So You Want to Host a Retreat? 3 Questions to Help You Decide

I'm not sure if it's the beautiful warm weather or if there's something in the water, but lately I’ve been getting tons of questions about hosting your own high-end retreats.  Several of you have asked questions like "Should I even host a retreat, what’s involved, where do I start," and more.

Obviously I can’t answer all of your questions in a single post, but I wanted to help you decide if hosting a retreat is even a viable option for you. The majority of questions I get come from small business owners and creative entrepreneurs.  So, if that's you - the first question I'd ask is:

Do you really want to host a retreat?  

Not "do you want to be trendy and host because it’s the thing to do now..." but do YOU really want to host? Hosting a high-end retreat is not as glamorous as some make it seem - there are so many moving parts and it can get pretty stressful in the nitty gritty planning if you’re not ready for it.  It can also be challenging to run your current business and plan for a retreat on the side.  

Question #2: Do you have the bandwidth for it right now?

If the answer is yes, awesome! Stay tuned and I’ll touch on some other key points. If the answer is no, not to worry. Retreats are not right for everyone - there is no one size fits all approach and it’s better to wait until you have the bandwidth to host a really great one than to push through and host one just to say you did it.

Who’s your ideal attendee?  

Not your current ideal customer - dive deeper - why are your customers even wanting to go on a retreat with you?  What results do they want from this retreat?  Can you provide them with those results or do you need to secure additional resources (or help!) to make it happen?

Once you decide you are definitely hosting a retreat, consider a few more simple questions: How much can you budget for the retreat? Don't forget your own travel expenses!  What will it cost you to host and what can you charge attendees (what is your profit goal)?  When and where do you want to host it? Pro Tip: Check multiple calendars to make sure there are no major holidays or conflicting industry events during your dates! 

If you need more help, feel free to reach out.  If I can't help you create your ideal retreat, I also know a ton of great people you can connect with and I have some tools that you can use to DIY your way through it!  Happy Planning!