I recently took a 3 day “business excursion” away from the RI Web Gurus to attend an all woman retreat in the Catskills of NY. The retreat was lead by Jenny Fenig, a business coach and guide to helping you “Go Big With Your Message.” This was my first “getaway” from work (other than at Christmas time, which doesn’t really count) and I have to say, stepping away just for 3 days took a lot of preparation and forewarning to our clients, That proper planning and client awareness however made all of the difference, and so I was able to fully commit myself to the retreat and trust that Craig was handling all the rest. (Having complete confidence and trust in your business partner means everything) thanks Craig!
The retreat was eye opening on a lot of levels, and I wanted to share with you some of my biggest take aways.
- My favorite and what may seem as one of the simplest of ideas is that “You have to set time aside each week to work on your business.” Now, don’t get me wrong, I was “finding” time to work on my business, but I was putting everyone else’s needs first. In actuality though, that is a silly concept. You must dedicate time to your own business in order to better provide for your clients. I’ve now worked out time Every Single Day, that I will devote to growing the RI Web Gurus!
- One of my own “epiphanies” is to “Value Your Value.” The Value you offer as a business is what gets you clients, it is why clients choose you. If you don’t uphold to your thoughts and beliefs of your value and of the pricing of your value, your clients won’t either. Craig and I are good at our job, in fact, we are experts at our job, and this retreat gave me a new appreciation of being confident in our services, abilities and our Value.
- Another no brainer, but big takeaway is that “Surrounding yourself with a bunch of strangers ignites a lot of different things” – New relationships, new ideas, new perspectives, it simplifies things, offers a different approach, sparks creativity… I could go on and on. It is important that we continually go outside of our comfort zone and experience new things in order for growth.
- This retreat is also inspiring me to “Take Action.” I always have a bunch of ideas swirling around, but it’s easy to leave them inside your head. That gets you nowhere. My first day back to work I already incorporated 2 new action items into my daily routine.
It is important to be open, willing to learn and take action from the decisions we make.
I am so happy I decided to attend this retreat and I am excited to incorporate the new ideas into my business. It also got me away from the day to day norm of sitting at my desk, and I was lucky to take one extra night to do some hiking and sightseeing of the beautiful Catskills Mountains. The fresh mountain air, long peaceful hikes and a little bit of “me” time, is just what I needed. I will definitely be going back to the Catskills for another visit, as well as attending other business retreats, conferences and opportunities! Thanks to the ladies of the retreat and to Jenny for leading such a great group of women!
