In my years of working with nonprofit organizations, one surefire way to jumpstart creativity and get people to see things with new eyes and a fresh perspective was to take a retreat. Even getting out of the office and/or typical environment for one morning or a day could work wonders for rejuvenation and focus. Just because you are a one-person show running your own home business does NOT mean that you can’t get out of the ordinary and take a business retreat…
Is there a problem that your business is facing? Do you need to do some long range planning or come up with an updating business plan to raise more capital? Are you considering making a change or adding additional products or services? Are you losing focus and wondering if you should even still be operating a home business? These are all perfectly reasonable concerns to address on a retreat. Consider going someplace different and inspirational. If you can swing it, you might even consider a weekend away to work on your business. The great thing about staying somewhere else is that you can have your basic needs attended to and can get away from family and other responsibilities in order to really focus in on your business.
The change in location is the key element to a successful retreat. You HAVE to get away from your typical business location and immerse yourself in different surroundings. It can even be something rustic like camping or staying in a cabin. The important things are that you take what you need for your work, identify what you hope to accomplish at your retreat, and make sure to take all the personal provisions (or have them provided for) so you can stay “in the zone” once you get there.
You might even consider having a mentor, colleague or trusted friend come along to provide added brainstorming and various perspectives. Just make sure that the focus stays on business and doesn’t stray to the purely social. Keep track of all your expenses and talk with your tax consultant or financial advisor—as the expenses for your home business retreat might be tax deductible.
See Also: Want a Fresh Perspective? Try Rearranging Your Home Office and Are You Inspired By Your Space?