you do, taking breaks is crucial. Your brain requires downtime to function at its best.
This week, I was allegedly on vacation with my family. I say "allegedly" because I still had a few meetings and even squeezed in a presentation.
Plus, let's be honest — vacation for a mom is just taking your mom duties to a new location. I've lost count of how many times I've had to remind my kids that, hey, I AM ON VACATION TOO.
They don't care though.
We haven't had a chance to vacation since 2021. Our family has been busy graduating, moving back to Richmond, and welcoming a new baby. This is our first family vacation with our newest cast member — Baby Lewis #4. All in all, I did get a modicum of a break, I was still productive with the team, and reviewing contracts on the beach ain't too bad.
Here's the honest truth about what a founder's vacation actually looks like:
Complete Disconnection
No laptop. No emails. No client calls. Just a beach chair and a book and zero accountability to anything business-related.
Rest On Your Own Terms
Working on the things you want to work on. Designing content. Reviewing contracts. Tasks that feel like play, not obligation.
"As an entrepreneur, a break looks different for everyone — and that's exactly how it should be."
— Zainab Kamarah, Conteh & Brown GroupEven though I did some work on vacation, it was items I wanted to do — items that relieve stress rather than create it, like designing content and reviewing contracts.
Yes, reading long contracts is a stress reliever for me. Mind your business.
Because you work for yourself, you will have to determine when to award yourself a break and what that break looks like. The form it takes is yours to define. Just remember —
Rest is not a reward.
You are worthy just because you are.
Building a business that lets you actually rest?
Conteh & Brown Group helps founders build operational systems so the business can run — even when you're "allegedly" on vacation.