I know I do! It’s that time of year! Accountants want to see your books, you’re thinking about goals, holidays and what to do next. But like most entrepreneurs, you may be working too hard in your business and not on it. I can say I have this problem and it’s the best problem I can have. For those of you who have followed us over the last year and a half know I’m a believer in good problems and bad problems. For me, working too much in the business is a sign of growth and that is a good problem. We are at a strong and stable enough place where my team can keep stepping up to the opportunities in front of us while I dive into financials, marketing, recruiting, carrier relations and more. It’s an exciting time and a milestone in our business.
So how do you make the switch? I decided this December I am going to take a business retreat to Cape Cod. Yes, most people flock there in the Summer but I’m looking for some quiet time to really reflect on what’s working, what’s not and where our opportunities really are. My husband will come up for a few days but for the bulk of it, it will be just be me, a fireplace, my dog, some business books and lots of paper to make the plans for the next year. It’s a great time to get my head, my heart and my body in alignment. For those of you who see me routinely, you know I’m a road warrior…..car trips, planes, trains and more. It’s a good time to work out, eat right and remember what’s important.
Its easy to sneak away but you have to have a supportive home life. I’m incredibly blessed that my husband Andrew is all in. I never hear a peep when I’m gone for 5 nights in a row or I work all weekend. When I made the decision to start my own company, we talked about it long and hard. This isn’t about more money and more flexibility. This is about building a sustainable business with a brand, purpose and punch. If he wasn’t all in, I would be at a 9-5 and not writing this blog from an airplane. I know my situation is unique but it’s a sign to me that I married the right guy.
So what will we do on this retreat? Well I plan on first getting good and bored. Binge watching Netflix and eating ice cream for dinner…. Most likely 4 hours later I’ll have my head cleared and be ready to start the plan for 2016. We struggled with this last year. Only being in existence for 6 months, it was hard to plan the future. But today with 1.5 years down, we have an idea of who we are and where we are going. Similar to a kid going to college, we need a committed 5 year plan. To anyone who knows me, I won’t let anything stop me from hitting my goals. Unless it’s in the weight loss area and then it’s a 50/50 shot!
I’ll start by taking a day and just dumping everything out my brain; my biggest questions, opportunities, fears and goals. Once it’s all out, then we can start attacking the weaknesses first. I like to minimize threats. My house rental will probably look like a mad lady is in it with white sheets of paper up everywhere but hey, it’s my retreat right?
From there I’ll think through my role. Running a growing business means that my role has to change to sustain what we do. I have to get better at saying no and delegating it to my team. I have a team that is capable and awesome and I need to delegate the responsibilities. Along those same lines, my team needs to step up and get out of their comfort zone. They need to stay teachable and see the opportunity. If they aren’t willing to do that, then they simply aren’t in the right company. We live in a culture of disruption. We always have to challenge ourselves to stretch further and farther.
I’ll then call my team in for some team building and delegation. I’m a believer that everyone has to know clearly what’s expected. By giving them the space to ask questions and and understand the plan we hope to limit the “I didn’t know….” down the road. Of course we will have a little fun too.
From there we will seal up our plan and revisit it at our annual holiday party, I like to make everyone a part of that day. From individual team member meetings, to team building and then inviting spouses to a dinner. It’s important to me that we all get together and remain thankful yet energized for our goals to come. Spouses play a huge part in supporting our team in being on the road and pulling the late hours.
Agency Performance Partners is not a place everyone can work. This is an all in environment. You have to be tougher than the road, see only opportunity and no obstacles and do things average employees won’t do. However, our team is part of something special and bigger than just themselves. We are on a mission and there is big opportunity on the table for those who are committed to the 5 year mark. You learn really quickly who talks a good game, who sees ownership potential and a 6 figure income potential as a driving force versus who is a weenie complaining about early am flights, weekend catching up and being held accountable to goals.
I couldn’t be more excited for our business retreat and I plan on blogging about it daily so business owner to business owner we can learn and grow from it.
