How do I host retreats? This has been a common question since I returned from hosting the annual leadership retreat in Croatia. I break it down for you here.
- Seed the vision a year in advance. By 'seeding' it, I did a couple of things. I began talking about Croatia in 2021, a year before the actual trip. I took deposits to book the boat July 2021. For every event I host, I create a landing page with photos of each person attending, linked it to their Instagram page. This makes it real. On this landing page I also cut and pasted a layout of the boat and the cabin assignments. I listed everyone's food preferences and dietary restrictions. This makes an abstract trip idea very real. Right now, I am starting to seed the women's retreat at a villa in Tuscany for May 20-27, 2023. I will do the same: Layout the villa configuration of bedrooms and list who is attending.
- Curation. Everyone commented on how delightful the group of 30 on the boat was. How everyone, from the kids to the husbands of the members of my women's leadership platform got along. My business is based on a membership model. I have the benefit of observing all year round how people handle money when they pay their dues, how they show up, if they show up, how they follow through, how they play in the sandbox with others. The retreat was a careful curation of people who would work well together. I made the mistake of NOT putting a velvet rope across who was invited to retreats in the past and the results were not great. Next year's retreat is in a villa. Its an expansive space, but there are common and shared areas. Curation of the group is as key to the success of a trip as anything else.
- Provide updates. Starting August, I emailed an update on the trip once a month. Things you need to know: airport to fly into, the route the boat will take on the water. As we approached the big capital call i.e. when the balance was due to the yacht charter company come spring, I offered updates every 3 weeks so people could plan for the financial piece. As we approached event date, I created a "Frequently Asked Questions" section on the landing page. Every time someone asked me a question, (Will there be laundry service on the boat) I added it there. I also shared where I was staying in the port city if folks wanted a reference point.
- Hire help. Once on the ground, its important to have an extra set of hands on deck (pun intended). As a leader, its also important for me to enjoy what I have created. I hired a tour manager who could handle the day to day logistics once we were on the water. Each day there were activities on the island. I don't speak Croatian, so it was good to have someone who managed the money transaction and the logistics. He also became the go-to for any questions about the kitchen or food.
It's fall and we are re-introducing our beverage tasting series.
September 14th, at 6pm EST we have a chat with the creator of Uncle Nearest Whiskey Fawn Weaver.
In our conversation, we get to sample whiskey as I moderate a live Q&A. Weaver shares about becoming the first Black person to own a significant spirit brand and has a non-profit which offers full scholarships to every descendant of Nearest Green and serves underrepresented communities in the whiskey industry and beyond.
How will this event work?
- Step 1. You sign up for this event on this ticketing link.
You must be 21 years of age or older to participate.
- Step 2. When registering you also provide your address. We share it with fulfillment at Uncle Nearest. They ship you the whiskey. Please note: The deadline to register is August 29th, 2022 so we have time to ship your whiskey to you.
- Step 3: We provide you with the Zoom link and send an invite to your calendar.
- Step 4: September 14th, a curated group of executive women come together to network at this wonderful talk and tasting
My?name?is?Joya?Dass. I made?my?living as a television news anchor for 20 years. I covered the financial markets from the floor of the?New?York Stock Exchange. Business was what I talked about.
It was what I wanted to do since I was 4 years old. But I forged that career on?my?own, and had to build the network to get here. Nobody teaches this stuff in school. So I created a leadership platform to teach best practices around self leadership and networking. I drive programming by interviewing CEO's and thought leaders for the community I have built.
I host a Mastermind. You have a goal. I put the right group and the accountability around that goal to make it your reality in 12 months. How ready you are to achieve your goals? Take this assessment here: www.goalsscorecard.com
