In business we are always learning so we can grow and see more success. If we stop learning, we stop growing.
It was almost a year ago that I bought an early bird ticket for the seanwes conference in Austin, Texas. At the time, the registration fee was a big stretch for me because I was right in the middle of an emergency home repair/remodel after some water damage. But I scrapped together the nearly-$1,000 to buy a ticket because I knew this was the opportunity for me to give my business the boost it needed to grow into what I dreamed it could be.
Once I bought that conference ticket, I suddenly felt the pressure to make my business live up to the expectations I had for it. Some big things started happening:
- I knew I needed to see major growth in my business in 2016 so I could fund this big conference trip without feeling the pain in the bank account. When you start adding up the line items on a conference budget, it can get expensive: flight, hotel, car, meals, entertainment. Plus I knew I wanted to bank a couple days on either side of the actual conference so I could prepare myself before and have time after to process and absorb before having to jump back into real life.
- I knew I was going to be surrounded by business owners who had all their “stuff” together and I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable with the level of growth of my own business. Nothing like the feeling of “keeping up with the Joneses” to kick your business into high gear. (in reality the attendees at this conference are in all different stages of business and I’m happy to report that there’s a no-judgement mentality with this group of amazing people).
- I knew that the week of the conference I would take the time off from everything and only focus on learning and networking with the amazing people who would be in Austin too. So that meant getting all my current client projects to a point where I could leave them for a week without worry or anxiety.
I believe that this immediate shift in mindset about my business once I bought that conference ticket is why my business is growing so rapidly right now. This year – 2016 – I will end the year with nearly 100% growth. Yes, you read that right. I’ve doubled my business this year. If you’re a client and you’re reading this… Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I’m so thrilled you are a part of this amazing year!
That title… “A conference that changed my life” … that’s a pretty bold statement. Especially to be spoken before the conference even happens, right? But it’s true. Even the anticipation of the conference, preparing for it, being a part of the community of people who will be attending it… those things have changed my life already. Image what’s going to happen once the conference actually gets underway.
seanwes community
Let me tell you a bit about the seanwes community and why I believe you should be a part of something like it.
I first discovered the seanwes podcast when I got my new car in 2014 and it came equipped with bluetooth audio – I learned the joy of playing podcasts through my car’s stereo system while I commuted to my day job. Fifteen hours a week on the road is a lot of wasted time and I was determined to fill it with education. I’m not quite sure how I discovered Sean’s podcast but I know that I jumped in around episode #115. I listened for a few episodes and knew I needed to go back to the very beginning and listen to the ones I’d missed. So I binge-listened to all 115 episodes and then caught up on the ones I’d missed since backlogging.
Three months later I paid the membership fee to join the business community and started rubbing elbows with amazing business-minded people just like me from all over the world. I found that the more active I was in the community, the more my business would grow. There were long stretches of time when I’d be absent from the community and when I’d realize that, I’d jump back in and be reminded of the awe-inspiring people I had chosen to surround myself with.
The tagline at seanwes says it all: “Build and grow a sustainable business.”
If you want to grow your business, surround yourself with like-minded people. Whether you join the seanwes community or some other business-focused group of people, I highly recommend you do it now. Don’t wait until you have all your ducks in a row, do it now so you can get the help you need to take your business to the next level.
A Conference with Friends
Yes, that’s right. The conference I’m attending this week is made up of attendees who are also members of the same business community I’m in. I’m not arriving at this conference to be greeted by a roomful of strangers. No. I’ll walk into a room filled with friends that I’ve been chatting with and helping (and being helped by) for the past couple years. I’ve been to plenty of conferences in my life and unless it was for an association or annual conference, I usually didn’t know a single soul when I walked in the door. But that’s not the case this week. I’ll be among friends.
So here I am in Austin, Texas. My trip has been paid for and my business has seen amazing growth in the past year and all my client projects are up-to-date for the week. It’s the day before the conference and I’m about to go explore the town. There will be a lunchtime meetup somewhere with those who are already in town and there’s already a big dinner planned tonight for about 40 people. The conference begins tomorrow but it feels like we’re getting a headstart on the networking part today.
Look for Part 2 of this conference report soon. I’m anticipating my mind is about to be blown.