The Impact of Business Retreats: Recharge, Refocus, & Grow Your Business

Feeling overwhelmed running your online business? Business retreats might be the answer! In this episode of The Streamlined CEO Podcast, Karalee, an operations specialist for online coaches and service providers, shares her personal experience with the transformative power of in-person business retreats.

Key Takeaways:

• Recharge & Refocus: Business retreats provide a much-needed escape from the daily grind, allowing you to recharge and refocus on your business goals.
• Deep Connections: These events foster deep connections with fellow entrepreneurs, offering valuable insights and shared experiences.
• Clarity & Inspiration: Gain clarity on your next steps and feel inspired to keep pushing forward with your business dreams.
• New Opportunities: Business retreats can lead to new leads, collaborations, and unexpected opportunities for growth.

Ready to experience the power of a business retreat?

Take Action:

• Text Karalee: Share your must-have retreat features or a favorite retreat experience (text: 419-721-6037)
• I might be having a retreat! Interested in more information? Let's chat!

Don't miss this episode for actionable tips and inspiring stories about how business retreats can take your business to the next level!

Have a question, want to chat with Karalee?
Send a text to (419) 721-6037 and let's chat!

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:52

Welcome back to the Streamlined CEO Podcast. If you're new around here, I'm your host, cara Lee, an operations specialist for online coaches and service providers, and today's episode is all about the impact business retreats have had on me over the last few years. And not all business retreats are the same, I know. This is simply an account of what I've experienced, and, of course, I'd love to hear from you too. You can send me a text or a DM, whatever you prefer, and, of course, I'd love to hear from you too. You can send me a text or a DM, whatever you prefer. Let's chat. You can find that in the show notes. All right, let's dive into today's fun. All right, let's define what a business retreat can entail, because we need to have a foundation right? I'm an operations specialist. I have to build a foundation first, so business retreats can technically be virtual or in-person. Today, I'm focusing on the in-person ones.

Speaker 1: 1:39

A retreat is where business owners get together to learn, implement and get guidance on their business from a fellow business owner or mentor. Okay, obviously that's in-person we're talking about today. It includes connection, fun and probably some overwhelm, but also lots of clarity on next steps, all right. So also lots of clarity on next steps, all right. So we're going to be real, though there's some overwhelm, but there's also, you know, awareness and you know a plan of action that comes out of these as well. So my favorite parts about these business retreats are connecting with other business owners. Now, I'm an introvert so this is hard for me, but I love the deep conversations that I get to have. Right, I really love digging deep into businesses and their experiences and really getting to know them as a person and their business and just really connecting on that deeper level where you can build that no like trust factor even faster. So if you're like me in that respect, you really love those deep in-person connections. Retreats are seriously one of my favorite parts of the year because of this right. My goal is to actually attend two retreats a year because I gain so much clarity, motivation and a desire to continue being a business owner. If you've been a business owner even for just a hot second, you know it can sometimes be really hard to be your own boss, set your own deadlines, create your own systems and all the things right. Retreats help me recenter, and so having these every six months roughly helps me continue moving on in my business.

Speaker 1: 3:14

Okay. So here are some of like the actual experiences that I had on past business retreats. So some of my favorite moments on a retreat was mimosas and brunch as a like a break, like the break the ice sort of thing, but it was so chill and just like it was fun and and that's not normally my kind of scene so I was like really surprised with how much I liked it. So, um, that was one that I would totally want to incorporate into my own retreat if I ever did one. Um and uh. Yeah, there'll be more info on that one later but on some retreats we also stay in the same house.

Speaker 1: 3:52

Some we don't, um, but I've always loved when we do stay in the same house and there's a pool or something. I love sitting by the pool late at night just talking, having those deep conversations. Because one thing that you guys might not know about me listeners, you might not know this is that I am a night owl. I love to stay up late. That's when I am the most like alive and free and love to have deep conversations. And so usually there is someone else that is on the retreat that also loves they're also night owls and love those deep conversations and we get to connect even more, and if we get to enjoy a hot towel or a pool, even better. So, so what I walk away with every single time during a retreat, though, because this is really important, right, you want to know what you're going to get from it and, obviously, whoever, whatever your retreat you're attending, make sure you do know what you want to get from it. But also, I'm going to also say this I walk into every retreat going with no expectations, right, other than I'm going to work on my business, right, but I'm going to be open to what I need to receive and on my business, right, but I'm going to be open to what I need to receive, and that has been super like, beneficial for me. So these are also some other things that I walk away with every single time.

Speaker 1: 4:59

New connections right, I'm connecting with people. These might be people I already know or know of, these might be completely new people. Whatever it is, we're connecting on a deeper level. So I walk away with new connections, um and as if you know that, you know, connections can come with referrals, they can come with someone to ask their opinion on. You know, like all the things, right, same with this. New leads, right. Maybe someone you talk to, like you, they're, they are your ideal client. Now you have a new lead, potentially, and it might be vice versa they might have you as a new lead. You might find someone that actually helps you be able to, you know, get to those goals that you have set for yourself faster, right. So new connections and new leads, all right.

Speaker 1: 5:40

Another thing that I always walk away with is clarity on next steps. Every single time, I have a plan when I get home and I've already started taking action on while at the retreat, usually and I know exactly what I need to do next. So a clarity on next steps. Another thing is a renewed desire to keep being a business owner right, sometimes things are hard, and being able to connect with other people that either understand you or they're doing the same thing, they're building this business and it's hard, right. So a renewed desire to actually continue building a business is what I always walk away with and that normally lasts, for you know, it's for a while, right, it helps me get through, right. And the last thing, which I think is even more powerful than the rest of them, is inspiration right, I have all of these ideas and things that are in my head and plan of action, and all this. Now I'm inspired to actually continue moving, and that is that that can be super powerful inspiration.

Speaker 1: 6:33

So, during retreats, this is time to focus on you. Ok, you as a person, your business and its next steps. Right, we take into account all of all of these things. Right, what your, your goals are for your personal and professional lives. Right, so you're not worried about your kids, you're not worried about the dishes You're not or anything else from your day to day. Right, you're in this bubble, as one of my mentors used to say. You're in this bubble and so you aren't worried about all these outside things that would normally distract you or pull your focus. Right, so it's much needed time away from the crazy of your day to day routine. That is what retreats do like. During those retreats, right, you're not focused in on the things like you normally would be if you were at home or at your office or wherever you do your work. Right, so that's some things that I have gotten from retreats, and I probably did not capitalize on all the things. I just wanted to make it like a short, simple, like. These are some of the things that you can get from attending in-person retreats or even virtual retreats but definitely in-person retreats or even virtual retreats, but definitely in-person retreats, right.

Speaker 1: 7:39

So I'd love to hear from you, though, because I haven't attended all the retreats that I could possibly attend, right, I only go on two a year. There is far more out there that I could attend. So if you've attended a retreat right, I want to hear from you. I want to hear what either you have gotten from it. I want to hear what you loved about it. I want to hear what either you have gotten from it. I want to hear what you loved about it.

Speaker 1: 7:55

I want to have a conversation, right, kind of have those deep conversations, but it's going to be focused on retreats in the beginning, right? So I want to. You can shoot me a text and my number is below in the show notes telling me the must-haves at a retreat, or something you really enjoyed, right? I want to see this Like for me. I'm like, oh, we need to have brunch with mimosas, like that is a must have for me. That's what I want to have when I have my retreats. I'm totally going to adopt that thing because it felt so chill and good, right. So that is something that I'm going to implement and I'm even going to share with others, Like I just shared with you, right? Brunch and mimosas and just chill, talking like it's a working brunch. All right, it was a lot of fun.

Speaker 1: 8:34

So one more thing, though. All right, I want to say before you get excited about finding retreats to attend or maybe even planning your own right surprise, I might have one coming up, but if you want to spot in it, you have to ensure you contact me for more details. All right, there are. We haven't put it all into effect yet, but it is on the docket, because I'm attending two retreats, but I also want to put on a retreat for you and you guys can come and we can have fun together and really focus on you and your business and get your next steps figured out Right. So you have to contact me for more details, all right.

Speaker 1: 9:06

So, preparing your before, I should say before I end this, because I just told you all the fun things about a retreat but, like, how do you even prepare to go on a retreat? I'm just going to give you a quick overcap. We're not digging deep into this, but if you want me to dig deep, like, totally let me know no-transcript before you go to the retreat and before you can just 100% focus on what is happening at the retreat. Right, you have to be prepared before you go, during, after there's lots of things, but if you have a team or someone that supports you, this is a little easier. I've done it both ways where it's 100% me and I've had it where I've had a team. So you can do it both ways, I've done it, you can do it. It's all good, but you can, like I said, you can do it either way.

Speaker 1: 9:55

So you just have to be strategic, right, you have to have systems in place, yes. You have to plan ahead, yes, and you have to use automation All right, we need to use the resources and tools that are available to us in today's society to be able to keep moving and be able to take time for ourselves and work on our business. Okay, so here's just a quick four. Four things that I would tell you to do as a quick review before preparing or while we're preparing. Oh, my goodness, here are four things as a quick review of preparing for a retreat. Okay, include or inform the team that you'll have limited communication, but you're still be there. It just won't necessarily be like you normally communicate. If you communicate a lot with your team, right. Inform your team what is expected of them while you're focusing on your business in another way, right, have all of the content, emails etc.

Speaker 1: 10:42

Whatever you usually do each week, pre-made and scheduled using scheduling tools and automation, whatever that looks like for you. Have all those things prepared and then block out the necessary time on your calendar to ensure that you can accommodate all of these things. I'm talking before the retreat, right? I normally have like a 30 minute window during the retreat each day where I can like okay, what do I need to do? Who do I need to check in on? What are you going to make sure is good to go and that's it. 30 minutes at most a day, right, normally. And then afterward are you blocking out a day a week? Whatever does at least block out a day after you get back from this retreat. You don't understand. Like you, you're going to need to decompress. You're going to need to make sure that you have all these plans in place to make sure that you can take those next steps.

Speaker 1: 11:28

So, when it comes down to having a plan and systems in place. It allows you to take time for yourself I'm talking like a vacation, even or time to dig deep into your own business, like with a retreat, right. So this is where me, as an operations specialist, I'm able to come into your business. We're able to identify what is going on in your business, right, all the behind the scenes. It seriously lights me up. It's my favorite part. I get to see all the things. And when I see all the things, I get to create a plan and I get to go okay, I haven't found something that I haven't been able to strategize a plan out for yet. So feel free to.

Speaker 1: 12:09

I accept the challenge. If you're like there's no way, I accept the challenge and we're going to literally like we can plan things out, make a plan of action so that you can get through systems and processes in place in your business, so that that mental load isn't isn't quite as heavy, right, your capacity can be expanded and we can get you feeling better about everything in your business. It helps your personal life as well, and then maybe even you can go on one of those retreats or take that vacation. You take time off, even just take a day off and not have to worry about things falling apart, right, and that is what's really key. So here I'm going to end with this is I can't wait to hear from you. I'll see you next week.