Loading...
Answers
MenuWill extended offsites and company retreats become a thing?
Answers
Hi,
Interesting idea.
My only concerns are these:
1. Budget limitations...companies would still have to pay for a whole month of rent + travel + food...etc.
2. Many (most?) employees have families - so leaving them for a whole month might be difficult and not in their interest.
Good luck
I've successfully helped over 350 entrepreneurs, startups and businesses, and I would be happy to help you. After scheduling a call, please send me some background information so that I can prepare in advance - thus giving you maximum value for your money. Take a look at the great reviews I’ve received: https://clarity.fm/assafben-david
With the exception of the "extended" qualifier, I believe the answer is yes. I have extensive experience growing remote engineering teams. As somebody else here mentioned, extended offsites are difficult because schedules are tough to coordinate, people have families, etc. However, it is very common for remote teams to have anywhere from 1-4 offsite meetups per year - anywhere from 3-7 days in length - where a combination of work and play occur. The more the better, but the frequency and length tends to be dictated by budget. These are great opportunities to build culture and rally around big projects. As more companies go remote, I suspect they'll find the same types of offsites and cadences making sense for them.
I design and facilitate executive retreats, team building, and meetings. I also have done President's Clubs for some clients.
Event before COVID-19, the market for off-sites had not recovered strongly. Now that companies are hurting financially, their return is not likely.
The exception would be some of the sectors like tech companies that are doing well.
I have done many meetings where family is welcome. The employee pays the extra to bring family. I've organized this for Canadian and Middle Eastern clients.
I think for companies that are doing well, I can see slightly longer offsites (e.g. Thursday to Monday).
When I have organized President's Clubs and designed and facilitated executive retreats and team building retreats, some families do bring children and extend their stay.
The timing would have to be very carefully selected for example just before or after Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Family Day (in some Canadian provinces), March Break, Easter, or during summer holidays. Summer is a great option for sun destinations as rates are lower.
Here is my company's complimentary executive team building guide:
http://www.executiveoasis.com/blog/teambuilding.html
If you need help in planning President's Clubs or planning and facilitating executive retreats or team building, please reach out to me.
Related Questions
-
What is your advice for building a team of like-minded individuals to help start your business?
I'm a feelance CFO and I work actively with early stage companies. I've been at this for almost 30 years. Some of my current and recent clients wrestle actively with this very questions. My advice is to have the tough conversations right up front, early in the team building process. This usually consists of answering questions like, "who's in charge and what does that really mean," "who gets how much of the company and when and in exchange for what," "what are you, you and you really bringing to the table in terms of skills and cash," and "who is really in a life situation that will allow them to sustain their commitment to the business?" Any team that can get through these questions can get through the trials of surviving startup. I'm happy to talk with you directly about these issues and, in particular, to help look at them through a strategic financial planning lens.HD
-
Is it OK not to have CTO co-founder?
In my last two start ups I have invested heavier into my team than i have in the past and it has paid off big. Hiring an expert in their position has proven to be one of my most successful and stress free action in business. I will add this to my best practices. If you want to learn more about what I've learned and some resources on where to look, schedule a call now while my rates are discounted for the next 24 hours.AF
-
What are some early symptoms of conflict between people working on a team together?
The number one would be shipping product (or anything really) out in front of a customer. If you can't work together to get something done fast, that is usually a huge indicator that somethings wrong. That usually means your values or mission aren't aligned.DM
-
What does your a team look like for a software company of ten or less people? Or, how do you think it should be?
Instead of looking at who does what .. why not look at the things that need to get done for a small techology team. Product: 6 people - 3 full stack engineers - 2 front end developers - 1 designer / product person Marketing & Community, 1 person - Full time hire, or CEO Support & Operations, 1 person - Part time hire, or CEO + Whole team I believe it's important for everyone on the team to help with support. Also, if you have a great product, then support shouldn't be that taxing. Q&A is usually needed when you have a bad development process (no unit testing or continuous integration deployments). Outsource everything else. - Bookeeping - HR stuff - Legal - Government program paperwork Hope that helps. P.S. I would put as many people on product as that's where you'll get the most bang for your buck.DM
-
Should I ask for equity when joining a startup? When/how? (And whom should I call via Clarity?)
If the team has aspirations to build a venture backeable business (i.e. Raise money for equity), then of course you should ask. Ask the CEO if he has a ESOP (Employee Stock Option Plan), and if it's part of the compensation package. You're allowed to ask. As for the right person on Clarity, pretty much anyone in this list https://clarity.fm/browse/raising-capital/venture-capital Tom seems to be fast to respond.DM
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.