Elite Workshop-Goals for Growth

It was Sunday November 13th around noon I walked thru the doors of The Palm Restaurant in Boston which later that week was scheduled to host Andy Cohen. What brought me to this restaurant with windows allowing the sun to beam through was more grand (to me) than Mr.Cohen himself. I walked thru the doors of an intimate dining room to be greeted by a group of powerful boss babes all of which were here to attend the Elite Workshop "Goals for Growth". This event was hosted none other than the fabulous Andy (Andrea) Delucia of Elegance & Grace Weddings . You can read my full article here about her business & how these inspirational workshops came to be. The Elite Workshop "Goals for Goals" was the 3rd & final workshop of this year. The list of guest speakers included Jimmy Guzman a highly regarded marketer & owner of JNG Event consulting, Christine Fitzgerarld partner & found of Belcher Fitzgerald LLP, founder of Bitchless Bride wedding planning & bridal coach Deborah DeFrancesco, & none other than Andrea herself. The day also include afternoon bites provided by The Palm, a panel discussion & Q&A with Sarah Boucher sales & marketing manager of Willow Estates & Sonya Highfield creativepreneur of Sonya Highfield Photography, & the day/evening concluded with an Elite Workshop Launch Party.

Unfortunately I was only able to attend half of the day because I had a wedding myself to attend. I was able to catch Jimmy's presentation regarding guerrilla marketing. He had started his career managing a hotel which included a restaurant successfully turning that business around. From there he went to work for Winston Flower's & then to Mark Hall Design, LLC. With each of these unique ventures one thing remained the same, he became each business. To successfully turn each business around & expand each target market he designed a narrative & networked with the market that he desired to target even if that meant going to Nantucket for the day to understand the higher end client. He now applies these practices to his own business JNG Event Consulting.

Following Jimmy was Christine of Belcher Fitzgerald LLP. As mentioned prior she is a founder & partner in her law practice. She stressed the value of planning & protecting your business. Often as creative minds we get wrapped up in our ideas & fail to protect our brand. Christine also brought to the audience's attention that lawyers & law firms have an intimidating & expensive aura about them. Going to a smaller firm can make this aspect of business more approachable. Another take away that I gleaned from her discussion was that the money that you don't spend in preventative measures you may pay for down the road if you ever find yourself in a legal dispute. All of which was very helpful information.

The last speaker I was able to catch was Ms. Andy herself. A mother of 4 & successful business owner I found her inspiring from the becoming of covering this event. Andy spoke on listening. Selling services has its own obstacles that tangible products don't because customers have something physically to touch & hold. Listening with services is key because you really get to know your client & what they desire out of your service. From there you can make suggestions & up sell. Another topic she touched upon was how much to charge with your service, this can be a difficult answer to come to. She challenged the crowd to know their value & explore the market.

As each guest speaker presented it was encouraging to see them back on another up. As much as I would to love to hear Deborah's presentation & Sarah & Sonya's Q&A it was helpful to get their input throughout the day.

Closing this portion of the day the audience was instructed to write down one goal. A goal that is specific, achievable, & with a time line. All of our goals should be thought out like this! Andy feels writing out your goals allows you to make a commitment to it. Goals should be attainable and have actionable steps to achieve them. Personally I find myself often writing down huge massive goals with no specific deadline. How is one going to accomplish any goal like that? After this exercise I had taken this method of specific, achievable, & with a time limit to each of my goals.

Although I was only able to attend half of the day I left feeling amped & inspired. It was empowering to be in a room full of boss babes (& one boss guy). As entrepreneurs it is vital to our success to create a tribe that we can trust & seek council from. That is just Andy's mission with the Elite Workshops to develop relationships & boss babe communities.

This small business Saturday I pass on Andy's challenge to you create a specific & achievable goal with a deadline for your business. Reach out to a couple of inspirational ladies & lift each other up! Andy really knows how to host a fabulous & informative event. Her speaking abilities really captivate a room. She is available for career coaching & other speaking ventures. Stay tuned for next year's Elite Workshops, I highly recommend attending.

"The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you're very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, & above all be humble."

Stay informed on upcoming events by visiting the Elegance & Grace Elite Workshop facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EandGEliteWorkshop/?fref=ts .

Till next time fash dolls! Stay Sassy + God Bless.

Gigi xo