2020 Vision. Looking into the future at the Josh Retreat.
Josh in the Wilderness
As a young startup, the Josh team is often found at the office putting in long hours to constantly improve our product. However, everyone needs to take some time to relax and recharge. This year, the Josh.ai team took our relaxation to the small quiet town of Estes Park, Colorado. We went to escape the bustling cities both of our offices reside in to connect with one another and get some much needed downtime.
Josh on the Move
As Josh is growing and our team expands, this was an amazing opportunity for some of the newer team members to meet the rest of the team for the first time. Josh not only is focused on building the best product but the best team. Having a positive and collaborative team is vital for any company and this retreat helped further solidify those qualities in our team.
Just over the last few months we have added 4 new team members with more on the way, and this was a good chance for them to meet everyone in a fun relaxing environment. Teams often succeed more when the teams get along and there is open communication across a company. This retreat allowed us to build these bonds and open those channels of communication.
Work Hard, Play Hard
While this retreat had work exercises and many of us still had to keep up with our daily tasks, we also enjoyed some fun downtime and activities. We got to explore the amazing small town of Estes Park that is filled with rich history and culture. We even got to tour the history Stanley Hotel that inspired Stephen King’s The Shining. In addition we got to eat at some of the finest and best restaurants in the town.
While we got to explore we also did some great team bonding and work activities. We got to break into smaller groups and participate in a hackathon where basically anything goes and you try and create a product for Josh in the distant future. It was a lot of fun and can let us explore our creativity.
Until Next Year
For some this was their 3rd or 4th retreat at Josh, but for me this was my first. I have to say I had an amazing time and really felt closer to my team and co-workers. I think retreats are a necessary part of any company to help strength the relationship co-workers have with one another. I cannot wait for next year and just hope we get to go some place a little warmer (For us Los Angeles employees).
This article was written by Connor at Josh.ai in Santa Monica, where he focuses on Technical Partner Support. He recently moved from Seattle where he worked at a Fintech Startup. In his free time Connor loves to play poker and go snowboarding.
Josh.ai is an artificial intelligence agent for your home. If you’re interested in learning more, visit us at https://josh.ai.
