In 2009, I started thinking about the hosting my own live event, but even though I had a great coach to help me plan it, her events were far larger and much more involved than anything I wanted to do…
And so I held back.
Then I started feeling pressured to move forward with this idea, so I contacted a nice hotel near the airport, submitted my request to host a 3-day event there, and then nearly passed out when the 15-page contract arrived – along with a required MINIMUM commitment of $15k from me.
Gulp.
So I decided to toss the whole idea until I could come up with a way to do it that felt good to me – and that didn’t make my heart palpitate in fear!
I asked myself what kind of event I really wanted to do. Not what ‘everyone’ else was doing, but what felt easy, fun, and much more me…
What I came up with was this…
I didn’t want to hold it at the airport. I didn’t want to hold it at a big hotel. I didn’t want to hold it in the big city. I didn’t want to stress about filling seats or worry about paying for rooms that didn’t fill in our room block. I didn’t want to commit to thousands of dollars of food that I knew most of would be wasted. I didn’t want to deal with sound systems and the cost and labor involved. Basically I didn’t want to do anything the way I was ‘supposed’ to.
So I started over – and by asking myself what I REALLY wanted (and following that guidance) – I found myself with a 1-page contract with no financial commitment upfront, with no commitment to paying for empty guest rooms, in a boutique hotel in a hip town near the sea.
Was I still nervous about filling seats? Sure. Did I have lots of questions about all the things I didn’t know? Yup. Was I afraid of what I didn’t know I didn’t know? Absolutely.
But by doing it my way, and starting from where I was realistically, I’ve successfully hosted 6 small workshops and have generated anywhere from $60k to over $100k NET every time.
I’m sharing this with you so you know I’ve been there…and I have a lot of wisdom to share with you as you plan and navigate hosting your own small live event.
If you’d like to learn more and get on the early access list to my brand-new training, just CLICK HERE.
If any of this resonates with you, I’d love to hear it. Just comment below and let me know. 🙂
When I ask you this question:
When it comes to designing a business that funds the lifestyle you want, where do you feel you need the most help?
…the answer you choose the most is this:
I need more money. I’m working way too hard for too little return.
You too?
I’m delighted to share my article that was published in choice, the magazine of professional coachingÂ
Click here to read it…
And I’d love to hear what you think – please comment below… 🙂
When you visit an ice cream shop, you can usually get a free taste of any flavor ice cream you want before you make your decision on which scoop you’re going to enjoy.
Giving you a taste (or as many tastes of different flavors as you’d like) is an effective way to ensure that you not only order a cone at that moment, but it’s also a way to bring you back to try more flavors on another day. You can use this brilliant marketing strategy in building your business as well.
This is a critical step for building your business online. Marketing 101 says that a prospect needs to see your message anywhere from 5-12 times before they will feel confident enough to risk handing over their money to you. You want to give your prospects a taste of what it is that you offer in exchange for their email address, so you can start to build a relationship with them. Without that relationship, you don’t have a business.
(more…)
Happy December!
I’m so excited to let you know that registration is now OPEN for this year’s Strategic Business Planning Day Virtual Retreat!
Click here for the details and to reserve your spot now
I hope I get to guide you through creating YOUR profitable (and much more peaceful!) plan for 2016.
Cheers,
~ A
PS: Please feel free to share this truly valuable offer with your friends and colleagues – they’ll thank you – and I thank you!
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Watching the sunrise on my recent retreat…
I have a hard time being still. Stilling my mind is even more difficult. A constant stream of thoughts runs through my mind, especially at night, unless I’m reading something really engaging (thank you, Outlander).
During the day, I’m so busy that I’m not great about settling down and just being… allowing myself to move into the stillness so I can shift from the chaos of my thoughts to clarity.
Journaling helps me immensely. And yet, sometimes I need to do something more than that.
So, twice this year I’ve traveled to the ocean for a 3-day retreat. Both times I’ve returned renewed and with absolute clarity of vision and the steps I need to implement to make that vision my reality.
I’ve ‘retreated’ at home – but it’s simply not the same. There’s too many distractions, too much pulling at me, so that I just can’t ‘be’ to unearth what wants to be heard and honored within me.
I know that taking the time away to reflect and get crystal clear on where I am right now, on what I want next (as much as what I don’t want), and then committing to that once I return home is critical to my growth – both personally and professionally – and that it leads to a lot more joy and abundance in my life and business.
Would it be easier to not go? Sure it would. After all, I have a full family life that I’m managing here outside of my business. But I also know that it is absolutely worth moving mountains to do it – both for myself and my business, as much as for my kids to witness my honoring something that’s important to me as a person, separate from being Mom.
So, what about you? Do you take time to retreat – at home, somewhere else? How often? Do you go alone or do you retreat in a supportive group?
I’d love to know ~ please comment below … 😉
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