634 - Running Profitable Powerhouse Events with Lindsey Schwartz

I'm so blessed to have this incredible guest here on the Next Level Life podcast today. After meeting this beautiful woman in person back in February, I think it was my goodness in 2024. I have followed you for so long and seen the success that you've created with Powerhouse Women and I'm so blessed to have you here on the podcast. Thank you so much for joining me, Lindsay.

I am so thrilled to be here and to connect with you.

Oh well, I'm so glad that we get to talk and talk all things events. You've created such an incredible event with Powerhouse Women and it has gone from strength to strength over the years. And just watching your journey with it, it's such a joy to be able to chat with you all about events. I know that running events isn't an easy thing to do and I'm sure it's been quite a journey, but I'd love for you to just to start off with like, where did the idea of power hasselming come from and what. How has it evolved over the years?

And it has evolved so much. So it's fun to reflect back on that. You know, I, I started with writing my self published book and it was something I never planned to do, not ever on a vision board, wasn't something I had. I thought I had the skill set all to do. And so I did it just as a personal challenge for myself. And you know, I transformed so much on the inside through that process. Faced so many fears. Who am I to be writing a book? Who's going to want to read this? My Perfectionism. And as the book was being ready to be published, this is 2017, it was self published like I said. So I was going to be in charge of all the marketing and the efforts to get it out there. And the team that I had supporting me said, well, why don't you do a book launch event? And the first thought I had was that sounds awful. An event where all the attention is just focused on me. I just kind of cringe definitely at a stage of my own evolution where I wasn't comfortable. It's not like I didn't want the attention on me. I think it just felt very uncomfortable to have that much visibility. And the next thought after that, sounds terrible to do an event all about myself, I thought. But you know, I've been to all these amazing events through a previous network marketing company I was involved in and I knew the power of, you know, just the energy in a room. And I said, well, maybe I could do an event kind of like that where we take the purpose and the intention behind this book that I wrote, which was all about getting out of your own way and, and getting these big ideas. I think a lot of us have on our heart getting those ideas into action, whether it's a business or a passion project. And I thought, well, maybe we could bring in some different speakers and friends of mine, women who are doing that have kind of like a conversation and that'll, that'll be in celebration of the book. And so the book was titled Powerhouse Woman, Just one. And I sat in the office of my event planner who I found because she was teaching a spin class. And I stalked her online because her playlist of music was great. And I saw in her bio it said she planned events, like very high end events. And I think she took pity on me because I slid into her DMs and I said, can I have your playlist? And by the way, could you help me? I'm trying to plan this event. I have no idea what I'm doing. And she said yes. And I remember sitting in her office, she's like, well, what is it? What's it called? And I kind of said it almost like with, if you had seen it typed out, it was like with a question mark. It was like powerhouse Women, plural. You know, it wasn't this. I didn't have this vision for what it's turned into today for the community and the event and for it to be an annual thing. I really just, all I could see, the vision I could see was to do one event to celebrate the fact that I had done something that really challenged me, challenged me in publishing this book. And I stood on stage at the end of that half day event with a hundred women and just kind of said, well, thanks for coming and waved them off and, and people said, well, what's next? And I said, literally have not thought beyond this moment. I have nothing else to offer you. But there was definitely something, there was magic in that room. There was something that I felt, I think that the women who were in the room felt. And you know, that following that trajectory of just one, allowing myself to dream just a little bit bigger year to year to year, is actually how the event has grown. And still to this day I couldn't sit here and tell you what it's going to look like in five years. I think a big part of that is because I don't know who I'm going to be in five years. So the event today looks very different. We just had 800 women in the room with us in August. And people fly in, like yourself from around the world, which just still blows my mind because it started truly as just this tiny seed of an idea that I had to have enough faith to put it into action and see it through, even though I had no idea it was going to be a success or even if it was, just if anyone was going to show up. And so I'm excited to dive into more of the. Anything you want to ask about that?

Yeah, well, definitely, like, you know, the fear of people going to show up is definitely something we're going to chat about. And I love that you share.

It's so real.

And I think that there's like, if someone had said to you, oh, well, you're going to run an 800 person event, like, even if you had like visibility fears at that earlier stage, like, you probably wouldn't have taken action on it. So it's probably a good thing that you didn't envision it to be this big.

It's so true. It is. I, I definitely would not have been prepared for the full vision had I been able to see it back then. And I think it's something I remind myself of now. I remind any women that I get to mentor, speak to now is, you know, if we don't see with crystal clarity, sometimes that is a gift because you will evolve and your vision will evolve with you. And I'm grateful that I've only been able to see just enough to make me grow, but not enough to scare me into hiding under the covers.

Yeah, totally. I love that. And I love how you share with your book like this doubt yet, like, almost like, I wouldn't say insecurity, but it's almost like, oh, is this something that, you know, is what I really want to write about and like I'm sharing this with the world and yet like, like I saw in my journey this year, I've been writing book as well. And I completely resonate with everything you just shared. It's like, oh my God, are people going to read this? And I found like, even in the journey of writing mine, like this evolution of how I've like embodied what I'm teaching. Did you find that with like, powerhouse? Like, it's so funny that like you wrote a book about it and then you've created these incredible events. And in my opinion, with what I've seen, with what you've created, you've really fully stepped into that level of powerhouse. Like, could you have notes like that, that correlation to the book?

It it's really been exact. You captured so perfectly what the journey has felt like from a firsthand experience. I. I will often say if I'll get the question which I. Unity or just some of the things that have helped to build an event. I love to answer the how questions, but my favorite topic to talk about is who I had to become in the process, just like you're saying. And I. I'll. I'll never forget when I. I had written my entire manuscript, which, you know, what a process that is. It took about a year to finish it. And so many tears, so many moments where I was like, what am I doing? And I didn't have a title for the book. I hadn't come up with the title yet. And I was in a spin class one day. I think it was actually that same spin instructor that helped me eventually plan the event. And this word powerhouse kind of just dropped in. I don't know from where. And I initially remember just kind of rejecting it, feeling like, well, gosh, that's such. That's just such a strong word. I don't. I'm not a powerhouse. I don't feel like that. And then I thought about the intention of the book, which was to speak to women just like you and I. It was just as much for myself at the time as it was for the women who I hoped would read it, that you don't need to become more, achieve more, in order to, you know, be this powerhouse. It really is about sourcing that power within. And I knew this sort of the perfect opportunity for me to buy what I was selling in. In claiming that and realizing that there was. There was just immense power in what I had been willing to face in terms of my fears and my deep insecurities up until that point. And now I feel a little bit different. I do feel that even what my relation to what a powerhouse is has evolved. And I. I feel comfortable, you know, in that. In that term. But it felt like a very big pair of shoes to grow into when I was just starting out.

Yeah, it's that beautiful, like, future intention and. But it's also like a call to action in a way of, like, oh, God, I've got it. If I'm saying this, I've got to embody this. Like, that must be something that challenges. It challenges you as well. Like, do you find that you've kind of kept that message along the journey of building powerhouse? Like, is there something like a mantra or anything that you say to yourself or something that you consider when it comes to like this next event and what you're stepping into. Is there anything there that shows up for you?

Not so much a mantra as. As it is a. A Persona of the next evolution of myself that I want to step into and embody. And you know, at first I feel like that journey was a lot about finding my confidence. And now even just the. The changes and the experiences I've gone through over the last year have been about finding my depth, like really finding the capacity to hold space for many more people. But it's. It's come from this ability to hold the depth of emotions I hadn't really experienced before. Deep grief, deep sadness, deep loss. And I don't think we talk about that enough in, in the growth experience. I think it's so fun to talk about the expansion. And if we think about what expansion is, you know, you're. If you' expanding, you're expanding in all directions. So yes, there is the upward trajectory of more success, more of whatever that term means to us, but it's also given me expansion in more depth and more capacity to hold some of those just more difficult emotions. And it's all of it. So how I've had to year to year is. It's because I know that my expansion is leading the way. And I'm. I'm sort of like the human embodiment of what I wish for my community. I want us all to achieve more success, but what I really want is for us to experience ourselves and our expansion in the way that you. You really can't achieve the next level of success without going through that process. And that's what I get excited about for myself and for the community. So it's so fun. From year to year, this has kind of become like our New Year's ev, the annual event. Even though it's in August, in the middle of the year, it's like this opportunity to come back and reflect on how much we've grown and reflect on who we've become over the past year.

It's honestly such powerful work to do that because sometimes we don't even realize how much we've grown unless we do that reflection. Right? And I feel like it helps support you in, like, where you're going next when you take that time to really reflect on how much you've expanded. But I have 100 agree with you with the expansion piece. Like, it's almost like a death and a rebirth every single time, right? Like, there's so many elements to it. And you're right. We don't Talk enough about it that there is so much pain and grief and loss and, and processing, and processing and opening yourself up to that level of expansion is, can be really hard. And when I think about like you mentioned in the earlier part of the podcast, like that first event, that fear of like oh my God, I'm going to be the center of attention yet when, if anyone was to look at the videos for Powerhouse women now it's like you're like owning that, that space. How has that evolved? So what's something that you've had to shift there in order to feel comfortable being in the spotlight? Because it is something that I see, you know, shows up for you. Like you wear the most incredible outfits. Like you, you know, have the incredible stage and all the videos. Like it looks amazing and like how does that still, does that still feel comfortable for you at this point or what? Like what's shifted for you in order for you to feel more comfortable up there?

Oh, I love this question. Let me reflect on that because so, so much has transformed. I think I number one, transformed what I thought it meant to be able to hold that attention. I think I had this misguided belief that if you were able to hold that attention, it meant you just wanted all eyes on you. It's from like this self serving place, which isn't my true nature. I have just as much of an introverted nature as I have a temporary extroverted nature. I can speak personally and maybe some of you listening can resonate with this. I think what has us not ready for more visibility is when we are sourcing our sense of self from what other people think about us. Because then if that's the case, if my how I feel about myself, how confident, how worthy I feel is coming from what other people think, then being self seen by more people at an subconscious level doesn't feel very safe because it's just statistically speaking the, the larger the group of people who are observing you in any way. If we're talking about online or in, in a live environment, like an event, it you, you just know that there's people who are going to resonate and those that aren't going to. So if how I feel and how grounded I feel in my own body on, on a stage, for example, comes from me needing to make sure everybody in the room is having positive feelings about me, then I'm not going to be able to hold space for more people. I'm going to need to keep that small so my nervous system feels safe. So I've worked A lot with that being seen and also feeling safe at the same time. I'm always working on that. I think there's always a next evolution for myself. And the more that I'm nervous, I don't try to pretend that I'm not. If I, if there's anything else going on that I, I just feel I need to pretend otherwise, I just say it and give a voice to it because someone else sitting in the audience is probably feeling that same fear of being on a stage. And that's just given me ultimate permission to show up in that way. And I love it. It's truly, I think the highest expression of some of my gift is to create those experiences and really powerfully hold space. And I've had to really work my way up to it. It wasn't just a default natural setting for me.

Yeah. And what I'm hearing from you as well, honestly. Thank you so much for sharing that because I feel like it's one of those things that really prevents people from putting themselves in situations like that. That, that, that fear of like holding space and being seen and trying to make everyone happy. What is the, what is the thing that when it sounds like you're shifting this mindset around what you're there to do. Right. So it's not about you, it's about the audience and what you're there to do and how you're there to serve. I feel like that's one of the biggest lessons I've had with speaking in front of people. We can be so, so self focused of like, okay, how can I be perfect? What am I? How was it about me? Whereas really, like it sounds like, is that what's right? What's happening? You're shifting it really to the audience?

Absolutely. And I think the sooner I learned that, and even in those moments, there will still be moments where I'll have. I'll notice the body sensations of fear. And anytime I'm in fear, it's typically because I am directing my focus toward an experience that I'm having versus giving. I think the energy of giving and serving is what helps drop me right back into my grounded self, which is what comes across as confident, able to hold space. All of those things.

Yeah. So good. And I mean being in front of so many people and holding space for that. I would imagine you would also experience a level of imposter syndrome and even having the incredible speakers that you have as well. Do you still experience imposter syndrome and how do you handle it?

I do experience it in different areas. Of my life, different areas of my business, but I don't in that event setting and I don't, I can't really speak to why other than it's the, it's. It's just the place that I've really allowed myself to be constantly in that growth experience. So, you know, all we've had incredible speakers and people who have such different gifts than I do. When I'm looking at the intention of the event, I know that I have a role to play and my story is going to resonate with certain people. And as I'm putting together the speaker lineup, I'm putting it together knowing that there's also going to be portions of the audience who don't resonate as much with my story and they're going to resonate more with another person. So I feel imposter syndrome plenty of other times. And for whatever reason, I really don't within the event environment. And, and I think it's taken me a while to get to this point where I am, I'm able to say and confirm for myself, but even just have really built the business around the fact that creating those live experiences, both the big one and then we do smaller retreats, really is my zone of genius. And I think just being able to even confidently say that has taken time, but it's what it's allowed me to do is then step back in other areas where it's not so much my zone of genius. And that's not actually one of where I want to be putting my time. But for years I thought if I was going to build this successful brand, I had to be following the path that other people were following.

And I think, like what you mentioned earlier as well, like, it's not about you. Like, it's really about the audience. Like you really consider that it's like, what do I bring to the table? How can I also bring the right speakers to support people in the room? Like, it just feels like very selfless in a way. Like you're really considering the experience of every person in the room. So is there anything else when it comes to like creating an event the size of what Powerhouse has gotten to now? So obviously, like over the years, I'd love you to share a little bit of the journey of like, where it started and how it's evolved to now become an 800 person event and what's shifted in the way that you think about or what you feel is the most important thing to consider when it comes to their experience of the people in the room.

Oh, My goodness, there's so many things that I, that I could probably list. So let me really boil it down to maybe the, the top three. One of the things that hands down makes powerhouse women unique is our focus on the community. And when I say community, I'll just make a quick distinction because this was something I, I didn't understand. This was what we were doing all along until actually our mutual friend Chris Harder invited me to do a training on it and I had to sit down and go, well, gosh, what am I doing that's different that I could share with someone? And you know, it's the distinction between audience and community, because I've always had a small audience. Even still to this day, my email list size is a tiny fraction of other companies of my size, other events of my size. And while that's something I'm always working on and growing, the way I look at the audience versus building a connected community is a little bit different. The audience, my audience growth strategy comes from this place of thinking big picture about how we can get people to connect with us as a brand. It's more of that direct connection between, you know, the people kind of on the outskirts who I know would really get value from what we're doing and how we can be on their radar in a way that makes them say, I want to join your email list, I want to buy a ticket, come to an event, and then we've taken it a layer deeper. And I did this without realizing that this was what I was doing. And it was because I knew we had a smaller audience and I just had to think differently. I've always prioritized taking that audience relationship, connect with us as a brand, then thinking about ways I can help them connect with other people within the community. And what's happened as a result is I'm so excited for you to get to experience this. When you're in the room, you feel even if you're there as a first time attendee or you're there by yourself, you feel and you will be immediately welcomed into this community that's so much bigger than you. And so what has happened is not only has that been had a huge impact on our marketing efforts as far as ticket sales, we have women who bring, I mean, 10, 20 friends to an event unpaid by us. They just loved it, had such a positive, positive experience that they want their friends to experience it, they take ownership of it. So it's been really helpful there. But then I think it creates an energy within the room that you really feel like You're a part of. It doesn't feel like an event. And this isn't saying any, anything about other events. There's such incredible events in our space where it's more of speakers on a stage who are on a pedestal, quite literally. Right. That's what's, that's what's happening. When you're on a stage, you're on a pedestal, and sometimes there can be kind of this disconnect and between here's the successful people that are speaking and then there's the audience. I really think about creating an event where the two feel merged. So number one, the efforts that we put into creating connection year round, that spills over into the room and then something we intentionally do that I think anyone can think of is I remember early on feeling as though in order for this event to be legit or right to, to validate the event, I had to have these big name speakers. And I had a very small budget and didn't know a lot of the people that I know today who are willing and excited to come speak. And I realized early on that it wasn't one speaker that sells tickets. It's prioritizing the other things that I just spoke about. So I've always kept that in mind. And I've, I've really curated speakers that are equally aspirational and people like Jamie Curtin Lima or Patrice Washington. We had Lori Harder, our mutual friend, you know, incredible women who are willing to keep it very real, who are very on brand for Powerhouse. But I create these intentional opportunities where women who were in the audience last year are now up on stage. So we do that through. We do a speaker contest every year. We do a panel of women who've come through our programs and without realizing it, what we're, what we're sewing into the fabric of what we've created is this is the truth, which is that we are all the same. And even though there's women who've sold companies for a billion dollars, I've been in private settings with those women, they still struggle with fear imposter syndrome, self doubt, everything that you and I do. So I really work to create that environment and also create this aspirational nature where people know that they could see themselves on stage next year. So I think that's another important element. And the last one, I just had another one in mind along those lines. And it's totally escaping me, but it really is something. What I can speak to is there is an energy to the Powerhouse women eventually that really can't be duplicated. And I'm not saying that even to be boastful. It's just so unique to us and who we are as a community. And I've just allowed myself to focus on that. I think that's where I don't get imposter syndrome because I love attending other events and I love seeing what they're doing that uniquely works for them. But I've just really allowed my journey and this community and the feel of it to be uniquely different and celebrate it for what it is without needing it to be the size of anyone else's event or you know, any of the other things that I could easily compare myself to. And I think that authenticity, I really hope it is.

Yeah, I 100 definitely that authenticity because I was going to say like it's, it's your energy as well. Like you're creating this energy and that's what you're attracting which is so beautiful. And what one, what a beautiful compliment that people are bringing like 20 of their friends. Like that's a huge compliment and a testament to what you've created. And I absolutely love that that is a consideration that you have. You like merging the stage to the audience. Because I feel like even just in my experience of working with so many women, we do, we pedestal people and we create the separation between the version of success that we want to achieve and what we believe is possible for ourselves. So I love that you're really considering that and thinking about how like you can make everyone feel like this is absolutely possible for you. That's, that's incredible. Like not a lot of events think about it from that perspective.

And it's, I, I could honestly say from a business decision, it has really made an impact as well because there are women who, I mean every year I get the DMs, like I will be on that stage next year and if I had an entire week, I would put every single one of them on stage. It gives, it gives the community this stepping stone to aspire to and it helps them feel more involved and more connected to what it is that we're doing. And, and it's just been so, so special. And, and so I think anyone who's hosting events really, instead of focusing on a big name speaker that you think is going to fill the seats, what if you turn that attention and, and not that you can't have the big name speakers, but also turn the attention to helping your community feel like. And there's opportunities for them inside of the experience that you're creating.

Yeah, I Love that. I love it so much. And so let's talk a little bit about the sales aspect because like you just mentioned, like, you know, rather than focusing on a speaker. And a lot of people think that when running events I've, if I've got the speaker, then the tickets will sell. But what's been your experience with selling tickets? What's evolved over the years?

Well, back to what I was saying about having a smaller audience, I've always just thought differently about how to create excitement and an energy around the experience that's much bigger than the day to day operations of what you know who and what is behind the scenes. Even today, you know, the, the 800 person event that people might have seen online, I have a team of two, it's myself and one other person. And now we have amazing contractors and you know, AV teams. We work with the most incredible AV production company, so we hire out the rest. But with that said, I want to speak to some of the nuances that help to create something that wasn't always big. We've really created that same big energy around the experience even when the event was just starting out and was smaller. And I think I just, number one, knew that I had to think that different. I had to think a little bit differently because I didn't have the numbers. So a few of the things that we've done really, really well. I was talking about prioritizing the community and really making it an experience that you want to come back year after year because the event itself evolves. We've made actually it wasn't even intentional. It's sort of become this thing that the community adopted where, you know, fashion has become this, this important element in that every year, you know, whether we're saying it directly or not, once women are, are a part of the community. They sort of just already they kind of pick up this idea that this is a room where you can bring your most self expressed version of you, including how you dress and what you want to wear. And so it becomes this evolution year to year and you come back together and celebrate it, who you connected with the event the previous year. So in terms of thinking about an event from like a retention standpoint, yes, you want to grow, but what are you doing and how are you creating experience where women want to come back, men or women want to come back year after year. So from an experience standpoint, that's first and foremost because if people attend once and they're like, yeah, it was good, it was okay, but it's not, oh my Goodness, I already booked my ticket for next year. I mean, you already told me, you're like, yeah, I've got a, you know, a crew of Aussies who are coming. It's. It has to start that. Then there are things that, in terms of like a sales strategy for tickets that I can share as well. But that is, is number one on the sales strategy standpoint, kind of bridging the two, I think in terms of keeping the excitement high. One of the things that I see event hosts default to, which I completely get, is at a certain point you're just sort of like, buy your ticket, grab your ticket, snag your ticket. You're just trying to think of a different way to say, please buy your ticket. I have event bills to pay. And what I think people are missing are the opportunities to capture people's attention again. So something that we've done from the beginning is I don't release all the event details day one. I will do these. I just started to refer to them as micro launches within my event launch time frame where, you know, in the early days it was even like announcing where the venue was going to be and I would go and do a BTS tour and, you know, paint the vision of like, oh, and here's where we're going to do this. And it was building excitement, right? And then we'll release speakers on a drip. You know, we won't release all the speakers. Day one, we'll announce each speaker and give them their time in the spotlight, help to engage their audience in possibly wanting to come and buy a ticket. So all these little elements get their own micro launch, where all that means is I'm giving extra attention to this part of the event that I'm really excited about. This year we're adding a Mastermind day. So we'll do some, you know, some promo around. Well, what does that mean? And what are you getting with that experience? All of that to say what it allows me to do is capture people's attention again and get them, you know, for thinking about social media or even our email inboxes, we're just always fighting for people's attention. And if it's not something new and different, if it's just me repeating the same your ticket message, it can just. It starts to really keep that in mind. I try to keep even our promo strategy fun and engaging. If we look at even like what Taylor Swift does masterfully, it's like her community are looking for those little Easter eggs and just like the elements of her experience that they can connect to. So we do that really, really well. And then, you know, from the ticket sales strategy, we really have noticed, I have tried so many different things over the years to, you know, really drive ticket sales. The only thing that really drives like a spike in ticket sales is when I'm about to raise the price. So we've just really built that into our sales strategy where we'll do, you know, these very short windows one week only to get the deepest discount before we raise it. And we've just kind of built out our ticket sales strategy around those pushes. We'll just call them and I will spend for a one week open cart on that, you know, that sales sale. Let me try to say that again on the ticket sales for a certain promo, I'll probably spend two to three weeks letting people know it's coming. So once we launch tickets in March, I'll spend two to three weeks, you know, talking about the event, sharing videos, get it, building the excitement, repeating the date that tickets launch over and over and over and over again and letting people know it's one week only to get this discounted price. And that has worked really, really well in terms of getting those early ticket sales because typically that's what event hosts struggle with is like you want the bulk of the revenue as much as you can on the front end because you have to pay deposits, et cetera. So that's worked really well for us, at least for how our community tends to buy. But just if this makes anyone feel better, every single one of us at the last minute is like, come on, are you gonna get tickets or not? You keep telling me you're coming, but we all have those last minute ticket purchases and I sweat over the budget about every year.

Yeah. And it's, it's funny because like even like we often are those people as well. Like I, I'm such sometimes a really. I used to be really last minute but purchaser, I'd be like, oh, I'll just wait and see. Is it really what I want to know? And then there's obviously been other events where I'm like, no, no, I'm like booking out a year in advance. Like I've booked, it's December right now, we're recording this and I've already booked for August. So sometimes you just need to choose. Like I think about dance and what rooms I really want to be in. And I just know that knew that that was one that I wanted to be in next year. So it's worthwhile considering that. But yes, people can be so last minute. It's such a nightmare. But I love that you highlighted too as well, like the budget and I want to chat about that. But have you noticed any difference, like, have you changed like the length of time of promotion as well and how that's impacted ticket sales?

I've done everything from the very, very first event. I think we had six weeks before the event that I actually started promoting and had 100 women in the room, which don't even, I don't even really know how we ended up pulling that off. Now we will typically open tickets around March for an August event. And I don't think that the length of your Runway matters as much as those points where you are lovingly offering people the opportunity to make a decision. Those decision points are price increases or special promos. I think really strategically mapping that out is more important than the overall Runway because a longer Runway can also be a challenge because you run out of new ways to talk about the event.

Right, Right.

So there's, there's probably different, different thoughts, schools of thought on that, but that's worked really well for us. And then also just looking within your brand at what other high points are there naturally throughout the year that just have your community and I'm even now talking about like your Instagram audience paying more attention to what you're doing. So, for example, we host two higher end retreats every year, and our social media engagement tends to spike when we are hosting live experiences. So we have one at the end of February, which will be right before we open tickets for the live event. So I'm strategically planning all of that, knowing that we just have more interest and, you know, we're getting a lot of eyeballs from the women who are at the retreat posting stories. So also think strategically. When are those spikes in engagement within your social media audience?

Yeah, I love that. Amazing. So I want to talk to you about the budget because I know like events can massively blow out. And when we look at incredible events like what you've created, if we're just starting out or if we're wanting to scale an event, we look at all the pretty things. Like we want the beautiful stage, we want the beautiful couch, we want the set, the incredible dj, like we were all the things, but yet that can blow out to be a massive investment when it comes to paying for an event. How have you structure the way that you really consider the profitability of an event and how do you manage that in order for the event to stay profitable without getting caught up in the Shiny thing syndrome of buying all the things.

Yes. I love this question so, so much. So on a high level, what I do now is I will base my budget on a ticket sales number that I know we can easily hit. So for example, even though we put that we had 800 tickets sold last year, I'm that was the first time we'd ever sold 800. So I'm not basing this year's budget on 900. I'm going to base it more on selling 700 tickets. Because if we did 800 last year, 700 feels like, okay. I know the level of effort that went into filling 800 seats. I feel confident I can sell 700. So I'll base a budget on a conservative estimate of tickets. Tickets, let's say it's your first event and you want to have 100 people there. I would base your budget on whatever ticket sales price you decide on. And that, you know, we could talk a little bit about how to come to that decision as well. I would base your budget on selling 50 tickets. And I think that's a the way to start and you know, to realize that I think about it so much like planning a wedding. When I was planning a wedding many years ago, I thought about like, what are the things that are most important to my guests experience? And it was the food in those areas and let the other areas not be as big of a focus. I do the same thing with the powerhouse women event where I'll have things, you know, I'll have things in my budget as non negotiable food is one. We can't have a bunch of hangry women walking around. Or, you know, I think through the lens of as an attendee, if I had to send 800 people out in Scottsdale to try and find food and make it back in time to keep the event flow going, that's not going to work. So having lunch on site and prioritizing that while some of the more aesthetic elements are amazing, that's a category of my budget. That's the would be category. So what I do is as we hit different ticket sales benchmarks, I will then add in things that are in the would be nice category. Because at the end of the day, I've done events that are, you know, very aesthetically beautiful. And I've done smaller events that we didn't budget anything for decor. And it was in a very poorly lit ballroom. And it was one of the most transformational experiences of people's lives. So I think about that even though I am an Aesthetics person. And I always want the best and I always want the beautiful. You know, my design team will show me these beautiful designs and sometimes I've had to be like, ugh. It just kills me to say this, but we're not going to be able to budget for that full design this year. So I. Because ticket sales are coming in at different points of the year, there's different times that then I'll make a decision on adding an element versus taking it away. So really think through what is, what's the most important element to an attendee experience. And then the other thing I prioritize is video and photo because that's your marketing for any future event. So that's the one place I don't cut costs on is be, you know, thinking about, that's all of my marketing for the next year's event. So from there then I add in things slowly as I go. And I do start with a very simple. It's just a worksheet I created for myself in Google Docs. I have a budget that I build, so I plan my budget based on profitability. I think there is this idea that events are not, not profitable. And if we go in expecting not to profit, you'll probably lose money. If you go in expecting to profit, you have a better opportunity to profit. If not at least break even. And then obviously there's a whole other conversation around are you launching another program from the event to give the attendees an opportunity to continue the experience with you, which obviously can increase profitability. It's not the only way. But I, I do sell a program off of our event and you know, that is a consideration. But I do go in to the event budget itself, making sure the event as a standalone is also profitable.

I love that. That's so good because you're so right. Like so many people consider that, you know, or think that events don't have to be or cannot be profitable, but they can be if you're considerate of like what you're actually spending your money on. But then there's other times too where it's a brand awareness activity or a marketing activity that you're doing it for different reasons. Right. So I feel like sometimes you have to. That have to have that consideration that you, if you are selling things off the back, then maybe it's worthwhile investing in an event in order for you to have the right audience in order to sell the offer versus like just looking at that as an, as a profitable event. Because sometimes depending on your audience, it may not be A profitable event, but it will be if you're selling something there. So how do you go about doing that? Like, obviously, like when people are, you know, you mentioned that, that first event, they were like, what's next? What do we do with you? And it's like nothing. But now you've obviously got something to sell on the back of it. But there is that fine line between, like having an event that's really transformational and a beautiful experience and then weaving in the sales. Like, what's your consideration when it comes to how you go about selling? So you do off the back, did you mention or do you actually sell at the event?

I sell at the event and I'm never sure, like how the proper phrasing for that, but essentially having a network next step for, for your community. And, you know, I've been to both. I've been to events where the event itself was really just an opportunity to put you in the room so they could sell other programs. And I still got value out of those. Those events. I, I really think about, you know, my overall intention of the event experience itself being valuable and knowing that for my audience. And it really just depends on who you're serving with the event. But for a lot of us, I would imagine the people who listen to your podcast, for a lot of us, it's actually a disservice to not have a next step for people, especially if they're coming to this, this day and. Or weekend and you're cracking them open, you're connecting them with their big dreams and. And then you're just like, goodbye, good luck with that. Let me know how it goes to realize. And I'm saying that for anyone who maybe cringes at the thought of, you know, much less standing on stage, giving a keynote, selling something from stage. And I get so excited about it because I know that there are women in that room who are so ready to take that scary first step in monetizing an idea that they have or an early stage business mentorship, but realizing that it's a disservice if you're really waking people up and showing them their potential in any area, and then there's not an opportunity for them to take a next step with you and stay connected with the community. There's so many different ways that that can look. But when I reframed it in my mind as exactly that, it helped me get over any fear of selling from stage. And then something we're doing this year, one of the reasons we added a second day is we do have a portion of our community who are further along in business or who just want more of the business strategy content. So adding a second day also allows us now to separate the two offers other than the event that we sell. We have the 12 week online business mentorship and then we, we have a retreat that's a higher level retreat. So it gives the opportunity to have each of those offers give it a natural place to offer community as a next step for those who are looking for that. But I think you don't have to. The event itself doesn't have to feel like it's totally structured around that sale. I built it into our event. One of the panels we do is called Women to Watch and these are women who've come through the 12 week business mentorship and we offer that program right after that panel. So they just got to hear from women who were sitting in their seats last year and what they've been able to do. And, and for me, I guess what it all comes back around to is I actually, I love sales. I think it's such, it's just like the highest level of service that we can offer is guide people to solutions. And I'm really thoughtful with the, the things that I offer within the business. So then I get very excited about presenting those offers to people. And for us, the, like the culmination of our year is this event. So it's been really fun to build event experiences that really just sort of support the offers themselves being a natural next step. Like it would actually be unnatural if I didn't have that offer for people. So when I thought of, when I reverse engineered it like that, I think it, it's allowed me to feel really excited and confident in, in making those offers from stage, but also to have it feel like it doesn't take away from the event experience for anyone else who isn't right for that offer.

Oh, so good. I love, love, love that you shared that. Obviously someone from, in sales. I love hearing that from people is like, I love sales. I want to give those next offers and I want to serve my people. It just, it is the highest level of service. And you're right. And the thing is too like people are thinking it like they're, if we're not addressing it like you were just literally leaving our clients to be like, yeah, off you go, see you later, good luck. Instead of actually giving them an opportunity to continue, continue to work with you. So yeah, I love that so much. I'd love to know what you feel is going to change within events in the future. So what do you think the future of events will be?

I'll answer it from what I hope and what I do believe to be true is I believe that in a world that technology is advancing at such a rapid pace, it will make the experience of true authentic human connection, in person connection specifically, even more valuable. It's the one thing that AI cannot really duplicate. And so I think this is true for you know, if you're listening to this, this episode and you don't have a desire to host an event at the scale that we've been talking about, but you have maybe a product based business or I think all entrepreneurs, whether they're product or service based businesses would really benefit from thinking about how they can create in person touch points with their brand experiences where they can connect and build that community. Feel like I've been talking about I think everything else. I'm not really sure what, what's going to change and shift but, but I do know that there is, there's a reason that connecting in person feels the way it does because. Because at a very deep level, one of our basic human needs is a feeling of belonging and connection. And I don't know of a better way, I've never experienced a better way of offering that as a product than a live experience. It doesn't have to be hosting your own retreat way for your customers to really meet you as the founder or meet the team behind the brand and bring it to life. So that's more a statement just on I think events are here. I think they're going to become even more valuable and in person connections going to become and I'm so excited to be on that journey.

Yes. And so then what, what do you have in store for us next year.

For Powerhouse for the event or just in general? I'm like there's so many fun things that I cannot.

So many fun things. Talk to us about the event. I'm going to bring more Aussies so if anyone's listening, they want to come along with me. Please reach totally taking a cohort of people across. So tell us a little bit about Power Hustle. If someone has never heard about what this event is all about, what can we expect for 2020, 25?

Yeah, well the event itself is designed to, I think for all of us just to come back to the reason that we feel called to create something and that could be you feel called to grow and expand in your career and you just know there's more for you to offer. There's another experience. Experience of yourself that you haven't tapped into. So personal expansion, professional expansion, business or otherwise, with the most genuine and very authentic community of other women who are on that journey. And I think, you know, I talked about community as a whole, but from a personal experience, there is such value to aligning with, with people who both champion most ambitious, who's hungry for growth, especially if you don't have family and friends who really champion that, and the same group of people who can meet you in those really challenging moments, who get that it feels really intimidating sometimes and you're going to face fears. And I think when we find environments and that's what we've created that really celebrate both and make it safe to be that big version of you, but also still be really scared sometimes the permission it gives you to keep expanding and to connect with the community of people who are going to help you get there faster is just really invaluable. And we're going to continue on that mission and do it in a bigger way in 2025. And I, I can't wait. I would love to meet more Aussies and I know at some point I want to come and connect over on your side of the pond as well, because there's just such value, like I said, in, in creating opportunities to connect face to face, like human to human. And that's definitely what I'm craving more of on a big scale and on a smaller scale podcast, live podcasts and things like that over the next year.

Yeah, I love that you've also done that with the podcast too. Even with like the old living room sessions with Lori. I love the in person ones. They have a different vibe and you really, really feel that. And I totally agree with you. I don't think we'll ever take away that need for human connection and events is such a beautiful way to go about doing that. And I just want to like thank you for challenging yourself to do this on such an incredible way and considering like what you really want people to walk away with from that event. And I think that what really resonated with me the whole, this whole episode is you're really removing the gap between people who are on the stage and what people believe is possible for themselves in the audience. And I just absolutely want to acknowledge you for that because that's just incredible and I just love that you're doing that for so many women out there.

Thank you. Thank you so much for this beautiful conversation.

I've loved every minute, so thank you so much and I cannot wait to hug you in. In August. I will make sure that I will. Yeah. Bring a few more Aussies along and I'm sure it's going to be such an incredible event. So I can't wait for it.

I can't wait. Can we start planning our outfits? That's my question.

Oh, my gosh. I seriously, like, every single time. I like, what is she gonna do this year? Like, every sing time, it's like, next level. I absolutely love it. So good. So thank you so much for being a part of the podcast today, Lindsay.

Thank you.