Founders - Take a Two-Day Retreat

Every day as a founder is filled with stress. From making sure the next product is shipped to filing the next period’s payroll, we can sometimes find ourselves drowning in things that take us away from the reason we started our business – to create something unique.

And unfortunately, not much can be done. Until you can get to the point where you can hire or outsource those tasks, you’re stuck doing them, leaving you less time to think about those big picture and crazy ideas.

So what can you do? How can you still invest in yourselves as the visionary? One simple and inspiring way is to make sure you are taking consistent time away to think. Some call them sabbaticals; others call them retreats; either way, this is a time for you to stretch the limits of your imagination and get back to coming up with those crazy ideas that move the needle of your business.

What is a personal retreat?

A personal retreat is dedicated time spent away from your home and business to help you recharge and to help you come up with new ideas. Personal retreats are not vacations, and they are meant to be done alone. Vacations are a luxury. Retreats are an investment. Yes, I’d encourage some built-in joy, but they are not a time to purely forget about your business and have fun, but rather are built to give you time to inspire yourself.

Why take a personal retreat?

Allow you to break the routine

Our time as founders are filled with routine. A personal retreat allows you to break that routine, be a little spontaneous, and help you think outside the confines of your venture from an operational standpoint.

Allows you to recharge

The time you’ll spend with yourself will help rejuvenate and recharge your passion. It will allow you to get excited and inspired as you think of new ideas and new ways to improve your business.

Allows you to look at your business from a different perspective

If done right, a retreat also gives you the opportunity to view the world and your business from a different perspective, highlighting new ways to think about the problems or obstacles you may be facing within your company.

Allows you to grow your business

Ultimately, giving yourself a retreat will allow you to come up with ideas and solutions you can bring back to your business to make it better. The idea is that you’ll come back reenergized and inspired to grow your venture. Your team should feel. You should feel it. And at the end of the day, your business will be better for it.

Ways to optimize your retreat

Make it short and sweet

Your retreat does not need to be a weeklong getaway. In fact, anything longer than four days or so will cause you to drift away from the goal.

Days one and two of your retreat will be the most impactful. You’ll start to see diminishing returns after this point. Therefore, you want to keep your retreat to two to four days so that as soon as you are back, you’re ready to hit the pavement running. You want to hold on to the energy you gain by being away and bring that to your business.

Have a plan, but not a structure

It sounds like an oxymoron, but you want to have a plan, but not a structure for your retreat. In other words, you want to make sure the logistical and travel arrangements are planned, but not necessarily the minute-to-minute itinerary.

The last thing you want is to be stranded at the airport or worried about catching the next ferry back to the mainland (real-life examples of things that have happened to me on retreats). At the same time, however, planning everything down to the second takes away from key spontaneous moments that will drive a lot of inspiration.

Identify how you best come up with ideas

Before you head out on your retreat, think about activities that help you develop the best ideas. For me, it’s driving. The best ideas I’ve come up with for my business have been derived while on the road. So for me, I always make sure there is at least one little road trip on my retreat.

For you, it may be sitting on the beach, listening to the waves. It may be while you listen to music or by creating a piece of artwork. Whatever it is, find a way to incorporate that activity into your retreat.

Find a place you’ve never been

When deciding where to have your retreat, try and find a place you have never been. Going someplace new will require you to think a little outside of the box while engaging your brain. Because it’ll be someplace new, your attention will be on high alert, and you’ll find yourself much more attentive than if you were to go to a place you have never been.

I’d also suggest leaving your state. The ritual and commitment of leaving what is familiar to you will make this a much more dedicated endeavor and will cause you to take it that much more seriously.

Find time not to work

Find some time for fun. Bringing some joy to your retreat will help you come up with better ideas. We all create better when we are in the zone, and spending some time just having fun can allow that.

This is also good for your mental health. One of the reasons you are going on this retreat is to help you recharge from the stress, so make sure you find some moments to do that.

Think limitlessly

Your retreat is not the time to think inside the box. It’s not a time to worry about the minor, insignificant stressors you are holding on to. This is a time for grand ideas and limitless thinking.

Zoom to 30,000 feet and really think about what it will take to grow your business 100x from where it is now. These are the ideas that will get you back to the passion you had when you first started your business.

Now may also be a time to think through some significant problems are obstacles as well. If there is something urgent that needs some dedicated time, your retreat can also help you with that. But, even if that is the case, save some time to think about those big ideas.

Have the tools you need to succeed

Before you leave, make sure you have everything you need to keep the ideas flowing. Bring a journal, plenty of pens, chargers, external batteries, a refillable water bottle, or anything that will help make sure you don’t break that focus.

This is a concentrated event, so the last thing you want is to waste time trying to find a charger or looking for something to write your ideas down. Be prepared and stay focused.

Bring some inspiration if you need it

Whether it’s an audiobook you are listening to or a podcast that inspires you, have some content ready to help jumpstart your ideas if you need it.

You don’t want to take too much time consuming content; rather, you want to create it. But, it’s always good to have a little help if you are feeling stuck.

Travel light

When possible, don’t travel with too much stuff. Again, this time is for you to be hyper-focused and emotionally and physically ready to accept those ideas that will be flowing.

Especially if you are planning on being spontaneous and trying new things, you’ll want to be prepared to adjust and adapt, and a heavy backpack filled with computers and tablets and a million gifts will weigh you down, literally and figuratively.

Turn off the phone

As best you can, make sure the phone is off. Part of that is making sure your team is prepared for you to be one for a couple of days. The other part of that is being committed to being present on your retreat.

The more you check your phone, the more you’ll be sucked right back into dealing with those stressors you have been trying to escape from in the first place.

There are no crazy or wrong ideas

I mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. There are no wrong ideas or small ideas. This time is special for you, and it shouldn’t be wasted on small thoughts. Think big, think crazy, and come up with ideas that will change the entire trajectory of your company.

Example: My two-day trip to the Pacific Northwest

I visited Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island during my last retreat, about two hours away from Seattle. There was only one way into the island (unless you are taking a ferry), so there was less of a chance I’d be finding my way to the big city.

It was a two-hour drive from the airport, so I knew I’d have plenty of time to develop ideas since I get more inspired when I drive.

On my first day, I found a local coffee shop located on a pier overlooking Puget Sound and just sat and wrote anything that came to mind. I then took another small road trip to Fairhaven, enjoyed some local ice cream, and watched the city. I then drove back to my central location (where my hotel was), got some dinner, and watched the sunset for three hours.

On my second day, I got up early and traveled to a different city (Anacortes), took in a local farmer’s market then took an hourlong ferry to San Juan Island. There, I did some whale-watching before having lunch at their local brewery. Then it was another ferry back to the mainland.

The first five or six hours of the first day were my most impactful. I outlined what I wanted to think through and came up with some great ideas to bring back. The rest of the time was spent piecing those ideas together and recharging emotionally and mentally. By the end of day two, I was ready to come home and get to work.

Conclusion

Taking a personal two-day retreat will help you bring significant and action-oriented ideas back to your business. It will allow you to recharge and rejuvenate your passion so you can get back to what you do best: growing your business.

Have other ideas on how to maximize your retreat or want to share a successful retreat you’ve taken? Find me on Twitter at @dadfounder and let me know!