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As a business owner, there’s something incredibly powerful about hitting the “pause” button before a new year begins. Not to hustle harder. Not to cram more tasks in. But to step away, get quiet, and think like the CEO you’re becoming.
Enter: the year-end CEO retreat — one of my favorite traditions and one of the most transformative rituals you can build into your business.
And before you picture a luxury resort, a five-figure mastermind, or a whiteboard overlooking an ocean sunset… let me stop you.
Because the real magic of a CEO retreat isn’t in the location.
It’s in the space you intentionally create for dreaming, reflecting, and planning.
Your retreat can be as simple as you + a cozy coffee shop + a peppermint latte + a notebook. Truly.
In this blog, I’m walking you through how to host your very own year-end CEO retreat — inspired by Disney magic and grounded in real, sustainable business strategy.
✨ Why You Need a CEO Retreat (Disney-Style)
Think about Disney Imagineers. Before they ever design a ride, build a show, or greenlight a parade, they step into creative spaces where dreaming comes first.
They map out experiences. They imagine possibilities. They connect the vision to the guest journey.
Your CEO retreat is your Imagineering session.
It’s your moment to zoom out, get intentional, and design the next chapter of your business — not reactively, but with purpose.
Let’s break down the five steps that make this retreat powerful.
✨ Step 1: Reflect on the Past Year
Disney evaluates every season — which shows earned rave reviews? Which snacks kept selling out? Where did crowds naturally flow?
You get to do the same:
- What were your wins?
- What lessons did you learn?
- What flops happened (and what can they teach you)?
- What surprised you?
- What do you want to celebrate?
- What are you ready to leave behind?
Reflection isn’t about judgment. It’s about clarity.
This step alone can unlock patterns and growth opportunities you haven’t seen before.
✨ Step 2: Reconnect With Your Big Vision
Walt Disney famously said: “Disneyland will never be completed.”
That bigger vision guided every decision, every attraction, every expansion.
Now it’s your turn.
Ask yourself:
- What is my long-term vision?
- Does it still feel aligned?
- What part of it excites me most right now?
- What needs to shift?
A CEO retreat is the perfect moment to reconnect with the why behind your work. It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture in the day-to-day grind — this is your chance to reclaim it.
✨ Step 3: Choose Your Top 3 Priorities for the New Year
Here’s where many entrepreneurs go wrong:
Too many goals = diluted progress.
Disney doesn’t launch everything at once — they choose what’s next and build around it.
Your new year should have the same clarity.
Choose three core priorities for the year. Examples:
- Consistent marketing
- Growing your income by a specific amount
- Launching a big offer
- Building a stronger email list
- Improving your systems
- Delegating
- Increasing visibility
- Adding passive income streams
These priorities become your North Star for the year.
✨ Step 4: Create Your Profit Map
This is where CEO strategy meets simplicity.
Think of how Disney plans a new attraction:
Budget → timeline → staffing → expected return.
Your business deserves the same:
- What are you selling next year?
- When are your launches or promotions?
- What’s each offer earning?
- What support or systems do you need?
- Where do your seasons of rest fit in?
I call this your profit map — a simple quarterly view that helps you plan proactively instead of guessing your way through the year.
✨ Step 5: Add More Magic + Fun to Your Business
One thing Disney never forgets?
Joy. Wonder. Magic.
And it’s time you bring that energy back into your business too.
Ask yourself:
- Where can I make things easier?
- What can I delegate?
- How can I bring more fun into my work?
- What routines or rituals feel exciting?
This step is just as important as the strategy.
A business without joy is a business headed for burnout.
✨ Your CEO Retreat Invitation
Now it’s your turn.
Choose a date.
Block the time.
Make it a non-negotiable appointment with yourself.
It can be:
☕ A morning at your favorite coffee shop
🏡 A cozy day at home with candles and your journal
📚 A quiet afternoon at the library
🌙 An overnight solo Airbnb stay
You don’t need to spend a lot of money.
You just need to give yourself space.
This retreat will be one of the most powerful things you do to start your new year with clarity, confidence, and intentionality.
✨ Want Support Turning Your Vision Into a Plan?
If you want help planning your offers, marketing, launches, and visibility for the new year, come join me inside The Social Sales Studio.
It’s perfect for you if you want:
✨ Monthly plug-and-play content calendars
✨ Unlimited emails, posts, and lead magnets inside my AI portal
✨ Templates, prompts, graphics, and more
✨ Co-working sessions to actually get things done
✨ A system that makes marketing SIMPLE and sustainable
Your CEO retreat gives you direction.
The Social Sales Studio gives you the tools to make the plan actually happen.
👉 Join at https://www.lindsaydollinger.com/membership
Let’s make this your most magical year yet. ✨