Before you jump into 2021, why not say goodbye to 2020. What I mean by that is, have you actually looked to see what all you have done and accomplished this year? While you might be thinking, Angie, it’s 2020, we haven’t done anything, I beg to differ! You have actually lived what some might say has been the hardest year of your life. Take a minute to really soak that in and pat yourself on the back. While you are doing that, get out a notebook and your calendar and start a list of things you can really celebrate. It doesn’t matter how small, write it down and then celebrate it! Yes, this may have been a hard year, but you can do hard things. It’s time to really look in the mirror and own your strength. If you are thinking, “you don’t know me” or “this is not me”, then maybe you have the one thing you need to put on your list for 2021.

The second thing that I suggest doing is to let the year go! Write your list, celebrate your wins, mourn and grieve your losses and then put them to rest. This might mean ripping up your list, or if you are like me… burn it! Personally, I get great satisfaction in ripping up my list and then watching it burn. It feels like I am closing a chapter, clearing away all the year’s baggage and making room for what I want to bring into my life for 2021.

This brings me to the final step… what do you want to achieve in 2021? Again, It doesn’t have to be something huge but make it quantifiable. What do I mean by that? Get detailed.. don’t leave it too broad. Instead of saying, I want to lose weight, get specific! I want to lose 20 pounds and then give it a date. This allows you to really see what steps you will need to take to achieve this goal. It is specific and measurable.

One bonus that I would like to add is to make it fun! Instead of just writing out your goals for the year, how about turning it into a vision board that you can hang in your office. Or why not get the whole family involved? This would be a great conversation starter with your partner and your kids! Find some old magazines and start cutting out things that inspire you… images, sayings, even individual words. Turn on some music and start feeling the magic! Make 2021 the year of possibilities!!

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I left early on Monday and headed to The Lodge of Four Seasons. I decided that it was time to “treat yo’ self” on this trip and booked a massage at Spa Shiki. Charla had meetings on Monday, so she would wait until Tuesday to meet me at our first networking event.

Since it is off-season, checking into the Four Seasons was simple. I was given the keys to our room and told to head to the third floor. While there was a minor issue with the lampshade being in the chair instead of on the lamp when I walked into the room, everything else in the room was as expected. The room was clean, spacious, and even had a small balcony that allowed me a view of the lake. The maintenance man was super friendly and got the lampshade reattached at record speed! He said he’d be back in 10 minutes, and he kept his word!

I had a few work calls to take care of before I could take off for the day. As soon as I could hang up the phone, I grabbed my room key, mask ( it is 2020, after all..) and headed to the spa. The ladies at the front desk were warm and welcoming. As I mentioned before, being off-season meant the area was fairly empty. I enjoyed the meditation room while waiting for my massage. (Check out the jelly shoes… bonus points if you actually know what those are!) Jane greeted me and invited me back for a wonderful and relaxing massage. My hour was up way too soon!

The rest of the evening consisted of room service….. that wasn’t really room service since I had to get it myself but again – 2020…. Youtube, and a little bit of website work, to round out the evening. Exciting right?? Well, it was exactly what I wanted and needed.

The next morning I got up and met Charla at Dam Good Slice Pizza for our BNI meeting. Tony, one of the guys that attended our Chamber ribbon cutting, had invited us to attend his local BNI chapter the next time we were in town. Since it was the same day as the Chamber’s monthly social, we decided this was perfect timing. Fun fact… Charla and I met at a BNI meeting in 2015! That connection was the beginning of our business partnership!

Anyway, back to the BNI meeting at the Lake, we made new contacts while we were there and listened to a great presentation. Some of those BNI members were also Lake Area Chamber members, so we knew we would be seeing them later that evening. It was a good meeting, and we are looking forward to attending again. We did find out that there are 4 BNI chapters at the Lake!

That afternoon, Charla had a hot stone massage at Lotus Wellness Center, while I went and sat by the Lake. The sun was shining, and I had the perfect spot to sit and enjoy the sunshine. We met back in the room and got ready for the evening event.

The Lake Area Chamber host a monthly social, and this month it was at JB Hooks. It was very well attended. We talked to quite a few business owners over a glass or two of wine. JB Hooks really takes care of their guests and makes sure it was a top-notch experience.

The following morning was Member Connect with the Chamber. This time it was an online event on Zoom. This was my first time to attend as it’s on Wednesday mornings at 9 am. I enjoyed the event, and I am looking forward to attending more events at the Lake.

Before we left the lake, we had a couple of stops we wanted to make; one of them included food. We asked for a recommendation (as I mentioned before… always ask the locals where to eat!) Stewart’s Restaurant was the suggestion without hesitation. We chose to have a late breakfast, and it was just as good as they said it would be! One thing we decided to try was the “Largest Cinamon Roll in the area.” This picture really doesn’t do it justice to the actual size! It has HUGE! I took pretty much all of it home to Curtis!

You might be wondering why we are spending so much time in the area; besides the fact that I love to travel and find new places to experience, the lake area is a demographic that lines up with our software R2M2 Solutions. With it being a complete reservation software system, we would love to show resorts, rentals, and campgrounds at the lake how R2M2 can help their business!

All in all, I feel networking events are perfect opportunities to make great connections and contacts! Do you attend networking events to help your business?

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Does the thought of creating protocol make you cringe?  We hear that! In a Small Business, especially a seasonal one, it’s tricky to first develop & then implement systems and processes which will, once created, help your business in more ways than one.  When you get hung up on the thought that you have to have this glamorous system in place to begin, remember this; “Any system put to work will work for you.” It’s understood that in your industry there will be employee turnover each year which means that either you or your lead manager is responsible for training new staff every May to prepare for Memorial Day.  By the time they’ve got the hang of the job, it’s off to school they go!  How do you combat this? 

Here are a few tips we’d like to share to help with just this! 

1. Spend time developing an operating procedure You may look at this task and think it’s impossible to begin.  Things always change.  No two seasons are the same!  This may be true, but the core of your business remains the same.  By developing a good operating procedure, you begin to form a language for your business that your employees understand unanimously.  Often we get hung up on the tiny details & the things that come to our minds that would break the system overall.  

Here’s the general rule of thumb; If it can be done the same way 80% of the time, it’s worthy of being a part of your Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).  Save the 20% of irregularities for your senior leadership team & let your new crew observe their behavior along the way. 

2. Spend time documenting your procedure This is the daunting, yet ever so important part.  Documentation means that you only have to do or say something one time & it can then be communicated over and over again without your involvement.  When planning this part, make sure to create a living document of some sort.  Finding the proper tools may cost a little cash but remember how valuable your own time is … this will help you see the investment in your chosen tool.  We suggest Basecamp!  This tool has saved us countless hours streamlining our internal communications & documentation.  

3. Standardize your training  Once your procedure is created & documented, it’s time to map out a plan for training.  Think: Team Building!  Plan a weekend for all of your staff to gather & do some training before your season begins.  Too many times you bring your team in on Memorial Day Weekend & have them shadow your management team and learn along the way.  Bath by Fire is a real thing, we get that … but hire & train your staff before the season begins, they are better prepared for Memorial Day Weekend, making less mistakes & saving you money.  

4. Make training FUN! Plan your day with learning, practicing & then some fun activity to bring everyone together.  This could be a complimentary float trip or activity that you provide guests.  Double Whammy, your trainees can better sell something they’ve experienced.  Need some more creative ideas?  Plan a Scavenger Hunt throughout your campground/resort leading them to some of your best kept secrets so they have seen your place before they begin selling it for you.

5. Hire a Consultant So, you like what you’ve read but are still uncertain where to begin?  In this case, hire a consultant to help you!  R2M2 Solutions was developed by Blu3 Management Group whose combined experience has made us experts in the hospitality industry.  We specialize in assisting businesses just like you with development of the training materials that will lead your staff in the future.  We additionally provide on site or virtual employee training.  We believe in systems very much and they’re a regular part of our office environment.  While we believe R2M2 Solutions is THE TOOL for you when it comes to a software management system, we also understand that not always is our system right for you.  When it’s not, let us help you work with your existing systems;  Any system you put to work, will work for you!

~ Charla Brewer 

R2M2 Solutions w/ Blu3 MG

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