Stop the Insanity! : The Critical Need for Solopreneurs to Take Regular Retreats
- krmuwumba1
- Mar 31, 2017
- 4 min read
When I mentioned to people that I was planning a retreat for KRM to Taos, NM, the major response was "Lucky! I wish I could get away" Some of them were fellow solopreneurs and some of them just thought I was taking a nice little vaycay. The truth is, I had HAD to go on this retreat. I've been so consumed with one of my larger contracts that I've been neglecting working on KRM as a whole as well as my other business, Nyumbani Afro Art. The to-do lists were maintaining the same items that just kept getting brought over from the previous days, weeks, and even months, and I knew I needed to do something. They say the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results, well... I needed to stop the insanity. That is why went on this retreat.
One of the biggest areas I really wanted to work on was to further development of my marketing plan and strategies for both companies. I come alongside other businesses to help them do it, I emphasize the importance of taking that time to develop those key areas, but I was definitely starting to have the saying "Those who can't do, teach" ringing in the back of my mind, and that got my attention.
Being a solopreneur, there are a lot of benefits such as flexibility and room to be creative. But there are also downsides, even to those benefits. Your flexibility can sometimes get in the way of actually accomplishing what you need to. Things keep getting put on the back burner and before you know it, you've dug such a huge hole in loss of results, that you don't even know how to get back into the game. You can be creative, but sometimes you are so full of ideas, but you never take the time to execute them (see the comments on Flexibility) and then you wonder why your business isn't growing the way you want it to. In all honesty, that's where I was before I took this trip.
The biggest piece of advice I can probably give any entrepreneur is you have to step away to take time to work on your business! It seems almost counter intuitive when you've got to-do lists for to-do lists, 47 tabs open on your browser, and about 8 different projects/tasks in the back of your mind that you're behind schedule on, but that's the exact reason you should take a retreat.
Be intentional about taking time to work ON your business
I feel like I should now specify that the retreat I'm talking about was a far cry from a vacation, I went with a very specific agenda and went ready to work. I booked a place through Airbnb, brought most of my own food, and other than one or two outings to get some fresh air, I really didn't do much other than try to kick butt and take names. Did I get everything accomplished that I had hoped to? No. Are there parts I would change to make the most of my time the next retreat I take? Of course! But the bottom line is that I was able to at least pause a little bit to deal with things I've wanted to but other things kept on getting in the way. I had an agenda, my flip chart, post its, my computer, and Gilmore Girls on Netflix for background noise :), it was go time! No matter the industry you may be in, let me just say, this time was priceless. I was able to not just react, but plan, I was able to get in an awesome creative space and remember what the purpose was for me opening these businesses. Bottom line is, this time was critical.
Do you own your own business? Put at the top of your to-do list, that you need to organize your own retreat.
Here are some tips and tricks that I learned:
Find a location that is nearby (but not too nearby) that you've possibly visited before so you don't feel the pressure to explore too much.
Check out Airbnb for great options for whole houses/studios you can rent so you don't even really need to leave the house but simply cook/prep your meals from there and not lose your momentum.
Make your agenda beforehand but also, be flexible if you need to change anything along the way.
KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!!! Remember this is a business trip and those expenses can be deducted as business expenses come tax time.
Disconnect from other responsibilities (I didn't do that very well this time). Don't check e-mails, don't answer phone calls, don't allow the very thing that has kept you from getting the things done you needed to to creep in on your retreat too.
Fly solo. This may be just for me, but if my hubby would have come along or I brought even another entrepreneur with me, I don't know if it would have been nearly as effective. I would have gotten distracted, which is the complete opposite of what I needed.
Bring a printer (again, this is something I didn't do but wish that I had). Several times I had wanted/needed to print something out, but couldn't.
Make sure your accommodations have wifi - you don't want there to be any excuses why you didn't get EVERYTHING done that you had wanted to.
Work in breather times. Make sure you stay focused, but also take time to get up and smell the roses. Most retreat locations are in beautiful small towns (at least here in NM) watch the sunset, listen to wind through the trees, BREATHE.
Be diligent about NO SOCIAL MEDIA. Again, no distractions!
All of these can basically be summarized with how you want to reduce distractions and make the most out of this time that you can. Your time is valuable. You could have spent that time doing something else, something that you could quantify as a billable hour, but you took that retreat for a reason. Don't come back regretting you didn't focus like you wanted to. Enjoy being productive and then make this a regular event for your business. Your business as well as your family, will be better for you doing so! Enjoy :)
