Bolidea – Giving Rise to Stellar Companies

by Magda Rocki

A startup’ s offsite is a very helpful means to getting the team focused on defining a strategy, roadmapping, planning a product launch or creating a revolutionary way of doing things.  Far from the daily distractions of the office (lengthy meetings, stressful deadlines, glaring computer screens), the offsite environment is also a great formula for open conversations about subject items you don’t have time to broach in your regular schedule.

Done well, an offsite not only puts your startup’s great minds together to address a business issue but it also builds better teams that work more effectively together and get more things done. However, an offsite planned poorly will be viewed as a waste of time and be dubbed as a dismal failure.

How can you ensure your startup’s offsite is successful at building teams and getting things done at the same time?

 The key: advance preparation. Consider following this efficient 3-step planning sequence. Step one outlined below with step two and three explained in a subsequent post.

STEP ONE Pre-offsite meeting:

Define a concrete purpose for the offsite: what outcomes do you want from the meeting? What are the timelines for those outcomes? Whether it is developing strategic goals for the upcoming year or conceiving creative strategies for your website, make sure to restrict the number of key initiatives to a manageable number–typically four to ten. Clear outcomes will also aid in figuring out the agenda and the list of participants necessary to the event.

Figure out the list of participants: make sure that the list mirrors your offsite’s outcomes. An extensive discussion about broad strategic goals would mostly benefit from a large group of participants, while studies have proven that decisions are usually best accomplished by smaller groups.  You can also have your startup’s official advisors come in to present on a topic relevant to the agenda, but a consultant’s presence should be limited to regular office hours.

Think of strategic tools and frameworks for the discussion: frameworks help organize potentially limitless discussions about big issues like future growth or innovation into manageable categories and focus the conversation on the offsite’s outcomes. Some framework to consider: SWOT analysis, brainstorming, growth matrix, pitch characteristics, etc.

Create an offsite agenda and make it known to the attendees: what will be the sequence of topics? How much time will be devoted to each? A detailed agenda helps participants to see how the offsite’s activities will move their discussions toward the planned outcomes. Keep in mind time limitations. It’s difficult to run an all-day meeting as people tend to run out of steam and ideas if the agenda is too cluttered.

Think of the relevant data needed for the offsite: is there a specific document, website or book chapter your attendees need to read? Is there data or background information they need to absorb? Make sure to distribute or communicate the necessary information beforehand. The offsite is certainly not the place to plod through data.

Find an appropriate off-site site: don’t limit yourself to conventional offsite destinations. A team member’s cottage, a 1800s re-furbished farmhouse, a paintball site in the off-season can all have an atmospheric effect on the offsite’s participants. Find a free site if possible, if not remember to factor in the cost of facility and the ease of reach for your team members during your planning.

Check out the offsite’s amenities: does it have all you need? whiteboards? enough chairs? outlets for laptops? wireless internet access? Take a quick look-over to make sure all the elements are present to accomodate your team.

Don’t forget food and refreshments: as it will be one of the elements your team will remember the most. Try to keep costs to a minimum, while still catering to your team’s tastes.

Even though the essential elements of your startup’s offsite planning have been sorted out and organized, it’s not yet time to breathe a sign of relief. Tune in next week for tips on how to carry out the planning on the day of the offsite.