Captiva has grown rapidly in the past 3 1/2 years, and with that growth, we’ve experienced some growing pains.
But growth without systems = chaos and confusion.
As small business owners, we can get stuck working solely IN our business (focused in executing in the now) vs ON our business (focused on strategizing for sustainability and growth).
Last February, we decided to work with an executive coach. In the last year and a half, we’ve learned to manage our energy, mindset, and attitude by making seemingly small adjustments that have BIG results. We’ve also prioritized our agency’s long-term growth, including investing in our annual corporate retreat.
Like many of you, this year has been a roller coaster with some highs and lows that are pushing us to rethink how we run and grow our business (we’ll share more details on that in our Thanksgiving issue).
Here are some of the benefits and takeaways from this year’s corporate retreat.
⏰ 1. Time: Scheduling a corporate retreat is half the battle. We have to commit to reserve the day and devote time before, during, and after to prepare, plan, and implement the ideas. But hey, if it’s important enough, you’ll make the time for it.
📍 2. Location: Breaking away from our usual work environment and coming together in person in a more relaxed, informal setting gives us the space to think differently and deeply on our business.
🎯 3. Focus: With all the demands on our plate, our corporate retreat is an opportunity to focus on and reinforce our company’s values, vision, and goals in an immersive, uninterrupted setting.
🎨 4. Creativity: It’s almost magical how our corporate retreat sparks creativity and allows us to think outside the box, look at challenges in new ways, and brainstorm breakthrough ideas.
🚀 5. Growth: With a fresh, untethered perspective coupled with expert guidance from our coach, we also are better at articulating and visualizing our personal and professional growth. Using the classic Start, Stop and Continue framework we can easily evaluate how far we’ve come and how much more we have to go. Very empowering!
After a day of focused work, we came away with a list of action items that we’ll be tackling quarterly, including criteria on how to choose projects and clients that better align with our goals, ways to simplify and standardize our processes, and techniques for growing smarter.
We believe corporate retreats are not a luxury; they are essential for strengthening our business for the long term.
If you’re in need of revamping, realigning, or rethinking your business, consider working with a professional, like Maura Fredericks, to facilitate a corporate retreat. It’s a wise investment that will pay dividends for years to come.
