Off The Charts Live was an incredible success, and we had an amazing turnout of over 150 like-hearted entrepreneurs and go-getters. Attendees came from all over the world: Australia, France, The UK, Canada, the West and East Coast… it was humbling and exciting!
The whole 2-day event is still a bit of blur for me, but I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this experience and share my experience.
The first thing I need to mention is that I got to introduce the world to my amazing husband Robin Li, fellow AccessAlly co-founder, who was the Master of Ceremonies for the event. It was great for him to meet everyone and finally “see” what it is I’ve been building and working toward for the past 5 years of being in business.
This was the second year of hosting Off The Charts Live (and we have plans for 2015, so sign up here if you’re interested) and the event doubled in size. We hosted the event at the Center for Social Innovation, and I love both the vision and focus of the space and the green chairs that match my brand colors. Sometimes you gotta make a decision based on colors, and why not?
Our event curriculum was all new from the first presentation, down to the success panel of my Daring Business Cultivator clients sharing how they tripled their incomes, became TED speakers, and found their way back to themselves.
We had the incredible Theresa Stevens leading samba dance breaks, fun Off The Charts eco-friendly notebooks to take notes, and a ton of new friendships blooming over sunny lunches outside.
To top it all off, this year we had an incredible group of sponsors. Here they are…
Small Business Bodyguard
Teaches the nuts and bolts of staying protected as a small business owner, whether you’re new to business or have been at it for years. Their guide is a must if you want to take your business off the charts – while protecting your assets ;) This is the opposite of boring legalese, and I highly recommend Ash and Rachel’s take on online business contracts and safety measures.
Tracy Matthews Jewelry
Some lucky ladies in the audience left with a Tracy Matthews piece to take home, and we’re so grateful to Tracy for her incredible designs and generous gifts!
TumericALIVE
This bright drink gave us the kick we needed to stay focused and hydrated throughout the weekend! I definitely recommend getting your hands on their Elixir drinks!
The Dragontree Spa
The spa feeling was felt throughout the event, and wish we could have sampled their wonderful products in more detail, but luckily their online store is up and running – I definitely recommend checking it out.
Camille Carnevale Jewelry
For the 2nd year now, Camille donated some beautiful pieces of jewelry including her lighter ring and librarian style necklace. Totally fitting! Thank you Camille! Everyone loved their prizes, and we enjoyed having you with us again!
Oat My Goodness craft granola
This super yummy granola kept the munchies at bay, and we got to sample OMG’s different flavors that make this brand so addictive! Thank you ladies for the flavor infusion! We loved having a mother-daughter business representing, too.
Justin’s
Their delicious & healthy nut butter cups satisfied everyone’s sweet tooth and gave us all the needed energy boost during an action packed weekend. Oh, so addictive, and I know we’re all going to be searching for these at the store!
Kooshoo
Donated beautiful organic hand-dyed shawls and accessories. I love that this fashion company is ethically operated and that they use the world’s only solar powered dye house, pretty amazing!
Harmless Harvest
Their raw coconut water kept us energized and hydrated during Off The Charts. I’m super grateful to the folks at Harmless Harvest, especially because they’re a Brooklyn company that cares about quality ingredients and keeping things as natural as possible!
Hint Water
Our attendees quenched their thirst with a hint of Hint Water’s delicious flavors: blackberry fizz, crisp apple, and blood orange to name a few. It was awesome to see everyone enjoying this refreshing water, which is unsweetened and a little bubbly. Yum!
Kelley Bruso Photography
Kelley is an incredible photographer and she loves working with entrepreneurial women – so if you’re looking to get photos taken for your website, she’s your gal! All the photos on this post and our Off The Charts Live site were taken by the uber talented Kelley.
Our Book Sponsor: Daniel Levis
Each Off The Charts attendee left with a copy of Daniel Levis’ The Web Marketing Advisor: 42 Proven Ways to Explode Your Online Sales
. As a group of knowledge-thirsty bookworms (I may be projecting a little!) I know that everyone enjoyed this treat, and learning how they can tap into their customers’ minds and hearts to help them more online!
Off The Charts Live 2014 Included Dancing, Q&A, and Incredible Speakers
We designed this event to include lots of time to mingle with the other incredible attendees. We also provided everyone with opportunities to ask questions of each of our speakers, from Jadah and Jen at SimpleGreenSmoothies, to Kelsey Ramsden, Erika Lyremark, and Rebecca Rapple.
I’m incredibly grateful because each year we’ve partnered with the Plant With Purpose charity, to raise funds to plant more trees which helps restore natural resources and enriches the lives of so many around the world. In my post all about adding philanthropy to your business, I shared that last year we raised $2500 with our company matching.
This year I’m honored and excited that we raised a total of $5222 for Plant With Purpose, made possible by our incredibly generous attendees and our company matching the donations dollar for dollar.
My Biggest Takeaways
This year we started planning the event well in advance (unlike last year where we had 3 months from idea to execution) and I think it showed to our attendees. We had an incredible team of volunteers, staff, and team members.
We got hit with a little Mercury Retrograde action on the first day when the sound system blew out, and then the backup sound system followed closely behind and also broke down. Luckily, the team at CSI were able to hire a brand new audio technician and system to make sure that day two went off without a hitch.
My biggest takeaway from this year is that team matters. A lot.
Every person makes a huge difference, and every idea is appreciated. We are so grateful to our speakers, sponsors, team, volunteers, media, attendees, and venue staff.
Also, things do get easier and better the second time around. I was a lot more poised and composed during each of my presentations, and it was much easier to get everything organized (Virgo over here!) and to have everything flow more smoothly.
You have to start somewhere, and I know that it will only get even better from here!
Over to you now…
I’d love to hear what big creative project you’d like to accomplish… and what steps you’re going to take to get it going now.
