When’s the last time you attended or hosted an event for your business? Have you ever wondered if it’s worth the investment to attend a conference or even host your own event?
In this episode, I’m sharing some of my takeaways from both hosting my first retreat and attending a business event.
Attending an Event – Marketer’s Heart Takeaways:
This was an event produced by Funnel Gorgeous at Disney World. I’ll share some of the key takeaways I had from attending.
- I left with validation for what I’m teaching because some of the things shared from the main stage were things that I’ve been teaching and coaching people on for the past few years. For example, in sharing about building online traffic & visibility, they shared for us to be strategic + focus on ‘one bucket at a time.’ This is my philosophy, too, and something that I teach within my Shine Online program. I like to say, “Focus on one thing at a time instead of spreading yourself too thin.”
- The ultimate importance of relationship building in the online space. One of my favorite talks was from Laura Meyer who spoke about creating mutually beneficial relationships. This is something I’m personally passionate about and one of the reasons I believe my business has been able to grow in the way it has. In episode 36 I shared about networking authentically online. I have seen so many people struggling in this area, and in that episode, I shared some of the things I’ve done over the years that have worked for me.
- Laura also shared about the value of creating win-win relationships, gratitude as well as seeking to serve.
- She shared that relationship marketing is not a direct response system. It compounds overtime. Honestly, I think this is why so many of us neglect this method of marketing… because it takes time and it’s not an instant win. But ultimately, it can be the most profitable.
- Not every idea needs to be implemented right now. Not every idea–even the ones I do want to implement–needs to happen right now. There is value in knowing your goals; knowing your topic focus areas and deciding what to ignore.
- Business is SO much more about what happens in your head than the strategies and tactics you use.
- Julie shared this quote that resonated with me, “Making it has nothing to do with tactics and everything to do with what’s between your ears.” This connected because my philosophy is that each of us has a different definition of what our ideal life and business looks like. I don’t focus on helping people hit 6 figures or work one day a week or buy a luxury car. Because YOU have your own unique definition of what thriving in your business and your life would look like. And my goal is to help you get to that goal… not some arbitrary number that might not mean anything to you.
- The little details matter. Each day at the event, we were surprised and delighted with fun gifts and surprises.
Hosting an Event – upLIFT Mentormind Retreat Takeaways:
This was a 3-day retreat I hosted for women in my upLIFT Mentormind
- There is power in connecting face to face and being able to have those real, deep conversations with others.
- Beyond connection, we also need belonging. As Christian business women, we need a place where we feel like we belong. A place where others get us and understand what we are passionate about and why we are doing this whole business thing.
- Connecting face to face solidifies relationships and leads to increased business referrals and revenue generated. I am confident that the women in the group are more likely to work together and/or refer one another after this retreat because of the connections they were able to make in person!
- The ultimate importance of trusting God as I prepped the schedule of the events and the talks I would give. I kept going back to what I felt God was saying and decided to trust him (and myself) to just do what I thought was right. On day 2 of the retreat, after one of the sessions, one of the women shared with me that she felt God’s presence in the room with us, and that the retreat was worth it just for that one session. All I could do is thank God for showing up in this way.
- The importance of fun and white space. Having unscheduled time was so important for rest and connection with each other.
- It’s essential to reflect and consider what you would change for the next retreat or event. Here are a few things I’ll do differently next time.
- Don’t schedule a retreat you are hosting on the back end of a family vacation and another event you are attending! It was way too much, and next time I will schedule much differently.
- It’s ideal if you (or someone else) can view the places you plan to stay and/or visit ahead of time.
- You need more white space than you think. For my next retreat, I will plan to have more downtime and white space in the schedule.
Want to join us for the next retreat?
Now, if you are listening to this thinking: wow, I would LOVE to be at a retreat like what Esther just described… let me tell you how you can be. This retreat will be open first and foremost (and perhaps ONLY) to members of upLIFT Mentormind.
This program is open for enrollment at any time. You can go to upliftmentormind.com/info to sign up and watch the replay from the infosession I hosted. This will give you all the details about the program, what’s involved and whether it’s for you.
One way to know if upLIFT is for you: do you have at least one consistent income stream in your business? If so, upLIFT may be for you. If you haven’t started generating consistent income yet, then I’m going to recommend you check out my Shine Online program. That program is going to help you begin generating consistent income in your business.
Quotes to Note:
- “Focus on one thing at a time instead of spreading yourself too thin.”
- “Show up and serve (the people God has placed in front of you).”
- “Relationship building can be the most effective and most profitable thing you can do in your business.”
- “Not every idea needs to be implemented right now.”
- “Business is more about what happens in your head than about tactics and strategies you use.” – Julie Stoain
- “There is power in connecting face to face and being able to have real, deep, meaningful conversation with each other.”
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