Startup Retreat: Why Your Startup Should Host One
We’re retreating! No, we aren’t waiving the white flag and surrendering. ONE is hosting a retreat July 11-12 for employees and investors.
What’s a retreat, why are we hosting one, and why should your startup have one?
What is a Corporate Retreat?
The traditional form of a retreat was held for executives of a company who would gather at a resort or exotic place for seminars. A modern retreat can take many different forms, but it is for both people involved in the company and outside of the company, and is more focused on fun, relaxation, team-building, and a break from day to day operations.
A work retreat may seem like something only large corporations do to help schmooze executives, but every company can benefit from hosting even a small retreat. A retreat doesn’t have to be a lavish affair in Hawaii, but can simply be a 2-3 day getaway at a location outside of the office.
ONE Retreat
ONE will be hosting a two day company retreat, starting in Half Moon Bay and concluding at entrepreneur and investor Keith Rabois’ house. The ONE team will participate in a hike, games, hanging out at the pool and beach, time to relax, and preparing food for the homeless. We’ll enjoy meals with special guests including Lee Linden who started TapJoy and sold Karma to Facebook for $80M.
Keith Rabois is a dynamic entrepreneur who has helped develop Paypal, LinkedIn, Slide, and Square, and is an investor in ONE. He is also an early investor in Yelp, Airbnb, Palantir, YouTube, Yammer, and Xoom, and considered a member of the Paypal Mafia. Investors of ONE will also be invited to join our team for a meal and hear Keith and a special guest speak.
Benefits of Hosting a Retreat
As a founder, you sometimes have to do things that you believe in without knowing the specific ROI. Investing in your team and the culture of your company is a worthwhile cause as long as other areas of your business don’t suffer as a result. Here are several benefits of hosting a company retreat.
Building company culture
Talented people want to work in workplaces that go above and beyond for their employees. Having a strong culture will set your company apart from competitors, decrease turnover, and result in an overall happier workplace. Things as simple as planning a short retreat for employees go a long way in helping to build a strong company culture.
Team building
Developing strong relationships with your employees and allowing them to develop relationships with co-workers outside of the workplace is a great way to build morale. The stronger the team you build, the stronger your company will be.
Happy employees = happy company
Keeping employees motivated and happy is not only your job as a founder, it directly leads to higher profits. Investments in your employees are investments in your company. Keep your employees happy! Sometimes small gestures and a day or two outside of the office can brighten their day, week, or even their year.
Engaging mentors and investors
Inviting both potential and existing mentors and investors to your retreat will help strengthen your relationship and give them access to your employees and the team you have worked hard to build. Investors place a significant amount of importance on the strength of the people they are investing in. Showing them your team and that you are investing in your employees will build their confidence and trust that what you are working on is something worth getting behind.
I’ll see you on July 11th!
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