A world of people/ Un mundo de genre by Casi Historias on etsy.com
1. Pick a hot, real-person-with-good-ideas kind of leader
Although I’d never say no to girl-crushing, you’ll want to be sure that you know your leader, and that it’s not only all about you being her superfan. For a smooth, get-the-most-you-can-from-it event, you’ll want someone who is devoted to their niche, works smart, and isn’t too needy. What do I mean by that? Your leader has proven success in her field (hot testimonials are golden), you like what she does, and people you trust also like her. You will want some back-and-forth with her to be sure that you are on the same wavelength. Does she have a package prepared to deliver to your kind of event-ster? Can you work together to adapt something that she already has? And (ultimately important, I think), can she kick back and hang out with you as a real person, or do you need to set her up in a penthouse suite with only green M+Ms and ginger kombucha? You’ll want to streamline your need to cater to her needs. . . and if she’s that needy, um. . . really? Take some time to determine whether this is actually what you want.
2. Create a fair payment budget
Talk about the money upfront. Who is in charge of what? What does your leader expect in terms of payment and perks, and what will she provide in return? Talk about things like accommodation, travel, and meals; and on the other side, promotion, marketing, and giveaways.
3. Find a beautiful location
Some locations sell themselves. Others are just quirky enough, that when paired with the right leader, become a draw in themselves–and bring just the right people in. I recently hosted an event with Alexandra Franzen in northern Alberta, Canada. In February, between snow storms and white outs. And who came? Adventurers, fresh-idea-seekers, and independent self-starters.
4. Be genuine in your ad copy
I believe that my people can smell sales-y ad copy miles away–just like cats and babies can tell when you’re afraid of them. By writing in your honed-but-natural voice, while still being professional and positive, you will attract your right people.
5. Pair, pare. . . and pear?
Think about pairing your business leader with your favourite yoga teacher. Or dance instructor. Or. . . kirtan chant leader. Again, when you are true to yourself, you’ll find the people who are as into it as you are.
Pare down what you think you can do in a given amount of time. Especially when you’re planning some heavy (emotional; soul-based; hardcore business strategy) lifting, you will need nearly as much down time. People need time to “digest” what you are feeding them, and maybe even start to implement the ideas that they are sprouting.
And pears? Be sure that you have good food at your event. No one wants to see one more dry, commercially-baked muffin at their watered-down coffee break. Fresh food, locally-tended where available, keeps people nourished and happy and able to think.
And what else could we want at our events, than happy, thinking, idea-sprouting people?
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I am Lori-Ann Claerhout, an editor, writer, and sewist. I craft words for world-changers and form idea-shapes from fibre for forest-lovers. Where is my heart, though, really? In promoting cross-understanding by curating commonalities among people and inviting them in through choice words. Recently, I stepped away from the words and learned how to hire, fire, negotiate, choose lumber, run payroll, rely on my partner, and talk nice by designing and building an energy efficient home in Canada’s near boreal forest. The bright northern sun mostly heats and lights our house and the forest right outside keeps me healthy and feeds my soul.
You can find me building stories at borealtrim.com and retweeting encouraging words @borealmodern.
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