Every year, our corporate team takes a few days away from the office for our Corporate Off-site! This is a dedicated time for us to come together and reflect on the previous year as well as set goals for the following year. We do a team building activity and, in true BFB fashion, there is plenty of fun to be had with each other! Off-site is a big crux of our company culture – in particular hitting on our core values of be curious and innovate and have fun!

The location of this event changes from year to year, but Charlottesville, Virginia was the home of our off-site retreat just a few weeks ago! Sprawling with beautiful mountains and plenty of wine, it was the perfect backdrop to set our sights on 2020.

Reflecting on the Year

As with year’s past, our CEO Kevin Wilson opened the event, setting the tone for the next couple days and sharing his insights into the past twelve months. He reiterated the importance of us being fully engaged, turning off electronics during presentations and being active participants in conversations, with no question off-limits. Then he handed the mic over to our brand presidents to begin our reflection and discussion around successes and opportunities to improve across each of our brands. Taking the time to reflect on the past year enables us to take a strategic approach as we gear up for the year ahead. It’s also a great opportunity for individuals who don’t normally get to hear the day to day details of brands outside their own to understand the overarching takeaways and insights from the year. This transparent approach to sharing company challenges and achievements opens the gates for creative ideas to flow across brands and departments as we consider our approach to the new year.

Planning for 2020

We are big on acting with purpose (another core value), so goals are a huge part of our company’s approach. Buzz Franchise Brands is a data-driven company, so having measurable, data-driven goals is key. Not only do we set goals for the following year, but we outline key initiatives that will aid in achieving those goals. After wrapping up 2019 initiatives and learnings, we delve into our 2020 goals across brands. These goals may range from operational metrics to customer and franchisee recruitment to financial objectives. It’s important for each and every member of the company to understand how they fit into the bigger picture, and this goal presentation exercise is a great way to do that. It’s a valuable time where each employee can see what we need to achieve and how we’re going to make it happen.

Playing to Win

When we weren’t reflecting and planning, we spent the remainder of our time living out the core value of having fun! We learned about our American forefather Thomas Jefferson during a visit to his historic Monticello residence and enjoyed some delicious meals (and laughs!) together throughout the two days.

We also learned about the unique grape growing process in Virginia’s wine country at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards. And it wouldn’t be a Buzz Franchise Brands event if there wasn’t a little healthy competition, so we threw in a scavenger hunt while at the winery. Working on cross-departmental teams, the goal was to collect all scavenger hunt items in the least amount of time (in this case, following clues to corks). Of course, no competition is complete without a prize! Along with year-round gloating rights, each member of the winning team was awarded some Pippin Hill swag.

As a team, we are even more energized for next year after attending our Corporate Off-site trip! We look forward to continuing to serve all of our customers and franchisees nationwide in the new year and beyond.