The (Many) Benefits of Off-Site Business “Retreats”
Think you can’t afford to get away? You can’t afford not to.
Business retreats—or as we like to call them—Tactical Advances—are more than just a bunch of like-minded business owners bonding over activities, good food, great conversation, and best practices. It’s about intentionally setting time aside to recharge. It’s about coming with questions and challenges—and leaving with a stronger network, amazing tools, and enough clarity and enthusiasm to tackle everything ahead.
Most of you would refer to these quarterly events as a “business retreat”—and that’s the first thing we want you to strike from your vocabulary. It sounds counterintuitive to “retreat” (which implies surrender or loss) to push your business forward, which is why we named ours the way we did.
Because you’re not removing yourself from the field of battle.
You’re elevating yourself above it to give yourself a strategic advantage.
And this is only possible if you physically distance yourself from the daily ups, downs, personalities, and to-do lists as much as possible.
No matter what you call them, the days you spend away from the office to focus on the bigger picture do NOT equal “down” time. Think of everything that would make that day-to-day grind easier—a clear pricing/product strategy, hiring plans and workflows, performance expectations, annual, and quarterly planning. And the best retreats will also force you to focus on your personal acceleration—the goals for your life, joy, relationships, health, and self-actualization—which lay the critical foundation for anything you want to accomplish for your business.
All of these tasks aren’t exactly hard, but they are hard to get done when you are constantly switching hats or putting out fires.
How often do you set aside dedicated time to think about your vision for your company on your own?
If you answered “never or not enough”—you’re long overdue. There are three ways to invest in proper planning time and no matter which direction you choose, we’ve got you covered.
Start small, but start somewhere.
Sometimes the best way to check in with yourself and your company is to check out for a little bit. You hired your staff for a reason. Trust them to do their job so that you can take some uninterrupted time to do yours.
Block off time on your calendar and turn off notifications.
Go to a place where you’ll have minimal distractions and room to work. But don’t just hole up in a hotel somewhere, left to your own devices. Plan to make it worth your time. Use your OPBP or Quarterly Planning Document as a guide to run yourself through the paces.
Schedule time to meet with your business coach and other Founder CEOs to talk through your progress.
Be Alone Together.
Tired of bouncing ideas off yourself? Need a truly objective opinion? Seeking peers with real-life experience that can help show you a better way? TLP offers quarterly off-site Tactical Advances for its Live Cohort Members. These high-powered opportunities offer a change of scenery and connect with other business leaders—in person—who are thinking about the same stuff as you. Together we’ll make your plans, thoughts, and strategies stronger.
The next best thing.
If you want to accelerate your planning but are not ready to go full throttle — START USING THE TOOLS. Our free tools Arsenal is packed with the tools our Cohort members use at every TA—and every day.
Figuring out the next steps for your business can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Prevent your business goals from becoming stagnant by mixing things up or taking yourself out of the mix completely. And remember, don’t “retreat.” Advance.
Want to explore more tools to help accelerate your business, life, and self? Get all the above tools listed in this article—and more—in our free Business Tool Arsenal. Sign up here!