How I Planned My Very Own Business Retreat

IN A HURRY? HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE

Busy business owners need to carve out time to work on their businesses… not just in their businesses! That’s why I carved out a four-day retreat to plan initiatives and priorities for my company to execute throughout the fall. It was an incredibly productive experience, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to strategically move their business forward. 

GOT A MINUTE? HERE ARE THE DETAILS TO CONSIDER

Have you ever attended a great conference, virtual event, or business coaching session, and felt pumped to implement everything you just learned… only to fall right back into the daily grind and lose track of the energy (and information) you just gained? 

I’ve been there. I love attending professional development events and high-value coaching calls, but in the past, I’ve sometimes struggled to find the time to actually implement what I learned. 

That’s why this fall, I carved out four days to focus solely on my business. After a two-hour strategy session with my business coaches at the beginning of September, I needed some dedicated time to put our ideas and initiatives into action. Plus, after a busy summer, it was time to really focus on the business! 

Here’s how I planned my very own business retreat, and why I would recommend it to other business owners who really want to move the needle in their businesses. 

Location

It would be impossible for me to find uninterrupted work time at home, with my busy family and fur babies to distract me. I needed a sizable workspace, a walking trail nearby, and on-site food options. I also didn’t want to waste precious time by driving, so I chose a nice resort that is less than an hour from home. 

Packing List

Besides the basics (clothing, toiletries, etc.) I packed: 

• Food for breakfasts and lunches, because I only wanted to order room service for dinners. 

• Bluetooth speaker for music, to improve concentration and creative flow.

• Yoga mat to start each day with breathing and stretching.

• Earbuds to listen to music and podcasts during walking and biking breaks. I was excited to learn that the resort provided bikes for the trail. 

• Office supplies: laptop, legal pads, journal, and my favorite Sharpie pens.

Schedule

The easiest way to make this work with my family’s schedule was to plan my retreat to be Friday through Monday. You may prefer to go during the workweek.

Day 1

On Friday morning, I spent a few hours running errands and finishing personal and household tasks so that I could completely focus during the retreat. I dropped off my dog at doggy daycare around noon, stopped at Chipotle for lunch, and headed to the resort!

After I checked into the resort on Friday afternoon, I spent two hours listening to the recording of the strategy session with my coaches. I took detailed notes and began categorizing the initiatives we discussed. I also added some personal initiatives that I wanted to have on my radar. 

I ended up with seven main categories that I plugged into my working schedule for the rest of the week. Each one had its own “working session” as you’ll see in my schedule, below. 

Days 2-3

On Saturday and Sunday, I structured my time on the following schedule. You’ll notice I started early - yes, I’m an early riser, thanks to my pets’ schedules! In my schedule, I wanted to incorporate a mix of focused work time, movement breaks, and relaxation.

6:30-7:30 Coffee, reading, journaling, yoga 

7:30-8:30 Get ready for the day

8:30-10:00 Working Session #1

10:00-10:30 Breakfast

10:30-12:00 Working Session #2

12:00-1:30 Walk and Lunch

1:30-3:00 Working Session #3

3:00-3:30 Biking

3:30-4:30 Working Session #4 

On Sunday, because I had already tackled my seven categories, my Working Session #4 was a project planning session to create a master spreadsheet of all the action items from the working sessions.

At 4:30 p.m. each day, I enjoyed some “me” time!

Day 4

On Monday, I spent most of the day working through my spreadsheet of action items so that my assistant and I could prioritize the initiatives and begin adding these projects to Asana. By Monday afternoon, it was time to rejoin the world and clear out my inbox!

Results

Within just one week of my strategy session and retreat, my team had already begun working on action items. Thanks to those dedicated hours during my self-designed retreat, I had everything I needed to move the business forward this fall!

Plus, with the support and expertise of my team, I’ve also been able to “collapse time” and multiply my efforts. I put the plan in place and they are now able to execute much more quickly than I could have ever done on my own.

What would a self-designed business retreat look like for you? Would you go for a day, two days, a week? What would you focus on during that time? And do you have the team in place to help execute everything you plan? 

If you’re curious about what our Virtual Assistant team can take off your plate AND help you grow your business, I invite you to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation consultation! 

Current Melissa Swink & Co. clients, please feel free to reach out to me via email if you’d like to review the tasks and projects you’re sending our way and discover additional ways we can support you as you grow your business.