Do you need a business retreat?  Do you use your retreat as a time to look at the goals for your creative business?   I hope your answer to both questions is yes.  Not only will a business retreat allow you to get away from your routine, but your time away can help you analyze your progress and reset your creative business.

I can’t resist the opportunity to reflect and reset.  For my business retreat, my family and I rented an Airbnb for a few days.  Not only did I take a look back at everything I had planned for this year, but I was able to see areas for improvement so I could move forward.  For everything I was able to accomplish this year, I am grateful to God.  During my time of reflection, I remembered James 1:17:

Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.

So if you’re feeling stuck in your creative business, this blog post is for you. I’m going to share with you some tips on how to reset your creative business to keep your goals on track.

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase using the links.

Take a break for a day, or even just an hour, from your creative work.

While I believe in business retreats, I also believe every creative entrepreneur and writer needs rest.  As I mentioned in last week’s post, it’s easy to forget that we all need downtime. But if we manage our stress and take care of ourselves, it can do wonders for our productivity. So, for your business retreat, take a day or a few hours for yourself.  Do you have to leave town or rent an Airbnb?  No.  Spend time with family or catch up on your sleep or reading at home.  The most important point is to take a break for yourself.

Reassess your goals and priorities.

The mid-year point is a great time to reassess your goals and priorities. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to clarify how you want the next 6 to 12 months of your creative business to go.  As you reassess your goals and priorities, this may be one of those times where it’s best to take some deep breaths and think about the goals you have planned for this year.  Ask yourself the following questions:

• How many sales have I made this year?
• How much money am I spending on expenses each month?
• How much are my profits for the year?
• How much does each of my products cost?
• For each product – how many people visited the sales page?
• For each product – what is my conversion rate?
• What should I offer next?  Why?
• Which products or offers should I stop focusing on? Why?
• What new products or offers should I test?

Measure and reflect on what you’ve done so far this year.

Next, gather data from any tools you use to manage your creative or writing business.  For my business, I take a look at data from:

Google Analytics

My Shopping Carts (ThriveCart and SendOwl)

Email Service Provider (ConvertKit)

My Social Media Scheduler (CoSchedule)

My Pinterest Scheduler (Tailwind)

My Project Management Tool (Meistertask)

Once you gather your information,  it’s time to take stock of where your business stands right now- What things are going well? Where could improvement be made? Keep in mind: any progress you have made this year should be celebrated. So take a moment to reflect by recording your thoughts in your journal.  

Look at the big picture of where you want to go in the next 12 months.

Imagine what the next chapter of your business might look like. What would be some milestones you hope to achieve? How about an end goal for where you want this all to go in 12 months if success were a destination and not just a journey.
This is no small task: it’s going to take more than dreaming up ideas or brainstorming them into existence; those are the easy parts! Your roadmap entails setting goals that will guide everything from your marketing plan to how often you publish content on social media channels. It means having faith when plans hit snags and getting back out there with renewed vigor after every setback – never giving up until each milestone has been reached (and surpassed).

Create new goals and strategies that are realistic but challenging enough to keep things interesting.

Keeping things interesting is key to a successful strategy. So why not try something new and fresh?  A common misconception of business leaders is that they must repeatedly do the same thing to be considered “successful.” However, this mindset can lead businesses into complacency as much as stagnation: repetition breeds boredom! But this isn’t you.  You’re a creative entrepreneur unafraid to try new things.  Building on past successes while thinking outside the box with innovative strategies will help your creative business reach newer heights year after year.

Time to get back to work but don’t forget to have fun along the way.

You’re a creative entrepreneur with a never-ending to-do list, and you need some encouragement. Well, don’t worry. You can have fun on the way as long as you remember these four things:

1) Learn from your mistakes because they make for great stories.

2) Keep yourself accountable by setting goals that align with your overall business strategy.

3) Put your faith in action.  Trust God to help you live out the plan he has for your life.

4) And most importantly, keep believing in yourself no matter what people say or think. If we know one thing about creative entrepreneurs, they don’t like to give up until their dreams come true.

It’s time to focus and reset. Whether you need a mental break or some downtime, you must take the necessary steps for your own well-being to avoid burnout.  Take a moment to rest, tell God how you feel, and ask Him to give you the strength to reset and move forward (see also ‘How To Make Time For God With A Busy Schedule‘). To help you, I created a FREE Rest and Reset Journal. I invite you to download a copy today.