A Retreat
From Both Sides
One deal. Two sides. One risk of an empty place.
A retreat is usually counted from one side: the leader counts their price, the venue its rate. Here one deal is taken apart through the eyes of both: money over time, the contract, cancellations and a short group, the program and the guests. A shared core, then your path — the leader or the venue. The numbers are checked in the calculator.
Presented by Synergify n-Labs
One side counts the price. Two sides see the risk.
The leader and the venue look at the same group but call its shortfall by different names. The difference shows on the day fewer guests turn up.
The price is copied from similar retreats
The price is derived from the profit you want and the hours of preparation
The venue is booked before the first deposits
Guest payments arrive before the venue payments
Guest cancellation terms are softer than the venue’s
The two cancellation calendars are lined up, and the gap shows in advance
Empty places "will sort themselves out somehow"
It is clear in advance who carries each empty place
This course is for you if...
You lead and are putting together a first retreat
You run classes or day trips and want a first week with a group. The leader path: modules 01–04 — from price and cash to the program, the guests and the day of departure.
You have run a retreat and did not earn
The group came, and no money was left: the exchange rate, a co-leader without a contract, cancellations. The core of the course shows which line of the deal the money leaked from.
You have a venue and want to host groups
A guesthouse, a glamping site or a centre for 10–30 people. The venue path: modules 01, 02, 05, 06 — package and rate, the year’s occupancy, payback, choosing leaders.
You are only thinking of building a retreat centre
Before investing, it helps to see how a payback spreadsheet deceives its author. Module 05 takes eight such mistakes apart on a teaching model.
The course promises no income and no full group. It shows where a deal loses money — the decision always stays yours.
One deal — two ways to run it
"Profit" = price minus rate, times guests.
Honest profit: with card fees, forgotten lines and break-even in guests.
"Non-refundable deposit" means I keep it all.
What you keep matches your real losses and is tied to the venue’s dates.
Diets and flights are asked about on arrival.
The form, the menu and the arrivals list are ready before check-in.
The course promises no outcome. It gives arithmetic and questions for the contract — whether to use them is up to you.
What surrounds the course at a glance
Read
- Course (28 lessons, two paths)
- Cheat sheet & map of paths
- Templates for practice
Connect
- S.A.S.H.A community (soon)
- AMA office-hours (soon)
Calculate
- Retreat economics calculator
- Menu generator (soon)
- Guest form (soon)
- Timeline from the start date (soon)
- Program builder (soon)
- Venue year model (soon)
What surrounds the course at a glance
The deal: one retreat from two sides
The core of the course. Who is responsible for what, contract models, one deal in the calculator, a price from the profit you want, and cash over time.
Cancellations, a short group, the law
The core of the course. Two cancellation calendars, fair retention terms, package travel, insurance, the exchange rate and demanding practices.
Leader: the idea, the guest, sales
Leader track. Who your guest is, your own audience and a co-leader, sales against the cash plan, staying in touch with guests before arrival, the booklet, your audience before the retreat and the choice of a region.
Leader: the program and the guests
Leader track. An honest practice card, the grid of days, the form and the menu, arrival logistics, the retreat itself and the review after, a plan for a bad day.
Venue: package, occupancy, payback
Venue track. Package and rate, meals in the package, retreat weeks versus nightly letting, a payback spreadsheet that lies.
Venue: leaders and groups
Venue track. Whom to host, your own payment and cancellation terms, supporting a group before arrival, on site and after.
Contract models
Full campus
The leader pays for every place on the campus: the venue gets guaranteed revenue, the leader carries the empty places.
Per guest
A rate for each guest with a minimum group: the risk of a short group is shared.
Buyout
A fixed sum for the venue on the dates: the leader knows the cost in advance.
Free place
The venue gives the leader a free place once the group reaches a threshold.
Package with meals
The rate includes full board: the menu is agreed before check-in.
Expedition
The group moves between places: each place has its own terms and dates.
Not motivation and not sales — four load-bearing parts of the deal. Each is checked with a calculation or a date.
Alexander Mamaev
I am assembling the Synergema School. This course takes a retreat apart as a deal between two sides, so that the leader and the venue count the same risk.
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Is this a course on selling retreats?
No. The course works through economics, the contract, cancellations, the program and the guests. Finding your guest is one lesson, with no pressure tactics and no promises.
Is this legal advice?
No. The rules on cancellations and package holidays come with a source and the date "as of 2026-10". For your country you check them with a lawyer.
How much time does it take?
A lesson takes about ten minutes. The leader path is 20 lessons, the venue path 15. No deadlines and no reviewers.
Do I need to sign in to read?
No. The course is open with no sign-in. Signing in only keeps your progress on another device.
Do I need a finance background?
No. All the arithmetic runs in the academy retreat calculator, and the lessons explain what each line means.
Why free? What’s the catch?
No catch: the course is fully free, with no "next levels" and no tiers of access.