How to Plan A Retreat

How to Plan a Retreat

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How to Plan a Retreat

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Planning a Retreat

Earlier this year I planned a retreat. It was fabulous. There is nothing like spending the week with like-minded entrepreneurs. You walk away feeling inspired, motivated, and re-energized. You build friendships that last a lifetime because you connect on so many levels. They are amazing. If you haven’t attended a retreat, I highly recommend you put it on your bucket list.  This is How to Plan a Retreat.

 

I currently have a client that is planning a retreat and I thought this would be a great podcast for those who are considering hosting a retreat or have it on their vision board to host a retreat one day.  

 

I have included in the show notes a Retreat Planner Guide that will be really helpful when planning. I live and die for checklists, so if you enjoy a good checklist the way that I do you will find it very helpful. 

 

First of all, let’s talk about the difference between a workshop, a conference, and a retreat.  

WORKSHOPS

A workshop is a longer interactive meeting or educational session designed to create a result. Workshops are longer than the typical business meeting and require more preparation beforehand. They are usually designed around a specific topic. Workshops typically involve one presenter or several presenters. Workshops can be a few hours or an entire day.  

 

Workshops give attendees the chance to practice their skills or learn new ones with help from the experts. Workshops may involve group discussions, exercises, activities, and the practical applications of concepts learned. You might say workshops are about “doing” rather than “listening” or “networking.” 

Conferences

A conference is a large, more formal meeting of people with shared interests. It can include presentations, exhibitions, speakers, problem-solving sessions, and consultation sessions. Conferences are often used to bring together people who work within the same or similar industries, to connect buyers and sellers of certain types of products or services, or to network.  

 

A conference theme will usually be broader than one single topic like a workshop, which tends to focus on a more specific and hands-on topic. 

 

Conferences tend to be longer events than workshops. They can last several days or more and may have anywhere from 50 attendees to thousands of attendees. Conferences are a great way to network and see what is new in your industry.  

RETREATS

People attend a retreat to learn, relax, rejuvenate, reflect, recharge and refocus. Retreats tend to have no more than 40 or 50 people. A business retreat is a live event where you experience the best of both worlds – work and vacation. Retreats have two sides and that’s deliberate. It’s the perfect blend between reflecting and recharging but getting to learn new things and developing your business skills. It’s not always heavy work but it’s an opportunity to make strides in your business. Retreats are also held in retreat-like areas. The location is usually tucked away somewhere that’s calming and retreat-like. Think a cool Airbnb in the woods with a runningstream nearby, a beach house on a beautiful coast or a cabin in the mountains with stellar views. 

This event is usually one to three speakers. Retreats live up to their name when they’re filled with activities such as yoga, meditation, exercise, nature walks and other calming activities. 

 

Now that I have talked about the differences, let’s dive into the details of the planning.  

CHOOSING A DATE

The first thing you have to do when planning a retreat is decide a date. When you are deciding a date make sure to be aware of any holidays that might interfere with your dates. Be aware that when planning a retreat right before or right after a holiday it might conflict with people’s availability. If are planning a retreat for a specific industry that has a busy season and slow season be aware of that too.   

 

For example, if you are planning a retreat for wedding photographers be mindful that they might not have time in the summer or spring, because that is peak wedding season. If you are planning a retreat for boutique owners you might want to avoid planning around Thanksgiving or December because that is peak shopping season.  

DESTINATION

The next part of a retreat is finding an epic destination. Depending on the type of retreat you are hosting, but for the most part you want to make sure your retreat is at a place that is easy to get to. Destinations that are close to bigger airports makes it not only convenient, but also more cost effective for your guests. You might find an awesome location and venue, but if your guests have to pay as much for the airplane ticket and/or a car rental they may not be able to justify.  

 

There is a caveat, if you have a solid brand your people would do anything to spend time with you even if it means taking out a mortgage on their home to spend a week with you in an epic destination.  

LODGING

The next part of planning a retreat is finding an amazing lodging. This part of retreat planning is one of my simple pleasures. I could spend hours on Airbnb.com looking at cool locations in amazing destinations. There are so many jaw-dropping properties.  

 

Because a retreat is typically something people go on to learn, relax, rejuvenate, reflect, recharge and refocus. With that being said you want to make sure your location provides enough space and also fits all your guests needs and expectations.  

When choosing a location or venue you want to take into consideration the sleeping arrangements. A lot of retreats are done in larger homes or cabins so everyone is under the same roof. You might find an amazing house that sleeps 30-40 people, but that also might mean people have to share rooms and/or beds and some guests might not be okay with that.   

 

The crucial part of the location planning is that if you determine that people have to share rooms you HAVE to be transparent and upfront about this information. If people do not want to share a room, you could offer a higher rate for a private room or discounted rate for a shared room. Either way you HAVE to let people know this information upfront.  

 

Unless you plan on providing all the food, another thing to consider when choosing a location is proximity to restaurants, activities, and other amenities. 

FOOD

We all love good food and this definitely can add to the experience, but if you are providing all the food for 30 people for entire week this cost can really add up.  

 

Try to be cost effective with the food you provide. Consider providing breakfast, lunch and snacks, and let the guest be on their own for dinner. Dinner tends to be the most expensive meal of the day, and this can really add up, especially if you are providing alcohol. If you are in a location that has lots of restaurants close by you can meet up as a group or let your guests do their own thing.  

SPEAKERS

If you decide to have speakers at your retreat, providing travel expenses and a speaking fee is the industry standard. When presenting the travel reimbursement research what the average flight costs are and offer a specific amount. That way your speakers will know that if they decide to upgrade their flight or wait until the last minute to book their flight, those extra expenses are their responsibility. If you have a lot of credit card points and prefer to book their flights for them that is an option as well.  

 

The speaker fee can always be negotiated. The speaker might be willing to speak in trade for a spot at your retreat or for some great exposure. This part can be tricky, but respect other professionals and their time. If possible, provide a couple of different options and then agree on something that benefits both parties.  

SPONSORS

Finding sponsors is a great way to help you cross-market, cut your costs, and provide swag to your attendees. Reach out to brands you have worked with or use in your business and ask if they would be willing to sponsor your retreat. Let them know what you do and who you serve and the details. The worse thing they can say is no, right? 

 

When you host the retreat make a point to talk and show your appreciation for your sponsors and encourage all your attendees to talk about them on social media and tag them. Your sponsors will appreciate it and it will make them willing to sponsor you again in the future.  

SWAG

The little details are so important to me. It helps create an awesome experience and by gifting your attendees little gifts it adds that extra little touch. If you can get your sponsors to send these gifts that is great, but if you opt not to get sponsors consider working a little gift into your budget.  

PRICING

Let’s dive into how to price your retreat. Retreats are a lot of work and unless you are doing it out of the kindness of your heart, you want to make sure you make your desired profit. Pricing is often a tricky part for entrepreneurs. You are may not have some money mindset issues around what to charge, but you need to work through that. If you are providing value your ideal audience, be willing to pay for it.  

 

The first thing you want to do when figuring out pricing is make a estimate of what you costs are going to be. Include lodging, food, supplies, travel, swag/gifts, speaker expenses, and any other expenses you might accrue. Give yourself a small budget for misc. expenses, because they will happen.  

 

Once you have an estimate of what your costs will be decide how much you want to make. Then add your expenses with desired profit and then divide that number from how many available beds or rooms.  

 

Let’s do an example: 

 

15 available rooms/beds 

 
Lodging for 4 days and 3 nights = $3000 

Estimated food costs = $2000 

Swag/Gifts – $500 

Travel/Speaker expenses = $500 
 

Total Expenses = $6000 

Desired Profit = $10,000 

 
Total =$16,000 expenses/15 rooms 

 

I would need to charge $1066 each person to make the profit I want to make.  

 

This is a good starting point, and you can play around with this pricing depending on if there are different options for private room or shared, but you know that on average you need to make this much in order to make your desired profit.  

MARKETING

Now that you have all the details of the retreat planned and coordinated, now it’s time to sell it! It doesn’t matter how amazing your location is and how awesome your swag is if you can’t sell it out. It’s time to get to work and sell this thing! 

NAME AND TAGLINE

Come up with a name for your retreat and a tagline that explains in 1-2 sentences who the retreat is for and what they can expect. 

WEBSITE/SALES PAGE

Create a website or sales page that gives all the details of the retreat. You will want to include date, location, itinerary, details on lodging, food provided, education provided, speakers, and cost.  

 

Provide as many details as possible impossible including your bio and speaker bios. Include pictures of the host, location, and anything else that will get them excited. 

 

Include a call to action to grab their spot, then redirect them to the payment page.  

SOCIAL MEDIA

Create graphics for all your social media platforms that hype people up and then redirect them to your sales page. Post these frequently until your retreat is full.  
 

Talk about your retreat non-stop. Get people excited by showing them pictures and/or videos of the location. Talk about the benefit and create a sense of urgency so they don’t put it off.  

NEWSLETTER

Send several newsletters to your email list letting them know they are the first to know. Consider offering an early bird discount or bonus for people already in your network.  

Create a sense of urgency by using a countdown timer or letting them know there are limited spots available. 

CROSS-MARKET

Ask your sponsors to share information about your retreat. Encourage attendees that sign up to share with their friends. Look for podcasts and/or interviews that will allow you to promote your retreat.  

 

Create graphics and scripts/verbiage for your sponsors to use to make it easy and quick for them to promote.  

COMMUNICATION

Prepare a series of emails for attendees that sign up. These emails include more details such as address of the location, airports options, what to expect, transportation to and from the retreat, weather, a detailed itinerary, what to pack, and anything else they need to know. There is no such thing as too much communication so if your retreat is 3 months away communicate with them regularly to get them excited.  

 

You could also create a GROUPME that will allow all the attendees to communicate and ask questions. If people want to share a car rental, they can coordinate with the group. This is a great resource for attendees to get to know each other and start to create friendships.  

Give yourself plenty of time to market your retreat. I would recommend at least 2-3 months. Talk about it and hype it up as much as possible.  

Planning a retreat is a lot of work, but it’s so rewarding when you get to watch a group of like-minded people come together and forge friendships, become inspired, and walk away with excitement about what they gained from the retreat.  

To get you started on planning your retreat I have included a Retreat Planning Guide in the show notes. If you have been considering hosting a retreat, do it! You will love it! 

Click HERE to grab your guide. 

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I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach

Helping Women Know Themselves- Chelsea Christensen

Helping Women Know Themselves - Chelsea Christensen

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Helping Women Know Themselves - Chelsea Christensen

Helping Women Know themselves - Chelsea Christensen
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Chelsea Christensen is a mom of four, wife, and serial entrepreneur. She currently runs a screen-printing company, Uniformity Apparel, coaches one-on-one clients and business retreats, and podcaster. 
 
Her desire is to help women know themselves, love themselves, and fulfill their very biggest dreams. She is passionate about motherhood, her relationships with her children and giving them the tools they need to become the best versions of themselves. If you desire a wholehearted life of growth, Chelsea is someone who is there to support you along the way! This is Helping Women Know Themselves – Chelsea Christensen 

Chelsea’s story

Chelsea was born in Utah, and for the last few years she has been able to connect with so many women around the country. She is a longtime Entrepeneur, from making handmade soaps to a photography business, She’s done it all. These stepping stones are what led her to owning a screen-printing business today. Her love of design inspired her to create this business.

 

The struggle of a growing business on top of raising a family led her to want to be able to help and coach others in their business, life, and motherhood journey to become successful in all fields. She has four kids, so she understands the struggle of being an entrepreneur while raising kids. While incorporating her family in her business she has found the perfect balance between home and work to succeed in both.  

Mindset

Being a business and life coach has really shown me that mindset is key for success. There was a time of my life in my business where I would work 15 hours a day, with my mindset being, the longer and “harder” you work, the more success you will gain. I finally realized that the most important thing in my life is connection, and when I worked so many hours, I was losing all my connections. I needed to find a way to be able to set boundaries with myself with work to be able to keep these important connections I have.

 

The deadlines will scream at you, but the people who need you and you connect with will not. So, my goal is to help guide women in creating a life where they intentionally choose what is important to them. Which I have learned is so powerful in creating a great mindset and life. 

Connection

When I found myself a couple of years ago, I realized how much I cherished physical touch. Specifically with my children, so when they were babies  it was easy to connect with them. Although I discovered that it will not always be so easy to connect as they grow. I think this is important because, with people or with your children, there will be different seasons in the ways you connect. I realized that the effortless way of connecting with my children when they were little had stopped, and it is our responsibility to make sure that no matter what, we are finding ways to connect with our children. 

Because at the same time, your children are changing and adapting to find themselves as well. 

 

The more you honor that everyone has different experiences and views on certain scenarios, the better our connections will be with those people. By putting in the effort of seeing other people’s perspectives, our connection will flourish. Step by step I have helped so many women create strong and amazing connections with their children and people in general. 

Connect with Chelsea

Instagram: 

@chelseachristensen 

Website: 

chelseachristensen.com

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I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach

Girl Drama

GIRL DRAMA

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GIRL DRAMA

GIRL DRAMA
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My daughter is 13 years old is going into the 8th grade. I have gotten a little taste of girl drama these past few months. I get it, I really do. What would school be without some theatrics? We all know how it starts, but how to end the girl drama is the real question.  Although it is becoming an expensive bad habit, I have learned that our Starbuck runs have become the excuse to hear all about all the things. I so look forward our car rides to hear all the happenings of who said this or that. I am convinced the most valuable and teachable opportunities are in car rides or just before bedtime—when kids will say or do anything to avoid going to bed.

The other day my daughter jolted in the car frazzled and upset.  I know better than to ask what is wrong but refrained until she was ready to talk.  A friend at school had told her she was “rude as usual.”  I let her vent and steam until she was ready to listen. I then turned my mama bear hat on backward and morphed into life coach-mode.  I began to remind her that we can not control other people’s thoughts or actions, but only our own.  When she said, “ you were rude as usual, how did that make you feel,” I asked?  She snapped back with. “it made me sad.”

This is the worst age. It’s when children realize that they do not get along with everyone and that certain behaviors or mannerisms of their peers sometimes don’t align with their own. They may get irritated, annoyed, and agitated by things that previously had gone unnoticed. They start to become more mindful of what others are saying, wearing, or doing. They become more self-aware and self-conscious. This is a crucial time in their lives to teach them about the power of thoughts.

I realize we have done an injustice to our children without even realizing it. At a young age when someone would say something to our child that made them feel uncomfortable, we responded with, Did they hurt your feelings? This is where we went wrong.

Other people have no control over our feelings; we are completely responsible for our own feelings. Our thoughts control our feelings. Let me say that again, our thoughts control our feelings. If someone tells you they don’t like what you are wearing, that statement does not make you sad. It’s when you let your thoughts turn into I don’t look good, or My clothes are not cute, that creates a feeling of sadness. Although it’s easy to blame those around us—the one who doesn’t like what you’re wearing, in truth, we own our thoughts. We alone have power over our thoughts. 

We may think that these behaviors only happen in children, but that is false. We are just as guilty as adults. How many times do we find ourselves getting offended by something posted on social media? What about if a friend or family member doesn’t call or text us back? How do you feel about your competition?  How much of your energy do you spend on the people that don’t inspire you or bring you up? 

Since we are talking about clothes I will give you another example. I have always loved fashion and lean towards more trendy styles. If I had a dollar for every time someone made fun of what I was wearing and then 6 months later they were wearing the same thing. I would be rich!

One of the most valuable and empowering tools is to identify, control, and change your thoughts. The instant we let others’ opinions, words, or actions affect us, we have allowed ourselves the inability to reach our full potential. These habits may have developed in our early years, but it isn’t too late to reverse them and teach them to ourselves.

Starting the drama takes little effort, but learning to end the drama is the real achievement.  Don’t go throughout your life feeling offended or hurt. You can learn to identify your thoughts and eventually control and change them to serve you and help you progress. 

Life is most definitely not void of hard and challenging relationships and trials. We will continue to have these same experiences of “girl drama” as we become adults. We will experience these in our personal lives and in the workplace. But if we learn to manage what we can control and let go of the things we can’t, we will learn to end the girl drama. 

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Redefine Business Podcast

I'm Brittni Schroeder!

I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach

Mya Nichol Instagram Coach

Mya Nichol Instagram Coach

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Mya Nichol Instagram Coach

Mya Nichol Instagram Coach​
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Mya Nichol is an instagram marketing and growth expert! What started as a way to make money during nursing school quickly turned into an eye-opening experience to the potential growth and opportunities in the online world. In the matter of 6 months, she was able to scale from $2k months to $30k months using social media marketing and grewher account by 100,000 followers using organic growth strategies. Now, she spends her days teaching product and service-based businesses how to grow their following & monetize their presence as well as boating with her family, walking her dog named Covid, and eating sushi. This is Mya Nichol Instagram Coach.

Mya’s story

As a 22-year-old originally from southern Idaho she moved down to Utah to attend college at BYU to accomplish her dream of becoming a nurse. As she started out nursing school, she needed to find a way to be able to support her new family that worked with her busy schedule of being a nursing student. This is when she came across an advertisement for how to make an income that fit her needs perfectly, she decided to try this out. After her first semester of nursing school, she decided to do this full time during the summer of being a marketing strategist. By the end of the summer, she decided to drop out of college and pursue her marketing career full time.

At this pivotal moment in her life was when the COVID 19 pandemic began as well, which gave her the opportunity to put her full energy into trying to gain exponential growth on her Instagram marketing account. Finally, after posting about 120 times, she hit her mark, she had grown from 4k followers to 10k followers. She kept growing and growing and along the way she helped people with her tips and tricks for marketing strategies. Through trial and error, she decided to open up coaching calls that has brought her tremendous success and became Mya Nichol Instagram Coach.

Niching Down

When I began to consistently post in the beginning of 2021, I did not know what truly my niche was. But through consistent posting I found my niche, and when I did, I dove fully into it. Give yourself time to find your niche, and don’t feel like you can’t do this just because you haven’t found your niche yet. You won’t want to give your time and energy into something you are not passionate about, so take your time in finding what really is your niche. 

Find what you love and are passionate about and become consistent with your passions! Niches have become so popular in recent years. We are all multi passionate, but you have to choose one, and follow through with it, so when others click on your page, they know exactly what your niche is and what your brand is. Ask yourself, what are people actually interested in and what do you want to talk about every day? You will find your niche through asking yourself these questions, then through trial and error.

How to help grow your gram

It’s hard to say exactly what will help each person in growing their Instagram, but from what I’ve noticed, reels are very successful right now. Especially reals with original audios have become something that Instagram has been pushing out. The actual tactic of creating a viral reel is have a hook in the beginning that is really engaging and specific. Have this on the cover photo and within the very first few seconds of your reel, you want your viewers to watch past the first three seconds, but also watch through your whole video.

After your hook, how will you keep the audience attention? Make sure to have the information you advertised in your video, or in the caption. Finally, always have a call to action at the end of your reel, your viewers are asking “what’s next?” this is what your call to action helps with, walking them to the next step.

Connect with Mya

My DMs are always open! I’d love to chat!

Website:

https://myanichol.com/

IGU monthly growth membership:

https://myanichol.com/igu

Free Instagram Checklist: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/624c6ad3c2bc0f13bc3c6ee3

Free 10-day Reel Challenge:

Redefine Business Podcast

I'm Brittni Schroeder!

I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach

Mindsets of Successful Entrepreneurs

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Mindsets Of Successful Entrepreneurs

Mindsets Of Successful Entrepreneurs
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“Tell me about your big dream.” This is one of the first questions I ask my clients. How is your mindset, different than the mindsets of successful entrepreneurs.  

 

I’ve noticed a pattern. The answers a majority of my clients give are general, safe, and predictable. So predictable, in fact, that I often know what they will say before they say it: “I want to be successful,” my clients tell me. So what are the mindsets of successful entrepreneurs .

Although when I ask them to define what success means to them, I am surprised at the mediocre aim of their goals.  “I just want to make a little extra money or I would be happy with a few more clients. “ This is where I challenge my clients, inquiring why their goal is not to make a million dollars or to become the CEO? Trying to push them to be honest with themselves. Their reasoning surfaces: “I don’t have the education, I don’t need money to be happy, I don’t have the time.”  

We are all capable of “The Big Dream.” The only thing that holds us back is our own thoughts. That is IT! It sounds too simple, but the truth is that our thoughts control our results. Rarely do people focus enough on this aspect of success, which is why the first thing I teach my clients is to identify, recognize, and manage their thoughts. You can have every business tool available and all the education in the world, but if you don’t learn to control your mind you will not have the ability to progress. If you are looking to become the best version of yourself, you will need to learn to implement the proper tools.

Confidence

Confidence in Yourself.  Confidence is having the ability to trust yourself. You say you will do something and you do it,  you have know that you can do hard things. If you start something, you finish it, no matter the outcome.  This builds character, determination, and self-respect. People become known for these attributes. Successful people understand this concept and implement it into all aspects of their lives. If you were to ask your best friends to describe would dependability be one of the words they use? When others can’t depend on you, chances are you can’t depend on you. This is where confidence originates.

If you are lacking in confidence start with something little and build on it. When you say you are going to workout every day, do it, and if you tell yourself you are going to go start work at 8:00am do it. Over time this will help you start to build confidence in yourself, because when you say you are going to do something. You do it!

Comparison Equals Motivation

Jealousy and envy is innate. These thoughts are present regardless. It is when you let these feelings hinder your progress that they hold you back. Learn to recognize jealous thoughts and change them into thoughts that motivate and serve you. Dwelling on negative emotions because of what others have can be detrimental to your own growth. Find people who motivate and inspire you. You have a choice in who you are surrounded by and the thoughts you choose to think. 

Take the time to check yourself. Who are your friends, who do you follow on social media and who are your colleagues? Choose those people wisely and if you find yourself having negative thoughts or emotions it’s time to find a new circle.

Avoid the Past

We all have experienced failures and disappointments in our past, but that is where they live—in the past. Take those experiences and use them as a tutor. Don’t let your past define you, but let it refine you into something better. When you blame your past for your current situation it makes you become a prisoner to things that are out of your control.

If you find yourself talking and thinking more about what happened or having thoughts like I am this way because of my past, you need to recognize those thoughts and find ways to let go. We can’t change the past, but we can definitely determine our future.

Embrace Failure

Failure shows you are doing something new and different. The willingness to be uncomfortable and try new things is when growth appears. It is the fear of failure that holds us back from taking action. When we embrace failure, we become open to taking risks and in turn we gain more opportunity, more growth, and more knowledge. The mindsets of successful entrepreneurs have committing to fail a mindset they embrace.

I often remind myself that the more I fail the more I succeed. This doesn’t come easy to everyone but take it from someone who has failed a lot. It’s like anything we do, practice makes perfect and let yourself get perfect at failing. With this succeeding then becomes so much easier.

Time Management

Learning to control your mind helps you to manage your time. People with mindsets of successful entrepreneurs often value time over money.  Time becomes the most valuable commodity in their workflow.  Being intentional with your time and your thoughts about time helps you accomplish your big goals.  Be determined to manage every minute as if it were an investment in your success. Also, be respectful of your time and others. Plan your days and honor your plan.

I don’t know if this is a blessing or a curse, but I am such a planner. Even if I have a friends reach out and want to grab lunch, if it isn’t planned then I ask to do it another day. These habits have helped me work hard, but also to enjoy my time off and not feel guilty.

Unattainable Goals

Goal setting is the most compassionate thing we can do for ourselves. By doing this we strive to be the best and achieve the best. Learn to include what you once thought of as “unattainable goals” in your list. When we start to change our thoughts to work towards the big goals, we begin to evolve and surpass the goals we didn’t realize were even possible. By focusing on a goal we want to achieve, we become focused on ways to accomplish the goals. Opportunities will begin to present themselves and we become better versions of ourselves regardless the outcome. 

As you implement these mindsets into your business, you will see growth and progression. The mindsets of successful entrepreneurs Create new habits and thoughts and be consistent. Change takes time, but the payoff is huge. 

You might be really good at some of these principals and others you might struggle. That’s okay. Recognizing your strengths and working on your weaknesses is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.

 

I hope you found these tips helpful, and I look forward to hearing how you implement these into your lives.

Redefine Business Podcast

I'm Brittni Schroeder!

I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach

Kristen Ricupero – Financial Fitness Coach

Kristen Ricupero - Financial Fitness Coach

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Kristen Ricupero - Financial Fitness Coach

Kristen Ricupero – Financial Fitness Coach
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Kristen Ricupero is a financial coach for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Kristen is a Master Financial Coach, Certified Profit First Coach, and recipient of the Pittsburgh Professional Women 2021 Influential Leadership Award. She specializes in the business and financial aspect in a holistic approach. Kristen is fueled by her passion to help others succeed, make impact in their communities, and become financially free.  In her spare time, she is an avid runner and lifter.  She lives in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two children.  We see so many businesses and people struggle with finances and Kristen helps those people out. This is Kristen Ricupero – Financial Fitness Coach.

Kristen believes that you need to build your business to suit the life that you want, not the other way around. At times people tend to work and work until it drains them, so build your business where you enjoy the thing you do, set boundaries with yourself, and find a balance with yourself and your business so what are your priorities?

Tips for business owners

  • Use multiple accounts for business when it comes to your bank accounts. This is where people struggle with the most when opening a business, in general, when you separate your accounts, this helps you know exactly what your money is going to and where it goes. People get easily overwhelmed with this concept and I think it’s a great way to organize yourself. Set certain accounts to certain things such as taxes, and money for yourself, etc. Stay organized with your finances.
  • Learn to pay yourself from the beginning. When you learn to live or run your business on less than its making is so important. The nature of our behaviors is when we increase our revenues, we tend to increase our expenses, and we forget to pay ourselves. If you don’t set that boundary of paying yourself, then it will go to another expense that ends up being less important than paying yourself.
  • Always think about every expense in your business in two ways. Ask yourself, is this an expense, or is this an investment. See every expense and see if this is truly an investment or just an expense, and why am I spending money on this. Think about things and if you really need it or just want it. Compared to investments where the things you spend on improve your business and its outcomes.

Being a business owner can be hard and stressful, and at times it can even become overwhelming. With just these simple tips it can help you immensely becom more aware and organized within your business. Kristen has a live group coaching program that will be launching soon.

Connect with Kristen

Redefine Business Podcast

I'm Brittni Schroeder!

I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach
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Overwhelm

Overwhelm

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Overwhelm

Overwhelm

Most of us experience overwhelm. It’s a part of life. We have a million things to do and not enough time to do them. We wear several different hats and often have unrealistic expectations of ourselves in each of our many roles. We try to do everything for everyone. The thought that there is too much to do and not enough time is a thought that most often leads us to overwhelm. In order to progress we need to learn how to deal with overwhelm.

We believe that all the things we have on our to-do list lead us to overwhelm, which can cause or contribute to our anxiety. 

 

However, that is not true.  It’s not the external things that cause us to have those feelings, it’s our thoughts. When our thoughts make us feel inadequate, whether that pertains to time or capability, our brains start to feel anxiety.  Anxiety is excessive nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worry. When we are in that mindset we do not think clearly; therefore, we lose focus and can’t get things done.

We can learn to have better control over the overwhelm.  That’s not to say you will never get overwhelmed again but learning to manage it will be so beneficial.  There are tools that you can use that can help you overcome excessive overwhelm.

IDENTIFY THE THOUGHT

The first things you need to do is figure out what your thought is that is causing overwhelm. Is it time?  Do you have the thought “I don’t have enough time”? Having this thought can cause anxiety and the result is we shut down, which adds to overwhelm. When you feel overwhelmed try to recognize your thoughts as to why.

REPLACE THE THOUGHT

Find a new thought to replace your negative thought.  This thought has to believable.  If you try to have the thought “I have plenty of time” but you don’t believe it then nothing will change.  You could try the thought “I always get my work done” or ” I will get it done when I get it done”. Try out different thoughts until you find one that works for you.

MAKE A PLAN

Don’t get stuck in overwhelm.  We want to avoid inaction at all cost.  When nothing gets done, anxiety and overwhelm only increase.  Plan how you are going to get your tasks completed.  Break it down into small tasks or increments of time. Creating a plan gives you direction and focus and takes you one step closer to achievement.

EXECUTE

Follow through with the plan. Do what you said you were going to do.  We build confidence as we learn to trust ourselves that we will do what we say we are going to do.  As we complete tasks and finish things, we will notice that overwhelm begins to go away.

We have a lot of things we need to do, letting ourselves feel overwhelmed is not one of them.  As you continually learn to work on your thoughts, you will find that you will experience less and less overwhelming. You will take control and learn how to deal with overwhelm.

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Redefine Business Podcast

I'm Brittni Schroeder!

I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach

Investing In Real Estate With The Stealthy Rich

We have seen how the market has changed so much; real estate is largely involved in the relationship game. This is investing in real estate with stealthy rich.

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Investing In Real Estate With Stealthy Rich

Investing In Real Estate With Stealthy Rich
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He has been in real estate for about ten years but realized he wanted to find a way to accelerate his goals. I realized I didn’t want to be in cubical hell for 30 plus years. I wanted action on how my business was run, we started me and my partner of stealthy rich in 2013 with a couple doors, fast forward to now, we have over 20 doors. We have seen how the market has changed so much; real estate is largely involved in the relationship game. This is investing in real estate with stealthy rich.

Our story

When we first started me and my partner Dave decided to mix our skills together of being an attorney and in IT and bought our first house in our name, and decided we wanted to rent out.  By just owning this property and renting them out, the revenue was rolling in, we then realized we needed more money to be able to buy other houses. We would buy and flip houses to create revenue in order to have money to buy our rental properties which is how we were able to buy over 50 houses in about three years. We think this is the fastest and most effective way in creating long term wealth.

With so many shortages in today’s age, we see the demand of needed houses, with a shortage in supply. Which made our business slow down a little, although we know that the market will eventually come back up in the future. We start off at 30-year loans.  This process with involved with the bank, is very time consuming and is hard to obtain. So, we decided to go another route of a 20-year loan that created a much more lenient acceptance loan rate.

How to get into real estate investing as a beginner

First find an area that has affordable real estate, for us that meant liquid houses with three-bedroom two car garages, preferably single-story homes.

Then once you have narrowed that down, we like older houses due to the fact that they are cheaper for the sane stats as a newer home.

Then we want the rent to price ratio to be 1%. So, 1,000 dollars rent per month for a house that cost 100,000 dollars. All it takes is some research and your willingness to get your hands a little dirty.

It was a struggle to change my mentality when it comes to investing and having debt, I learned to not worry about debt as long as you have a healthy flow of cash flow. Borrowing responsibly is the key to success in using this tactic. Using government taxation and inflation, we can use it to help us rather than letting it hurt us. The value on our homes will increase overtime, we want to have as much safe responsible debt as we can to let our money work for ourselves.

Knowledge is power.

Connect with Stealthy Rich:

Website: https://thestealthyrich.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestealthyrich/

Redefine Business Podcast

I'm Brittni Schroeder!

I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach

Client Boundaries

Client Boundaries

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Client Boundaries

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I feel like I should start this lesson off with me dancing to the song NO by Meghan Trainer.  Do you know the one I am talking about?  My name is No, my sign is No, my number is NO. Today I want to talk about boundaries, more specifically Client Boundaries.

If you have clients who text you at 10 pm or continually show up late (or not at all), then it’s time to establish some boundaries in your business. Being an entrepreneur has is benefits, but often times it’s hard to separate our personal and work lives. Work hours trickle into the night as we check one last email or send one more text. Clients may have unrealistic expectations. As an entrepreneur you have to learn how to say no to clients and set boundaries within your business. If you have clients that keep doing things that are not respecting your time, you could be partly to blame. It’s hard to go back in time and that is why it is so important to set the Client Boundaries upfront.

Sometimes it is necessary to put in long hours and be understanding of others’ circumstances, but it is also necessary to create a work-life balance. Setting boundaries for yourself and others will help you avoid burnout. Boundaries help you to serve your clients to the best of your abilities while also avoiding resentment.

Often we don’t realize the need for a boundary until our time, talent, or generosity has been violated. Learning to set boundaries promotes self-responsibility, empowerment, and closer relationships with your clients. With that being said you, you learn as you go in your business what is acceptable and not acceptable. 

Before you set Client Boundaries, you need to be clear with yourself about what they are. Here are few suggestions to get your started.

Establish “Office” Hours

Regardless of whether you work in an office space or on your couch, set designated work hours. It is your responsibility to educate your clients before you begin working with them. Be very clear as to when you work and what they can expect.

 

Depending on the service you are providing, set later hours a couple days a week to accommodate different time zones or clients with conflicting schedules. Try to stick to these hours. If you don’t stick to your own set hours, you can’t expect your clients to either.

Schedule Email/Corresponding Times

Responding to a client email after office hours sends mixed messages. and can cause your clients to believe they are able to make and receive requests whenever they want. If you are putting in extra time in the evenings or on the weekends, consider saving your email as a draft or scheduling it to go out during your set work hours.

 

If you don’t stick to your scheduled times, you can’t expect your clients to either. Make it a habit of not checking messages or emails during your off time.

Set Email/Correspondence Expectations

Sometimes you have the ability to respond to your clients within an hour and other times it might take 24-48 hours. Clearly define what your response time will be from the beginning so they will know what to expect. Let your clients know how long it typically takes you to respond and that you will do so within your business hours.

You should also clarify the best form of communication, whether that is text, email, or phone. With the many platforms and modes of communication available, you want to streamline your communication to one place to avoid confusion.

Client Results

Clients typically hire us because they have a problem. We work with them to provide a solution and create amazing results together. However, if your client doesn’t uphold her end of the agreement/contract, the results may be less than satisfactory. Impress upon your clients their responsibility in the process—whether that means showing up on time to get the full experience, doing homework, following through, or simply being present. In order to do your job, they have to do theirs. Set clear Client Boundaries with your clients so they understand their responsibility in receiving the sought-after results.

Client Expectations

Be very clear about what your client will be getting when they work with you. A client requesting additional work can turn into regular requests that go beyond your original contract or agreement. Clearly define the work scope and hours you agreed on. Identify added costs for expedited services or fees accrued for weekend work. Remind your client of the added costs before agreeing to accept additional work.

Talk about extra work

If your clients want more revisions than the ones that are included in the contract or if they want to add another page or another feature to their website, they should know if they have to pay for that or not. A lot of people expect freelancers to do more work for free, especially if they are working on a large project, so you should tell them that extra work isn’t free. You should also include your hourly rate for revisions or extra work in the contract.

Communicate the progress of the project

Your clients are excited and want to see results as fast as possible. They might also think that you are only working on their project and don’t have a business to run. They have no idea how long it takes to help multiple clients with multiple projects or problems. To avoid waking up to three emails with the same subject, keep your clients updated and explain to them each phase of the process. This will also make them feel more involved in the project and will keep them excited.

TAKE VACATIONS

It’s important to take time off.  If you go on vacation let your clients know ahead of time. Again, it’s all about communication. Let your clients know as soon as possible about time off so they can plan any projects that they may need your assistance. Then set an autoresponder to remind them that you are away. Don’t forget to have fun on your vacation.

Boundaries can be complicated and messy if you don’t set them up front, but also remember setting boundaries is also something you are learning as you go. Your business will evolve and so will your boundaries. When you are first starting you might not have a lot of boundaries, but as you get busier in your business you will realize you need way more boundaries to accomplish the things you want to accomplish. When we take on more than we can handle it starts to affect our work.

You always want to offer the best service and product possible. Learning how to say no to clients and setting client boundaries in your business will create mutual respect. Boundaries are an essential tool in running a successful business. Without them, you lose valuable time and energy. When you’re clear and consistent, your clients will be pleased with your work and more likely to offer referred business.

Redefine Business Podcast

I'm Brittni Schroeder!

I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach

Turning Passion into A Career – Angie Monson

Turning Passion into A Career – Angie Monson

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Turning Passion Into A Career- Angie Monson

Turning Passion Into A Career- Angie Monson​
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Angie Monson is a life coach and retreat planner from Salt Lake City, UT. She is obsessed with self-discovery and travel and has combined the two to create the career of her dreams. On today’s episode of “Redefine Podcast with Brittni Schroeder” Brittni discusses with Angie about her journey to creating her incredible business of helping others on their journeys to self-discovery. This is Turning Passion Into A Career- Angie Monson.

About Angie

Angie is a single mom of three kiddos from Salt Lake City, Utah and the owner and creator of Deriveretreats. She discovered her passion for travel when she decided to try and discover her true self. She knew she wanted to become free of the mindset of having self-limiting beliefs. Leaving the societal norm of needing a 9-5 job where you trade your time for money behind. She craved more, and through traveling she discovered that she could create a business through her true passion of travel. Today she discusses the mindset of turning passion into a career and how you can achieve it.

Her Mission

The journey to self-discovery was what made her realize that she could do anything she set her mind to, and she wanted to help others on their paths of finding their true selves. Through her business she has been able to do just that. By experiencing new cultures and places, it makes people begin to create a new perspective on life.  Traveling forces people to look inwards rather than keeping their minds filled with worries that we create living in our society. She specifically chooses traveling overseas, because she believes it is the best way to get people outside of their “bubble” that they create.

Her business focusses on creating self-discovery trips rather than a mere vacation. She goes off the beaten path and exposes people to experiences that are moving and eye opening, such as giving back to the local kids. Meditation, journaling, helping the locals, and trekking are just some of the many things people experience through these trips. People tend to forget how important it is to connect with themselves, we are always so busy, but when you are in a new place it forces you to connect with your childlike wonder of being worry free and finding happiness in simple things. Peru, Bali, Croatia, The Philippines, and Mexico are just a few of the places she has traveled to with her retreats she created.

“We spend half of our life learning how to become an adult, and we spend the second half learning to become a kid again”

The Importance of Mindset

Mindset with business is everything. If you don’t have a positive mindset then you won’t be able to succeed. A lot of times we have these limiting beliefs when it comes to our potentials, but we can make anything we want to happen. It’s all in the mindset. If you fail, try try again. Do not see it as a failure, see it as a lesson, adapt and try again. You won’t ever be able to have deep connections with others if you haven’t connected with yourself first. You must always believe in yourself. By working through your thoughts and challenging your doubts it helps you discover your confidence and when you believe in something with confidence then other people will believe in it too.

I remember telling myself: I want other people to really feel the feeling of being free, and when I really focused on looking inwards, I started to realize, I can do anything I set my mind to. People tend to always overthink things which is mostly caused by having self-doubts that holds you back from taking action.

The sky is the limit.

Connect with Angie

Instagram: @deriveretreats

Website: deriveretreats.com

 

Redefine Business Podcast

I'm Brittni Schroeder!

I’m a Diet Coke drinkin, chocolate eatin, Netflix watchin, all-around good time! I want to show you how to grow and scale your business. Let’s be business BFFs! 

Women's Business Coach