#222: How to Create Your "Total Immersion Weekend Retreat" to Clean Up Your Messy Business

I just got back from a total immersion weekend retreat in Palm Springs with my Integrator Chloe and in today’s episode I share all the details of what went down! Unlike a typical team retreat we weren’t brainstorming ideas, we were actually cleaning up the messy stuff in our business.

Yep, I’ve got messes to clean up just like anyone else. I must say, I do believe my team and I are a gold standard when it comes to setting up systems and processes, but I think no matter how well the backend of your online business looks every single one of us has room to do a little cleaning, don’t you think?

Let me share a little bit about the weekend...

WHAT IS A TOTAL IMMERSION RETREAT WEEKEND?

First things first, this is NOT a team retreat and it is NOT a big brain-storming weekend where you come up with new ideas for the future. This is dedicated time to spend looking at the messy parts in your business and cleaning them up. The types of things you’ll be looking at cleaning up, fixing, or eliminating are areas that will ultimately impact the financial bottom line in your business.

WHO SHOULD GO ON A TOTAL IMMERSION RETREAT?

This is time best spent either on your own, or in the company of the right-hand person in your business. I took Chloe, my Integrator, because she is such an integral part of my business. . (Side note: Don’t miss upcoming episode #224 where I bring Chloe on the show and we talk about her role as an Integrator (aka Project Manager). We get into what she does, how she does it, who she manages, how we work together, her fave tools and lots more!)

FIVE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOUR TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND RETREAT

Answering the following five key questions will help you to set a focus and make sure you’re on the same page (if you will be with someone from your team):

1. What’s your #1 pain point in your business right now?
2. What feels messy, broken, or painfully slow?
3. What needs to be fixed before you can grow?
4. Where are you losing money? Do you have any current leaks in your funnels, or in any system that you’re using to make money right now?
5. What have you been putting off for way too long? What are the important things you’ve been wanting to get to but you know there are just not enough hours in the day?

I want you to answer these questions when you take your total immersion retreat weekend, too. Yes, I want you to take time away to clean up the messes in your own business. You will not regret it, I promise you!

TIP for answering the five questions: When answering these questions for yourself, think about team, systems, processes, and funnels (for my beginners, don’t let the word funnel throw you off...this just means the different systems and strategies that you have in place to get people to buy or join your email list).

I go into much more detail in today’s episode, but I’ve included a snapshot here for you to see how our weekend progressed. Now remember, this is going to look different for everyone, but I thought the examples from my business might be helpful to get you thinking about areas in your own business that might need some cleaning up.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING

• Agenda
  We worked on our agenda during the 2-hour drive to Palm Springs. It’s important to have a clear game-plan before you arrive at your destination, so you can get right to work. While we laid our agenda out in detail, we allowed ourselves the flexibility to change and pivot as necessary throughout the weekend.
• Calendars
  We cleaned up my calendar bigtime! I’m a big fan of the “no train” but for some reason I lost my way over the last few months and had said “yes” to too much. Because of this, I was missing important deadlines in my business because my calendar was too full. This also meant that I was working nights and weekends and that is something I am trying not to do.

SATURDAY MORNING

Fresh and ready for a new day, we cleaned up our elaborate evergreen funnel system inside InfusionSoft. Because we’ve been at this for awhile, parts of our funnels were broken. Let me just tell you that this part was NOT fun!! But, you know what, I’m glad we knocked it out early in the weekend. : )

SATURDAY AFTERNOON - THIS WAS THE FUN PART FOR ME!!

• We talked about the projects we were going to work on moving forward and who was going to work on what.
• We also talked about what projects we needed to put on the back burner or eliminate completely. In this episode I talk about a big decision we made in switching up something that one of my team members was working on.

SUNDAY MORNING

• Wrapped up any loose ends and headed back home. (I didn’t do it this time, but next time I’m definitely scheduling massages for me and Chloe to enjoy before we leave.)

MY TOP TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND TIPS

I believe a total immersion weekend retreat like this is critical to the success of your business. Step away from your everyday distractions and you won’t regret it! Here are some tips for you to consider when you go on your retreat:

• Choose a destination you enjoy and that inspires you. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but if you’re at a place in your business where you can splurge a little, go for it!
• Just know that your days are going to be long. We worked hard, but it was so worth it!
• Change up your environment so you don’t go stir crazy. We found fun little places around the hotel property to work throughout the weekend: the beautiful lobby, our hotel room, and we even knocked out a couple of hours of work from the bar while sipping on a refreshing margarita!
• Take time to eat, drink lots of water, get some fresh air, take walks, and get 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
• Let your family know that this time away will be focused on work and that you will not be available much throughout the weekend. It’s very important to limit distractions in order to make the most of your time away, and by stating this up front you will make sure no one at home is feeling neglected!
• Keep a Google Doc noting the big decisions that you’ve made over the weekend and any team communication you want to relay when you return.
• Get all those action items moved into your project management tool. Chloe always says, “If it’s not in Asana, it’s not happening!”
• Don’t forget to have a little fun, too! You’re going to be working really hard, so I suggest you treat yourself to a massage or some sort of simple pleasure at the end of your weekend.
• Upon your return, have a meeting with your team or individual team members to fill them in on some of the decisions you made or changes that may be coming down the pipeline.
• Repeat your total immersion retreat weekend on a quarterly basis!

So what do you think? Are you ready to book a total immersion weekend retreat to clean up the messy parts in your business? I hope you said “yes!” because this is an investment that you won’t regret! If you’ve decided to go for it, pick where you’ll go and book it in the next 48 hours, and when you do, head over to Instagram and DM me to let me know when and where you’re going!

This episode is brought to you by Audible where you too can listen to the book I mentioned that I’m loving right now: High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard, for FREE! Members of my audience get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/OMME