Surround yourself with smart people

As I wrote about a couple weeks ago, Nikki and I attended a 2-day retreat focused on business and life planning. We left the retreat feeling more organized and better prepared to manage work, life, and our expectations for both. We developed systems to keep us more accountable to our goals. We took a deep dive into our budget. We developed a “manifesto” of priorities to vet our decisions in the future. We established 2024 family goals by category that we will track throughout the year. We committed to a monthly meeting to review our progress. All good things that will help us have more success in achieving our goals in the future.

The retreat was held at Evins Mill in Smithville, Tennessee. A beautiful rustic retreat that lent to calm reflection and no interruptions.

Evins Mill

The retreat was attended by other business owners that are coached by my friend Hannah Paramore Breen. As they worked through their 2024 business plans, Nikki and I worked through our 2024 and beyond life plan. The majority of the attendees were young business owners in the midst of growing their businesses. They all were smart, hungry, savvy business people developing strategies to improve their business and to become more profitable, sustainable enterprises.

It was enjoyable to listen to and be around the group. Although I may be at a different stage in my life, their passion for their work and their desire to exceed expectations was good to witness. I also think they appreciated the perspective from the “old guy” in the room on occasion.

As we get older, I think it is extra important to surround yourself with young, smart people that are building businesses, building lives, and embracing new things. Their energy is infectious and reminds us of how exciting life should be. We need to continue embracing challenges, learn new things, and test our boundaries as we grow older.

I hear a lot of older people say they don’t understand young people. I think a lot of it is because they never talk to younger people. They don’t interact with them on a meaningful level. Get to know them. We have much to learn and much to teach.

We left the retreat feeling good about the time we spent and the results of our work. After being around a lot of smart people, we also realized that maybe we had a pretty good handle on things, as everyone expressed similar concerns and challenges that we often encounter. Being proactive, organized, and intentional is the key to increasing your odds of success.