Last month I had a great experience photographing and attending an in person business workshop in the city (NYC) held by successful entrepreneur Chris Winfield.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the comfort zone of sitting behind our computer, taking online workshops, challenges and courses but there’s definitely something to be said for actually being live with people!

This particular workshop was on the smaller more intimate side – about a dozen or so people in attendance.  There are definitely benefits to both large scale and intimate events but for the purpose of this post I’m focusing on the smaller ones and what I liked about this workshop in particular.  It definitely had elements that I would look for in future workshops that I would attend.

1 – Intimate, Inviting Location

I’ve attended large scale events in the past with thousands of people in attendance, in venues like stadiums.  They’re large, crowded, usually freezing and there’s no real personal connection.  This workshop was held in a brownstone.  The setting was warm, homey and inviting  – like being in your friend’s living room!  It immediately put me at ease.

2 – Someone To Eat With

When the events start in the morning, who has time for breakfast beforehand or that dreaded time when you break for lunch and you don’t have anyone to go with.  Awkward!!!   On top of that, not knowing where to go.  You waste your time walking the neighborhood looking for a place to eat ALONE only to be disappointed with your selection.  Here both breakfast and lunch were provided!

When we arrived in the morning we were welcomed with fruit, muffins coffee and juice and it was a great way for everyone to break the ice and get to know one another.

At lunch everyone sat TOGETHER around the table and continued the conversation from what we discussed in the first part of the workshop.

3 – Attendee Participation

How many times have you attended a workshop where it was lecture style and even though the topic was interesting, you had to do everything in your power not to fall asleep?  Come on – I can’t be the only one who this happens to!  This workshop was very hands on and interactive.  Everyone had a chance to speak and we were given real time exercises that we worked on right there so we were able to get feedback right away.

4 – Accessibility

Because it was a paid workshop, it attracted a certain level of people.  I think it’s such a benefit to put yourself in situations where people are more successful than you.  There’s so much to learn!!  Besides the obvious of what you get from the workshop leader, having access to the other attendees, hearing their stories and their conversations about their businesses are priceless!  Just hearing their tactics and seeing how they think was really eye opening!

Chris made himself available to everyone as well.

I was able to sit with him one on one and brainstorm some of my ideas and it was great to get feedback and a different way to look at things.  Sometimes we’re too close to an idea that we can’t see the big picture.

5 – Expanding Your Network

Another benefit which may not seem as obvious it to be able to expand your network.  I know for me I love to be able to make connections for people.

For example it was beneficial for me to meet the videographer (Darvinder) at this workshop because as a photographer I’m frequently asked for videographer recommendations. It’s a double win because I get to refer business to someone that I know does a great job and for my clients I become a resource and make their lives easier.

To get an idea of the wide variety of people and businesses Chris’ workshop attracts, check out this list partial list of attendees:

Selena Soo – Publicity and Business Strategist

Todd Herman – High Performance Coach

Mariah Coz – owner of Femtrepreneur – teaching people how to create online courses

Michael Roderick – CEO and Co Founder of Small Pond Enterprises LLC

Evangelia Stavros Leclaire – owner of Ready Set Rock Academy – career coach to millennial moms and moms to be

Alexis Fedor, Founder of Artists in Business

Hey!  Guess What!?!

If you’re interested in attending a workshop like this, you’re in luck.  Chris is doing another one April 1st!

Go to this link for all of the details – there are only a few spots left!  I’m not an affiliate – just passing on some valuable info to my fellow entrepreneurs!

Tell me in the comments about a recent IN PERSON workshop or event you attended.

This week here in NYC we have a 9 day weekend – it’s Mid Winter Break here!  For those families not going away, this could be a time of panic for mompreneurs – trying to figure out what to do to keep the kids busy as well as still having time to work on our businesses.

These are some strategies you can implement to keep your sanity!

1 – Check The Weather

Being that it’s winter, this is an important part of the planning process.  You want to know if it’ll be too cold to go out, or if there’s snow or rain in the forecast – that way you can determine the days and types of activities that will be indoor or outdoor.

2 – Stock Up On Food

With the kids being home for the week, that means they’ll be eating more at home.  My older daughter gets her lunch at school (they have many healthy choices) so I’m usually only making lunch for one kid each day.  With both of them home, that means  2 or 3 meals each per day plus lots of snacks.  My girls LOVE to eat!

This doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to cook more!

• If they’re old enough have things they can make or get on their own like sandwiches. fruit and cut up vegetables
• You can also make big batches of pasta, soup or whatever else they like so all you have to do is heat it up during the week.
• Have  a day (or 2 or 3)  where you’ll order in.  My girls never complain about ordering in!

3 – Planning = Freedom

Plan as much out as possible so you don’t have to be caught off guard each day with wondering how you’ll keep the kids busy as well as being attentive to your biz.

• Business
  • Mark down all the things you do each week that are musts like client calls or meetings.  Put those in the calendar or reschedule if necessary.
  • Plan your social media posts, blog posts and newsletters.
  • I use Later.com to plan my Instagram posts.  I can at least get my images ready and write some of the captions.  They’ll still need to be posted manually but at least the bulk of the work will be done ahead of time.
  • Keep in mind this may not be the best week to launch anything new since you won’t be able to be fully focused
  • Try to keep them on a regular sleep schedule so you can either get up early or stay up late to get some extra work done

• Kids/Family
  • Mark down on the calendar all the times you’ll be doing an activity, having playdates or visiting.
  • Leave some room for homework time so you can also get some work done (client calls or meetings) during the times they are doing homework.  Try not to let them save it until Sunday evening!
  • Show them the schedule so they know what to expect and what to look forward to.  This may lessen the amount of times they ask “what are we doing today?” 🙂

4 – Make Use of Memberships

When school is in full swing and they have after school activities, homework and studying for tests, this doesn’t leave much time for any memberships you may have.  For example we’re members of The Bronx Zoo so we’ll definitely be heading there at least once this week.  You have them – you may as well use them!

5 – Visit Family

Again because of the kid’s school and extra curricular activities, that may not leave as much time for visiting family.  When was the last time they saw their grandparents or cousins?  This is a great week to connect with family.  We’re meeting Grandma for lunch this week as well as meeting cousins for a visit to the zoo.

With everything now marked on the calendar you can see where you have holes to fill in.  This could just be for some downtime or for whatever last minute things pop up.

I’d love to hear what strategies you use when the kids are home on break.

Save

You may be considering using styled stock images in your biz but you may not be sure how to get the most use out of them.  Am I right?!?

Here I’m going to give you a few examples and tips and show you how and where you can use them in your business.  The same can be applied to any upcoming holiday or promotion.

1 – Look for images that fit your style and branding

Are the colors that you use in your business soft and pastel?  Bright and neon or edgy in nature?  You want to select images that have a natural fit to your branding so you can keep your message consistent.

For example these red lips would work well if your business  brand words are things like fierce, bold, edgy and sexy.  Are you a makeup artist or do you sell makeup as a side gig?  Are you a boudoir photographer?  Do you style bachelorette parties?  Are you a relationship coach?   Think about your brand and your target audience and how they would react to the image.

2 -A photo within a photo

Think about how and where you’ll be using the image and the format it needs to be in.  For example for use as a banner on your website, blog, newsletter or Facebook cover image, you want an image that works well horizontally.

For platforms like Instagram (my favorite), a square format is preferable.  You can see with all the design I’m showing here, they can be creatively cropped to be able to use multiple times on Instagram.

3 – Use images that can be customized

When selecting stock images, you want to consider how you can personalize it and make it your own to fit your business.  A great way to do that is by being able to add text.  If there’s a blank space, you can use a program like Photoshop to create another layer and add your own text in the fonts that you use for your business.  Don’t go overboard on the fonts!   Keep it consistent with what you use for your brand.

If you think any of the above designs would work well with your business, these and more are available in my ETSY Shop so go over and take a look.  Let me know which one is your favorite!

I’ve got a freebie for you!!!

Have you been over to my creative resource library lately?  I added a couple of free images you can use for your Instagram feed, or as buttons on your website or blog or however else you decide to use them.  Get creative!

Here I’m showing an example of 3 different ways you can use the same image – as is, add a text overlay or add some text to the individual hearts.  Have fun with it!  This is the image you can grab in my creative resource library!

Put a link to your Instagram account in the comments so I can check it out.  Mine is @life.happens.now

Save