Be Yourself and own It; 4 takeaways from The Workshop - Phoenix
This past February, I made a quick trip down to Phoenix, Arizona, with my PIC for a new hands-on workshop from one of my favorite marketing companies that's totally rocking the digital space.
The Workshop is a 2-day conference hosted by Bloguettes to give bloggers, freelancers, brands, and digital entrepreneurs the tools, resources, and hands-on courses to better their business and take the digital world by storm.
I was stoked when I heard Bloguettes was hosting their first-ever conference, as I have followed them for a while and have taken their online webinars for years. After finding out they were hosting a hands-on workshop, I knew I was buying a ticket the second they launched.
So I did. No questions asked. Because for the past year, I've been so over those conferences and events that only leave you with inspiration, the ones that just give you the ra-ra and applause, and the ones you forget two weeks later. I wanted something actionable. And, that's just what The Workshop - Phoenix was.
When Kimmie and I got there on Thursday morning, we were greeted by the cutest decor, nicest people, and the dreamiest of speaker lineups. Each day was jam packed with more workshops than we could get our hands on, including my personal favorite from Julie Solomon called "How To Make Money By Being Yourself", which I'll get to later.
The Workshop was also an Instagrammer's dream. Every corner, nook, and cranny was perfectly styled and photo-ready. And, boy, did we take some photos...see what I mean below.
My time at this event was well spent learning, networking, and planning my blog post recap (duhhh). I wanted to go to every single session, but sadly couldn't. The schedule wouldn't allow it as there was always 2 sessions happening at once - and you had to choose which one to sign-up for.
Check out my post on Modern Day Networking!
That is until they announced a couple of weeks ago that they would be offering a digital ticket to The Workshop - Phoenix - WHATTTT?!
Since Bloguettes gave all of us access to the sessions, I wanted to let you have the chance to watch and learn from all of these sessions as well. Take a look at their digital ticket! I know you'll learn from them as much as I did.
I also wanted to fill you in on my experience from The Workshop - Phoenix. Read below to check out my digital lessons learned, top social media tips, and how to start (or keep) killing it in the online space.
Be Yourself + Own It
This digital world is saturated AF. With so many bloggers, creatives, freelancers, and influencers in the world, you really have to start taking a look at what sets you apart. You have to ask yourself:
How are you different?
What does your community like about you?
How has your experience and background shaped your business?
What makes you tick?
What's your story?
By asking yourself these questions, you can finally uncover the basis to you and your brand. Your brand is what shapes your vibe, it's what decides your content, and it's how people start to resonate with you. Own it!
SESSION TO WATCH: Julie Solomon, How To Make Money Being Yourself
Finances Are Badass Too
I'll be honest, finances have never been my strong point. I grew up in a household where we never talked about money, and if we did, it was usually in a negative way. Money was never fun and it was never a positive thing.
Well lately, I've been really into the financial books, blogs, and companies that are on a serious mission to change the way you think surrounding money. I'm not even sure how I got interested in the subject - oh wait, maybe because I was sick of being broke.
At The Workshop there was a session on setting yourself up for financial success where I definitely learned a few things about saving. But, more importantly, I started to solidify that being financially stable, talking about money in a positive light, and being okay with where you're at is a part of a badass, healthy lifestyle too.
SESSION TO WATCH: Learnvest, Setting Yourself Up For Financial Success
Protect Your Shit
Whether you work with a client in your business, partner with a friend for a social media workshop, or develop a partnership with a small business, you gotta protect your shit.
When you enter into any sort of business deal, casual or not, you need to make sure it's in writing and you need to make sure it's legal. I know, I know - talking about legality can sometimes feel gross. But, trust me it's worth it on both ends as it protects you and the other party from the unknowns.
SESSION TO WATCH: The Legality Of Partnerships, Laura Brooks + Brittney Neel
Use Your Platform to Better Your Community
This is a biggie. I can't tell you how many bloggers, influencers, and social media "celebs" out there only use their platform to post pretty pictures. Ya, that's great and all, but how is it serving your community? How is it making people feel better? What inspiration, tools, and tips are you providing?
If you're not providing anything to your community except YouTube videos of you copying model photos (yes, that's a thing), then you might wanna rethink your platform...
SESSION TO WATCH: How to Build Community Around your Brand, Laurena Garcia
Here are some other sessions I got to watch on the digital ticket that I really, really enjoyed:
How To Leverage Affiliate Marketing + Make It Work For You
Connecting Through Content; How to Effectively Use Email Marketing
Google Analytics; How to Get the Data You Need
Unlike other conferences, The Workshop - Phoenix was one that challenged everyone with a hands-on learning approach. While most conferences aim to inspire you, The Workshop supplied the tools you can apply to your brand our business immediately.
If you do purchase the digital ticket, prepare to work and learn from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm! It's worth it.
xxCass
Photography by Kimmie Geer
P.S. The link I provided to the digital ticket is an affiliate link. This means Bloguettes gives me a small kickback for providing you with the referral if there is a purchase - at no extra cost to you. Just keepin it real, y'all.