Let me get real with you for a minute. I’ve a confession to make. I think I’ve been letting you down.

I write a lot about the practical stuff of business planning. The research, the money, the hiring. I believe it’s useful information for you; stuff you can apply right away. But there’s another piece I typically stay away from. The power of vulnerability. The drive to put your real self in front of your clients in order to help them change their lives. If you lose sight of that, you lose your business. After taking a few days in Austin, Texas to get some perspective on my life and my company, I’m now sure this is true. I have to admit, I lost sight of my vision for a while. And I think it’s affected how well I support you.

You’ve all seen bits and pieces of the real me since the re-brand last year, but I’ve still been holding back. Despite all the planning, all the hustle, all the task and time management, and all the random curse words, something’s still missing about the way I interact with you. I wonder if you feel it?

Let’s put this in context.

I just returned from an intense 3 days of masterminding, networking and business development planning courtesy of the spectacular people in the Mirasee Mastermind run by Danny Iny.

If you’re not sure what a mastermind is, consider this: Have you ever been on a business retreat? You know, those overpriced excursions the corporate brass take you out on, where you talk vision, strategy, eat a lot and play silly team building games like who can build the tallest tower out of spaghetti or whatever.

Well masterminding is sort of like that, except for entrepreneurs. A bunch of people willingly take themselves out of their day-to-day business responsibilities to discuss their biggest problems and challenges, and swiftly move past them with the help of the group. Comfortable accommodations and ample food and sustenance (read: beer) remove the primal concerns of feeling safe and fed, so you can zone in on the “stuff” and the clutter that hampers your progress as an entrepreneur.

And holy shit, does it ever work.

I was both excited and sceptical when I joined in last 2014. Could this group really make the impact I was looking for? Now I can say that over the past year, these events have become not only incredible learning and travel experiences that I look forward to every quarter, but experiences that literally transform me, personally and professionally, every time I go.

Plus, there’s just something about Texas.

Austin makes it seem like you could achieve virtually anything. Sure, it’s a popular entrepreneurial hub, chock full of tech startups and internet marketers. It’s got lots of craft beer, but so does Portland. It’s very walkable, and very warm. It has lots of parks and nice activities. But there’s something that makes it different, at least to me. There’s an energy there. A positivity. A community. I don’t know how it was constructed or why it happened in Austin, but it did. That place is magic. It pulls me. Hard.

I feel alive there. Full of life and potential. Full of ideas on how to serve you better - to help more of you discover how building a business can push you to curate the life you desire.

To help you let go of the expectations around what you “should” be doing with your life.

To make you a true Renegade Planner.

Now, maybe I’m a bit all over the place with this post, but I hope you can see what I’m getting at. The more I can allow myself to be real and open in front of you, the better your plans – and mine – are going to be. Because after 3 days of allowing myself to be like that with the people in my mastermind, I left Texas with a 7-day business plan, a 30-day business plan, a 90-day business plan and all kinds of inspiration for my 2016 business plan (which I’ll soon be challenging you to join me in creating, so stay tuned).

I’ve got big plans, folks. I just know that 2016 is going to be an epic year for you.

Let’s ship stuff together. Let’s change our lives and our surroundings for the better. Let’s be vulnerable, and honest.

Let’s make Texas-sized business plans, and execute them with vigorous energy and commitment.

Tell me what you need, and I’ll provide it.