I’ve talked a few times now about having a mini business retreat with yourself to see what you can improve in your business, and (usually) in your personal life as well. I wouldn’t keep talking about it if I didn’t really believe in devoting time to this would improve things! That’s why, last year November 9, I scheduled a mini business retreat for myself and really gave some thought to what I want to accomplish in my business and how I can achieve those goals. I closed my internet browser, put my phone on silent, turned the music off and devoted 3 solid hours to improving my business. I took a list of questions (the ones listed below) and worked through them to see my pain points, my achievements, and how I could continue to rock and roll in the coming year. Here is a list of things to consider when you’re starting to brainstorm this retreat.

Ask yourself: What do you want to achieve from your business retreat?

Consider what your main goals are for the following year: 

• An improved editing workflow?
• More client bookings?
• Fewer hours at the computer?
• Stronger vendor relationships?

The other area to really consider is pain points.

What is NOT working in your business and what areas are you struggling with?

• Disorganized client workflow (not knowing what the next task is)
• Not making enough income
• Inconsistent branding/web presence
• Taking on more than you can accomplish and failing to deliver

I have to say that this exercise helped me tremendously because it’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of running your own business, and not focus on the big picture and long-term goals. Devoting this time to improving your business is really a great way to take a hard look at how you are operating and how you can improve things.

Ask Me No Questions, I’ll Tell You No Lies

 I strongly encourage you to print out these questions and take some time answering them!

 

1. Does my business push me or pull me towards the things I value in life?
2. What am I doing wrong with my business?
3. What are the things I am going to do to change those things?
4. What am I doing right with my business?
5. In what ways have I celebrated my success?
6. Where do I need my business to go?
7. Why do I need it to take me there?
8. What am I most afraid of?
9.  Are my fears legitimate or am I allowing the fear of failure to create irrational fears?
10. 10.  Am I willing to fight for the things that I want and take some serious leaps this coming year to take my business to the next level?

Make a Date

One thing I think is SUPER important is to schedule this business retreat the way you would any other client meeting. Put it in your calendar, hire a babysitter, and make it happen. I feel like we have the mentality that just because we are not physically meeting with someone else, it’s something that isn’t as important as a “real” meeting, and can just be pushed back. However, the problem with that is the fact that when we don’t make things a priority, they often get pushed to the bottom of the “to do” list and often, don’t happen.
So schedule a date for yourself, get all gussied up, and go sit in Starbucks to get some work done.

I’m going to be having my own business retreat and would love for you all to come and share if you’re interested! I’m doing mine on the morning of November 20th, feel free to message me for more details!
I want to end with a picture of my sweet little Mara Mara because it’s good to remember why we do this crazy job in the first place. Yes, it’s important to capture memories for  my clients and be able to love on them. But for me, the real reason I do this is for my kiddos. I bust my butt so that I can stay home with them and be with them in these formative growing up years. Because when they look back at their childhood, I want it to be filled with memories of doing stuff with mommy <3