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EP 29: How to host your first retreat and actually make a profit w/ Abbi Miller
32 Plays15 days ago
Dreaming of leading retreats but don’t know where to start? In this episode, Dana Hayes is joined by holistic business strategist Abbi Miller to unpack everything you actually need to know about hosting transformational retreats that feel expansive—and profitable.
Whether you’re eyeing a cozy Airbnb getaway or a luxe destination retreat, Abbi shares the real behind-the-scenes: from scouting venues and managing logistics to pricing confidently and selling with integrity.
We dive into:
✨ How to start hosting retreats even if you’ve never done it before
✨ Why luxury doesn’t always mean five-star—and what your clients truly value
✨ The biggest mistakes new retreat leaders make (and how to avoid them)
✨ How to align your retreat offer with your audience, your lifestyle, and your pricing
✨ Real talk on pricing, marketing, and making retreats sustainable in your biz
🎧 Tune in now and learn how to lead transformative retreats that align with your purpose and create real income in your business.
Love,
Dana & the Modern Day Healer Team
Connect with Dana HERE and Abbi HERE and tell them what you loved most about this episode and what resonated deeply.
Listen to Abbi’s podcast, The Workwomb Podcast: https://workwomb.com/podcast
Download her FREE cycle-syncing & time batching method: https://workwomb.myflodesk.com/monday
Explore the Biz on the Beach Somatic Business Retreat: https://www.workwomb.com/biz-on-the-beach
DM Abbi your retreat ideas on IG: https://www.instagram.com/workwomb/?hl=en
Listen to Abbi's episode on "4 Types of Buyers & How to Attract Your Dreamiest Clients": Spotify Episode
Watch the Greek Chic Retreat Promo Video: YouTube Video
**If you loved today's episode, remember to give this podcast a 5-star rating! You can quickly leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts by scrolling down on my show page, selecting a star rating, and tapping “Write a review.” This helps other modern-day healers discover the show, and your feedback helps me curate more content you love. Thank you for your support!!
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Transcript
Introduction to the Modern Day Healer Podcast
00:00:02
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Modern Day Healer Podcast. I'm your host, Dana Hayes, and I am so excited to share with you the stories, the trials, the tribulations, and most importantly, the triumphs of my own as well as many other successful modern day healers.
00:00:20
Speaker
We've gone all in to pursue our passion. to make an impact in the world by helping humans heal from the past and find true empowerment in their lives today.
00:00:31
Speaker
So what exactly is a modern day healer, you might ask? A modern day healer is you. She is me and anyone else who feels a calling to help others heal, grow, and share their light.
00:00:44
Speaker
You could be a wife, a mother, a teacher, a writer, speaker, a podcast host. You might be a workshop producer, a course creator. You're most likely an entrepreneur and can't shake the desire to make your calling your career because you know how much impact you could make if you went all in and had the opportunity to share your story with the world. That is a modern day
Dana's Journey and Introduction of Abby Miller
00:01:11
Speaker
healer.
00:01:11
Speaker
I'm a podcast host, a co-author of an amazing book about the journey of sobriety, a wife, a mom of two young children, and the creator of the spiritual lifestyle brand, Living in Power.
00:01:23
Speaker
I am Dana and I am a modern day healer. i am so glad you're here. Let's get started.
00:01:39
Speaker
Welcome, welcome, welcome to today's episode of the Modern Day Healer. I'm Dana Hayes, your host, and today I have a repeat offender. She is a holistic business strategist.
00:01:53
Speaker
um She believes that your mojo is your moneymaker. She's the host of the WorkWomb podcast, and she also runs the best somatic business retreat on the market, Biz on the Beach,
00:02:07
Speaker
And she is Abby Miller. Hello, Abby. Welcome back. Hi, Dana Love. It's so good to see you again. so fun that we get to chat. We're always like DMing on IG, chatting. It's fun to be able to do a pod together again. Yay. Okay. I am so excited to have you here because...
00:02:25
Speaker
For all you listeners out there, I have had so many of you ask me questions. And actually, it's not just my listeners. I've had clients as as well ask questions about retreats.
Abby's Retreat Experience and Insights
00:02:37
Speaker
How do I do a retreat? How do I start it? Where do I go? Like, what are so I'm going to be asking Abby all of the good questions. And I'm going to basically pick her brain for all the info that you need in order to actually conduct your first retreat.
00:02:54
Speaker
retreat and make your dreams of but running retreats of reality. And this is what Abby does. I mean, it's, it's a big piece of um her business. And so she really has such amazing experience. She just did the last biz on the beach.
00:03:10
Speaker
back in December, and she's got another one coming up in November. So if after hearing this episode, you're like, well, yeah, like I want to be a part of that, um hit up Abby.
00:03:22
Speaker
i will link her back into the show notes as I usually do. And um you can get in touch with her about that and I'll let her talk more about it. But for right now, Abby, I've got so many questions. um Can I just start? Yeah, bring it girl. Okay, cool. So One of, okay, I think the marketing aspect of running a retreat is probably the biggest stuck spot for people.
00:03:49
Speaker
But before I get into those questions, I, we, so funny because like people don't come to me about retreats, right? They're just telling me their vision. They're asking me, like, they're just generally asking like, what? I don't even know where to start.
00:04:05
Speaker
And so they'll start talking and we'll start coming up with some little ideas here and there. But I've never run a retreat, so I don't have real answers. And um it always comes back to the first question of where do I run a retreat and how do I even go about it?
00:04:22
Speaker
Do i go book out an Airbnb? Do I go to a hotel and rent out a block of rooms? Like what in your experience, what is the best way to even begin this this whole venture?
Transitioning to Independent Retreats
00:04:35
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, I love this question. So can i answer that by sharing a little bit about my chronology of retreats and then and then where to start? so I was in my teens, I was a touring actress. I did musical theater, so I was like international Broadway tour.
00:04:54
Speaker
um So I've always had the travel bug and got to see Southeast Asia at a really, I was 19, like working in Seoul, Korea, you know, like really got to see parts of the world that were, you know, as a girl from Kansas City, that was a really, a really different um environment. And so I've always loved to travel. And especially when I was acting, I was like, I'm getting paid to travel. This feels cool. This feels like I just hit the jackpot.
00:05:19
Speaker
Right. And so um always had that bug. And then my my buddy, um when I was, I think 22, I had a buddy approach me about starting an international adventure company because I had already traveled a lot, um not just Southeast Asia, but also in you know a lot of other spots. And and He was like, let's get paid to travel. Let's take teenagers. And I grew up homeschooling. So he was like, let's let's support home.
00:05:43
Speaker
If you're going to homeschool, instead of just staying at home all day, you have the world. The world is your oyster. like Let's take homeschool teenagers around the world. And so we started on school adventures and we took kids to Australia and Argentina. And so like we were just making it up. This is pre Airbnb.
00:06:02
Speaker
This is pre I mean, there this is just like this is a different day. There was no Yelp. You know what I mean? and um And so, yeah so that that we did that for several years. i ended up, ah I think, maybe three or four years into the company deciding I had other other things I wanted to do and it wasn't quite a fit for me. So I ended up resigning and he bought me out of the company and it still runs to this day.
00:06:25
Speaker
um And then I moved on to yoga and nutrition and was kind of like, okay, I'm in the wellness world. Great. And then, you know, you start to teach yoga and there's this buzz in the back of your head of, do I lead a yoga retreat?
00:06:37
Speaker
So I had already kind of had this experience of traveling a lot and then running our own adventures. So I had, um I connected with a dear friend of mine, Ksenia, and immediately knew, girl, we have to collaborate.
00:06:51
Speaker
And kind of like you were sharing, she does, she was more in like the food blogger space, wellness blogger space, and I was a yogi. so we we knew we wanted to do a retreat, but we had never done it, right? Like we had never done a yoga retreat. We had never done, and and my adventures were very like,
00:07:08
Speaker
Unschool Adventures was very, we had like 11 teenagers backpacking around Argentina. Like this was not a five-star experience. I mean, it was
Purpose and Business Alignment for Retreats
00:07:15
Speaker
super fun and very safe, but this this was no this was not luxury. This was not luxury. We're like staying in hostels, you know.
00:07:22
Speaker
I was 22, like I said, 23. um So when Ksenia approached me, I knew I wanted do to do this retreat. And I immediately like serendipitously got approached by third-party company. And there are a lot of them now.
00:07:36
Speaker
that partner with yoga teachers, speakers, coaches, writers, you know, et cetera, to be the middleman and do all the heavy lifting. Here's what I can say about that for someone who's like, where do I start? And I just wanted to share that, that I have experienced kind of both sides of things.
00:07:53
Speaker
um I worked with that company for a while and it was fine. I didn't feel like They were crossing every T and dotting every i And having come from running my own ventures, I was like, this is such a small profit margin that I'm getting.
00:08:08
Speaker
Like i made like 500 bucks my first retreat or something. It was crazy. And I felt like they were a little sloppy. And I was like, wait, wait, wait. If I'm paying a middleman, I want to just feel like primo, white glove, like...
00:08:21
Speaker
I'm paying you so I don't have to do the heavy lifting and it shows.
Evolution from Budget to Luxury Retreats
00:08:24
Speaker
And so by the second or third retreat, I was like, I'm going do, we're just going to do this on our own. And I went back to rogue and DIY and deide everything.
00:08:32
Speaker
um I will say now, so the company I worked with that I was underwhelmed with, they they went under. So don't worry, they don't exist anymore. i wish i had like I wish I had a list of companies, Dana, that I was like, these these brands are phenomenal.
00:08:46
Speaker
I have a couple peers I can share their brands. I haven't worked with them personally, but they're good humans. um So if if if you're listening and you're like, I want to lead a retreat, but I don't have a contact with a hotel. I don't want to do the Airbnb game. I don't want to research retreat centers.
00:09:01
Speaker
You can find a vetted third-party company that partners with you as the talent. and And then those companies are going to do, it just they probably have 800 different ways they could operate, right? Like I think when I, the companies I worked with Gosh, I made, you know, X hundred dollars a head or something.
00:09:21
Speaker
Right. And so and then they posted my retreat on their website. But like all the sales were from me. Like I didn't I don't know that anybody was just randomly happening on it and selling. Right. So I think I think those companies tend to do better for something like. um partnerships with hotels, safe you know activity and excursions, adventures, airport shuttles, all of that.
00:09:46
Speaker
um But i have I haven't really heard of them being like such a big marketing partner. Again, totally could prove me wrong, and I'll i'll send you some some names for show notes, Dana.
00:09:57
Speaker
um So that's where I started. And then um moved into, gosh, how did I even get connected? I think, you know, Instagram venues will DM you and be like, hi, you're a yogi. We saw you let a retreat. You should consider our venue. And um there was this hotel in Greece, this Oh my God, it's on this tiny Greek island. It's like three hours from Santorini. It's Amorgos. Nobody knows about this island. It's this tiny island.
00:10:24
Speaker
And there's this gorgeous five-star family-owned boutique hotel on like a cliff. It's just unreal. And so that was ah that was my first time in the yoga world of circling back and saying, hey, let's just do this, you and I.
Marketing and Strategic Retreat Planning
00:10:38
Speaker
and I handled everything. I'm making the spreadsheets. I'm sending flight info. I'm sending dietary restrictions and medical waivers, and I'm sending them the schedule, like everything.
00:10:50
Speaker
And it was a lot, it was a lot. I wasn't charging enough and I didn't have enough support and it was it was okay. i I have that brain, like I lean very detail forward, so it worked, but it's definitely like for folks listening, like it is a lot of work to lead a retreat.
00:11:10
Speaker
And I think people look at it and they see you on the beach and they see you just doing handstands on the beach. They're like, oh my God, I want that. I want to make thousands of dollars. You know, if you do the math, you're like, oh, I can make like 10 grand, 20 grand. And it's just a week.
00:11:22
Speaker
But it's a lot of work. And a huge part of my work as a strategist is helping people systematize things. And there's a lot of, there's something called We Travel, which is a really great, website for if you are hosting it on your own, but you want use a platform that does like payment plans and you could you guys could use ThriveCard or something like probably even Stripe now too. But I liked WeTravel because I could kind of create my own.
00:11:45
Speaker
This is the deposit and this is the payment plan and here's the waiver and here's the schedule. it kind of acts as a sales page too. um So anyway, that was a lot, but that's kind of like the snapshot of of where I've been and and everything.
00:11:58
Speaker
No, that was so good. Okay. So I have like a million questions, but yeah the first one being, um, and again, it's like, before we get into the marketing now that just, I feel like naturally led me into the question of what does it take to run a retreat? What does this really logistically look like? And how do you actually make a profit? Because if there are so many logistics and there are so many things to do, like there are tasks, right. And things to manage.
00:12:27
Speaker
How, how can somebody that's never done it before? And let's say, let's say that they are just starting with an Airbnb and they're just yeah doing it maybe in their hometown or town over or ah trying to make it easy. look Locale wise for themselves.
00:12:42
Speaker
And they're like, I don't even know what I, I need. It's like, could you, could you give like a rundown of just things that they might not be thinking about that they should be thinking about? And then How do you accrue a profit from that and not take a loss? And I know this is a lot of questions. um You don't have to remember all of them. I can remind you.
00:13:05
Speaker
And is it profitable? Like, I know that there are people that run retreats and actually lose money. And it's still a part of a plan, right? It's still part of a business strategy. But um I think we're looking at this more as a profit generator, if it's possible.
00:13:22
Speaker
I love that question. So I'm a biz strategist. i always want to know the why behind things. And so I think with any offer, the question is where does it fit in the ecosystem of your biz?
00:13:36
Speaker
So if you're leading a retreat twice a year and that is your bread and butter and you're like, I need to pay my mortgage on this retreat, you're going to come at it You're going to create it and market it so differently than if you're like, oh, I want to have fun on the beach once a year and I'd love to have my costs covered.
00:13:50
Speaker
You know what I mean? And so I think that the answer to that question is different every time I run a retreat. um When I was, you know, for years, I was leading two to four retreats a year. It was a big part of my revenue. I'd have to look, go back and look at my P&L, but I think it was at least probably 20, 30% my revenue.
00:14:09
Speaker
um of my, of like my net revenue, my business, like my paycheck, what was those retreats? Um, so working with a venue, I mean, here's, this is the question you didn't ask, but working with a venue, depending, i don't know if your listeners are in the States or global, but when we work like a hotel in Greece, your dollar, the U S dollar goes so much farther. So people are going to have a really big travel expense, um,
00:14:33
Speaker
But your margins are going to your profit margins are going to be a lot bigger. right I live in Austin. I'm actually planning right now a retreat from my mastermind. So when you're in my mastermind, the retreat is free.
00:14:45
Speaker
And this is something I'm creating. I'm not going to make money on it. right I'm creating this because I want to see all my clients. like Some of them I've never met in person. I'm like, let's hang out. Let's snuggle. Let's chill. like this is This is value building. This is business.
00:15:00
Speaker
joy-based. This is not making bank. And leading a domestic retreat for those people in the States is freaking expensive, especially in Austin. It's crazy. um So i think it's I think really starting with your why. Why are you doing the retreat? what is it Why do you have the twinkle in your eye? Are you like, I want to lead retreats for a living?
00:15:20
Speaker
Great. We're going to come at that differently than this is one annual part of my offer suite business ecosystem. That's like a fun way to hug my clients, right? And I think that the why is going to inform how you shape it, right? When I was leading international adventures for teenagers, there was no part of the language. There was no part of my sales page that was like luxury. You know, it was like, listen, y'all, we're going to be eating out of a gas station in rural Argentina. you're you know what I mean? It was like, we are figuring it out. We are on a budget, okay? We're now, Biz on the Beach, this is a luxury retreat.
00:15:59
Speaker
And this, I'll be totally transparent with you, this is the most expensive retreat I've ever run. um Cost to me and and you know tuition for the client. i am And I really struggled with that because when I started off, my retreats were like $12.99 for a week, all inclusive. you know This retreat is is five over five grand, it's $5,200.
00:16:21
Speaker
And i have a really small profit margin on this retreat. um The venue's expensive. It's a luxury five-star hotel. It's Mexico. It's in a town that's, you know, on the map as far as it's a vibey destination spot, right?
00:16:36
Speaker
But my brand has evolved where I don't want the budget hostile in Nicaragua vibes anymore. You know what i mean? And so I, you know, it's priced accordingly.
00:16:47
Speaker
And so I think it's like, I think it's starting with the why and letting that inform your decisions. I will say, and again, this is the question you didn't ask, but I'm going to share, um years into my retreat. So I was leading, her i had two venues I went to every year. It'd be so funny to, I'll have to link, going a note to link this because I have, I just found an old YouTube video. I brought a videographer in to record my retreat. And I, so this is just like the most gorgeous video. um We'll link it up for people who want to watch to see me when I was 25. But yeah,
00:17:19
Speaker
But I had this venue in Greece and this venue in Marrakesh, in Morocco, that I would go to every year. And those were those retreats sold out. I did them it was like, as soon as we were there, I booked the next year. And I did that.
00:17:31
Speaker
And then it was kind of like, ooh, maybe I should do more. OK, I did a retreat in Puglia, Italy, with my friend. And then I was like, oh, I want to go to Iceland. And i had found this really funky hotel um online. And to be fair, they did have a really good website. It was a little catfished. But yeah.
00:17:48
Speaker
i didn't I didn't see it before I booked it. And it was like it was a hotel, for sure. It wasn't a hostel, but it felt kind of part it felt like a hostel, like kind of party vibes and like a little dingy.
00:18:01
Speaker
And it was so much cheaper than everything else I was looking at for because Iceland is crazy expensive. And I was like, oh, great. like This will just be a lower cost retreat. And I actually adjusted the price, so it wasn't a luxury price point.
00:18:14
Speaker
But I had already set this precedent with the venue in Greece and Morocco were so posh. And so just like the food was exquisite. And you know the driver in like the black sedan, like everything was just super elevated.
00:18:30
Speaker
and so then that was the first time I had led a retreat where I could tell people were a little bit, i think there was like a little bummer energy about the venue. And so for anyone starting a retreat, if it is international, I know it's a huge cost to scout the venue, but I would really, I mean, we you know, we have so much now with video and social media and all of this, but I would really, i would talk to someone who's been there or go scout it. And that's what I did with with Mexico for Biz on the Beach. We went out because I had, i
00:19:01
Speaker
hadn't this so that Just so you know, this is my first time. i had always done yoga retreats. um And
Handling Logistics and Challenges
00:19:07
Speaker
then for the last 12 years, I've been doing exclusively business coaching. And so this is my first time weaving some of the semantics and breathwork and yoga and everything I did in the yoga retreat with biz, because I also used to run a business conference. And I was like, wait.
00:19:20
Speaker
these two things can just have a baby and I can find what I love about both of them and like bring it into the world. So it was really important to me, even though five star, even though it had the sexiest website, I was like, we are going to scout this venue, you know? And so I ate the cost, which also if anyone's listening, ah that's a write-off family vacation.
00:19:38
Speaker
I hope the IRS is not listening. I'm um But like straight up, you know, family, it was like a four day, whatever trip, but I was scouting the venue. um So I think that, I think I didn't answer any of your questions.
00:19:54
Speaker
You're welcome. But those were, that's my riff adjacent to your question. Yeah. You answered all of them, all of them. So you can be profitable. it depends on the angle that you're coming in. Is it just purely for strategy or, you know, for you to meet your clients or just like a one-off like for fun, or is it a part of your actual, you know, like, is this going to be part of your income for your life? yeah um Yeah. And it's just like, it's everything you and I teach, right? It's like, what is the, like, like I was sharing about Iceland. I think there was a little bit of a mismatch with Iceland retreat with the quality of my brand and the, the, the kind of echelon that I was attracting and the, just the caliber of, of,
00:20:39
Speaker
of vi yeah the caliber of retreats I was running. And I learned that. And nobody outwardly complained, but I felt it. I was like this is like, this breakfast is shit. like This is not, you know what I mean? This is not like a gorgeous, you know? and And so I realized, oh, I don't actually want to do the budget retreats anymore. I actually just want to be like, this is five star, this is luxury, and it's priced as such.
00:21:03
Speaker
And your expectations are going to be met or or you know you're going to be blown away. And so I think also it's like what I was saying you and I teach is like, white what who is your ideal client? Who are you serving? right What is the price point of your work? And not that everybody has to lead five-star luxury retreats. i have I attend a retreat that one of my friend and clients run.
00:21:23
Speaker
That's a day retreat in rural Texas. And we're just like in the woods all day. And it's like so gorgeous. And we're barefoot. And it's just, there's nothing about it that's like luxury, except that it's like luxury nature. It's so beautiful. So I'm not saying that's the only thing that has value at all.
00:21:38
Speaker
um you know, being in a luxury space. But i think I think it's also like, what are you used to selling? I think it can be a heavy lift if you're a yoga teacher that sells classes for 20 bucks each, and suddenly you're like, I have a $6,000 retreat, you know? So I think it's also like your own marketing chops And what do you feel like your audience is primed for? What are they asking for?
Final Thoughts on Retreat Strategy
00:21:58
Speaker
What is their, yeah, what are what are their expectations around, like your brand as a whole, like what kind of price points have you been hitting, right? So to work with me as a biz strategist, it's over $2,000 a month, right? So my retreat is actually an incredible value because it's 5,200.
00:22:14
Speaker
You also get, um if you pay in full, you get a session with me. You know what I mean? So, and then there's, all we have other, I mean, you get a massage, you get, There's like, you know, three organic meals a day. it's It's so it's such good value. but um But yeah, I think it really is a question around where it fits in the ecosystem of your biz.
00:22:30
Speaker
Yeah. And like what your people value. What do they value? Because, you know, as you and I were talking about before getting on this call, it's like your business retreat. is much more aligned with what I value, right? Like I want that service, I want that food, I want that yeah experience and I want the comfort of all of it. you know That's what makes me feel comfortable and that's what's gonna give me the biggest transformation while being on the trip.
00:22:59
Speaker
And that's what it's about for me is like receiving that that energy transmission, right? That you can really only get in person or really high proximity. And, but when it comes to, you know, the $600 retreat where, you know, there's bedrooms being shared, it's just, it's not, that's not what I value. I don't value the lower cost.
00:23:23
Speaker
I don't value that at all. So I'm so much more willing to pay. Thousands of dollars because I actually value the luxury. I value yeah experience of that. And therefore, it's like you've got to know, you know, I feel like this is a conversation that needs to be had more often, but you really have to understand and have confidence that there are lots of people out there who don't value the lower price point.
00:23:47
Speaker
Like actually that's a turnoff. It's a turnoff. yeah is What does that equal in my head? That equals being uncomfortable. I love my space. i love my, my energetic space. Like I need.
00:24:00
Speaker
Oh, I'm very particular. I'm a particular creature and I have set up my life and my business that way so that I can actually like accommodate myself in those because it makes me a better person. It makes me a better business person. It makes me a better mother, a better friend, a better human being. And so I know what I value. And if you understand what your people value, then you can, you can give them that through a retreat.
00:24:25
Speaker
Totally. And this is something I teach in marketing too, is like mindful comparison, because instead of looking at my retreat and being like, it's $5,200, like, oh, someone's selling a little surf trip for 1200 bucks. Like, oh no, my retreat's so expensive.
00:24:40
Speaker
It's like exactly what you just said. But what, like, what are the strengths of this journey? experience. And I know Biz on the Beach, you know, I've already, I've been there, I've scouted it once and we did the retreat last year. Right. So I've been there twice.
00:24:51
Speaker
They have the most exquisite staff. Every, I mean, like it, listen, if you guys don't go to the retreat, you have to go to the venue in your life. Like I want you all on my retreat, but also like, holy crap, this venue. I mean, like every corner is like a photo shoot.
00:25:05
Speaker
It's just every single plant that's planted. Like it's just, you're in the space and you're like, I am a supermodel. Like I am a supermodel. Everything is gorgeous. Like it's just so pretty there.
00:25:17
Speaker
And like, you know, just the way every drink there's the way they do the cinnamon on your matcha, the, the, you know, the smell of the organic soap in the bathroom. It's like, I know just the venue. And then I also know the quality and caliber that I facilitate and the amount of access people get to me. And like, I am on the whole freaking time. ah And I know when things are budget, it's like,
00:25:40
Speaker
Yeah, it's just relative. And listen, when I was 23, I valued that. I was the backpacker. I was the girl that was like, hey, guys, this is a deal. And so wherever you are in that spectrum is great and fine and aligned. And I think it's just like what's going to make you feel good. If it's going to make you feel good for it to be a deal.
00:25:57
Speaker
Awesome. That's that's your brand. That's your biz. But I think for me in this season of life and definitely it's like, you know, you and I are both mamas to small humans and, you having a space where I know every detail is just going to be handled.
00:26:10
Speaker
Like it's just sorted. You know what I mean? Like when I book an in-room massage in Mexico and Sayulita, it's like, it was the best massage I had in my entire life. I was like, I live here now. Like I'm not leaving. This is amazing.
00:26:24
Speaker
Um, you know, and just like the as the aesthetic of where we do our business masterminding, you know, all of it. So I think, Yeah, i'm right I'm on a tangent, but I think like, yeah, it has to feel right to you.
00:26:35
Speaker
And I just, I have to say something in response to what you just said about being moms. You know, I think maybe that could be one of the, it's like, okay, so thinking about who your customer is, i do not.
00:26:51
Speaker
want to go somewhere where I have to go. I already do enough work yeah yeah with my kids. I cook, I clean, i do lots of stuff on top of everything else I do.
00:27:01
Speaker
And so when I'm thinking about spending money to go somewhere for me personally, like, and this is different for everyone. I know that, but for me personally, I want to be taken care of.
00:27:13
Speaker
Yeah. I want to be taken care of of and I want to just be able to relax and do what I want to do. hey So it's just, just something to mention when you're thinking about even, I mean, a lot of times we're in psychographics, which is great. And we should be there when we're thinking about marketing, but demographics are important too. And like my kids have kids, I'm a mom and I need some peace and some rest.
00:27:37
Speaker
So, yeah okay. I love that conversation. and now let's, let's kind of switch into the mode of how the heck, especially if you're just starting off, how the heck do you get people into these retreats?
00:27:51
Speaker
And I know that, again, it's going to be a nuanced conversation because there's different clientele. And based off of that, there's different ah pathways to attracting them and to you know selling to them.
00:28:03
Speaker
But let's just say it's somebody, again, let's stick with the Airbnb, somebody who's probably doing it domestic, isn't going international for the first time. And ah legit, like this is their first retreat and they're probably not going international.
00:28:19
Speaker
into the 5,000 mark. Like it's a couple thousand bucks, if if that. Yeah. You say where to start with that? Yeah. how do you how do you How do you get people to fill up the spots?
00:28:31
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I think it's not dissimilar to whatever else you're selling, right? And I think I really believe in the energetics of loving our shit.
00:28:45
Speaker
And if you're selling something like, hey guys, I'm doing a retreat in Mexico. It's really, it starts in November. It's really great. Like and no one's gonna give a crap. But if I'm like, oh my God, we're going back to this venue.
00:28:57
Speaker
You guys, it feels like we're on a private beach. I actually thought we were on a private beach until the second year when I was there and I climbed over a rock and saw there was a hotel next door, but I didn't know because I had the whole time, the entire week I was there, I didn't see another human on the beach for six days.
00:29:13
Speaker
Like it is so sexy, dahda da da da da. You know, and i obviously i love the venue, but also speaking about the content. and you know, so I think like if you are excited about it, that is magnetic, that is attractive. And I think like starting with that, you know, i think the first I think also having a having low expectations for the first retreat um as far as revenue.
00:29:33
Speaker
um i would always round up whatever you're budgeting just always round up um when we did um unschool adventures we always had what was called a slush fund where per head i think we had an extra like 250 or something and i would maybe even do more now just to be like okay you know like last time someone's flight was late so she wasn't a part of the group shuttle i had to hire a private a separate shuttle right um i mean i've had just the craziest things happen on retreats also side note definitely have a Definitely have a contract, you know, waiver that people sign.
00:30:03
Speaker
um I built that out. I, when we were in Greece, we had a Medicaid, which hadn't happened in like 70 years, a Mediterranean hurricane.
00:30:15
Speaker
Um, and the island we're on didn't have an airport. And so the only way you get there is by ferry and the ferry won't sail if waves are, um, I think it's nine foot is when the ferry doesn't sail and waves waves were at eight foot and they're like, okay, you're either going to be stuck. Like, this is the last boat out. You're either stuck on the island for an indefinite amount of time or, or you can get on the ferry that leaves in an hour. And we're like, this is three in the morning. I'm like, and half my, half my students, I didn't have a kid at the time. So I, we were just like, fuck it. We'll, we'll be stranded on a Greek island. But half the people left in the middle of my retreat.
00:30:54
Speaker
Right. I mean, it was crazy. And like, if I don't know if I hadn't had that, there were no refunds. If I hadn't had all of that in the contract, who knows? Everybody was very gracious because obviously I don't control the weather, but um you never know. And I'm like booking all this last minute three in the morning. i don't speak Greek like it's all Greek to me.
00:31:12
Speaker
So listen, just be be prepared. But I think like. I think that, um okay, back to your question. So how do we market? How do we inspire people? I mean, I think tactically when I started doing it, I was like in the yoga nutrition world. So I did have my booty in a yoga studio every day.
00:31:32
Speaker
So I had like, I always, the the thing I preach and the methodology that that i share is called sell how you serve. And so where do you get people who wanna do yoga in your yoga class?
00:31:46
Speaker
You know, so it was like, it was a very, it was a very lateral move. It was a very like effortless invite to be like, hey guys, thanks for class. And like every, I just, every single class I said, hey I have this retreat coming up in Greece. It's so amazing. Hit me up if you want info.
00:32:00
Speaker
Maybe sometimes I even went rogue and just had a clipboard with a piece of paper and said, write your email down and I'll send you and it a link, you know, or DM me on IG or whatever. But, um,
00:32:11
Speaker
But like, i mean, just literally grassroots-ing it. um And you know, I had i've been teaching for so long, I had enough of a following that my experience was that it sold out. And again, my first retreat was $1,300, $1,400.
00:32:23
Speaker
So they sold You so... so they just sold out i you know so um And then now kind of returning to the retreat space as a biz coach, I'm still a yoga teacher, always have been, always will, but I don't teach at studios anymore. So I'm not really known in that space. And this retreat is definitely, it's like a mullet, like biz in the but biz in the front, yoga in the back.
00:32:48
Speaker
It's not a yoga retreat. Like, yes, we're doing yoga every day, but the focus is it's all entrepreneurs, creatives, artists, healers, you know, where it's it's definitely a biz retreat. Um, But sometimes, you know, like people went and they're like, oh, it was so fun to do yoga with you. They're like, I didn't know that side of you. Right. So I think like if you so for to sell something, I'm already serving the biz side of things, um but I'm not actively serving the yoga side of things. My sessions, we do breath work and things like this, but I'm not like doing asana with clients.
00:33:18
Speaker
So I think the, you know, the more that that whatever the focus is of your retreat, i'm I'm guessing for most people, it's going to be an extension of what they're already doing. And so the the selling is easier because you're already serving that.
00:33:31
Speaker
And I think communicating it and then sometimes, you know, it just... Yeah, depending on how much of a deviation it is from the work you're doing every day, there's a little bit more education that needs to happen.
00:33:42
Speaker
um For me, for Biz on the Beach, again, all my clients know Biz strategy. I kind of don't feel like i need to sell that because they already like know that I do that. I get to talk more about the venue and why would you why instead of just working with me on Zoom, would you fly to Mexico? And like kind of the semantics, somatics the um tapping into the senses of it.
00:34:02
Speaker
So, I mean, I think, and then tactic, you know, it's like, it's like any launch, right? Like what's your launch plan? Um, looking at where are you going to market? You know, like for me, again, it used to be IRL with yoga retreats. I had flyers. I was just like straight up, like, here's a flyer. I'm putting it on the wall at the yoga studio.
00:34:21
Speaker
Um, and But I think nothing's off limits. It's like posting a flyer, giving people your Instagram handle, having them write down their email address, chatting to a human, IRL after an experience, you know, just being like, hey, this sounds fun. But I did a lot of personal inviting and it was a lot of selling in the DMs.
00:34:39
Speaker
um I don't even think I had like a launch sequence. Like I didn't know what like a funnel was. um i think I probably sent an email or two about it where now it's like, you know, we have cart open and early bird and incentives to early bird. And we have um all of that. I will say the thing that is so annoying, but so I think consistent across the board for me leading retreats is people don't want to think that far ahead.
00:35:05
Speaker
And if it's domestic and local, it's, it's a lower lift because people don't need a passport. They don't need a flight, right. If it's in their town and maybe they're flying to you domestically, but, um, but, you know, to ask someone to come to Mexico, they need babysitter. They need a passport. They need a flight. They, know, it takes a minute to figure that out.
00:35:23
Speaker
Um, and so people need a minute to figure that out. And I just think, um, really leaning on last call energy, which kind of gets into like the four types of buyers. I have a whole podcast on this. I could link it up, but talking about kind of like the time buyer, the the buyer that they have to feel what it's like to not sign up before they will sign up.
00:35:42
Speaker
And i had that, um, So, I mean, my retreats at first sold out, like I had like the Greece and Morocco, they would sell out within 24 hours of launching them because it was, i mean, it just like so sexy, so amazing. And I also had done it every year. It's sold out. People just knew to get on it.
00:35:59
Speaker
But anytime I'd launch something new, I'd kind of like half sell out, you know, it'd be like half full. And then I just sit on it. I'm like, oh my God. And a lot of venues. And again, I'm kind of going back to venues. Airbnb is so different because they, a lot of venues, a lot of Airbnbs, you can late cancel without a penalty.
00:36:15
Speaker
So it's actually a really low lift. It's actually a really great place to start as far as like investment for a retreat um or even hosting it at your house or a friend's house or whatever. um But um like I, for example, my retreat's in November, but I have to pay the hotel in full or I have like, I have to do final headcount and final like 50% by August 1st.
00:36:38
Speaker
So my, if you're on my mailing list, you'll start to get last call emails in like June. um And we'll nurture for six weeks to be like, carts closing, carts closing, carts closing. And so I think also to communicate, it's it's it's just different than selling a coaching session on Zoom. You know what I mean? You're like, no, no. like really explaining to people like, we need to know now.
00:37:01
Speaker
um And so like what I've done is a lot of storytelling around who you get to be when you're the person that book it books a trip a year out. The gift you get to give your nervous system for an entire year where you're like, God.
00:37:12
Speaker
Like my husband and I, we just went to Hawaii and we booked it a year out. My family goes every year and every year we're like, oh, we want to go. You know, we had a kid during pandemic. the pandemic and, you know, life's been happening. and we're God, I just want to go with my family to Hawaii.
00:37:26
Speaker
And every year they're there sending us pictures. And we're like, oh, I wish we had just gone this year. And so literally when they were there last year, um we started looking everything up. We're like, we're doing it. were You know, they're on the beach and we're like, we're doing it. And so we booked it like 11 months in advance.
00:37:41
Speaker
Like never have I done anything that far in advance as a mom. But we were like, we are fucking going on this trip. We're on this trip. And so anyway, I think that also can be useful because we have our own urgency. And this goes for business in general, not just retreats, but like we have our own timeline. We have our own urgency.
00:37:58
Speaker
um But other people don't. And so I think also like that's just a thing I'm super transparent about. I'm like, hey, guys, it feels far away, but it's actually not, you know. um so I think that piece can be helpful.
00:38:09
Speaker
Yeah. I was going to say, I think like being totally upfront with people and being and being direct, I A lot of times I think ah coaches, mentors, guides, healers have a little bit of difficulty with the sales piece because they have difficulty being direct.
00:38:25
Speaker
And I think if it's going to have, if there's a deadline, right, for a final head count, like we've got to be upfront about that and paint that picture. Like, hey, there's an end to this. We actually have to get the money in and we have to have this because otherwise it won't happen. so Yeah.
00:38:42
Speaker
Yeah, totally. Yeah. And I think if you do lean a little bit more in the feminine, like, like I said, I'll link you to a podcast because I did like a kind of a longer episode about the four types of buyers, but like kind of the anatomy of any sales page is like, you want to have a visual component.
00:38:57
Speaker
People should be able to scan the page and retreats are amazing because you're like, look at the venue, right? So they need to see where it is. They need to be able to sense the vibe. You know, the temperature, it's like you look at Biz on the Beach, you're like, it's sunny and warm there. Like nobody has any questions about that, you know?
00:39:13
Speaker
um Photos of the food, you know if you've done it before, definitely. And you know what else actually pro tip that I will share? So when I did my retreat in Greece, The first year it sold out, um but I also could have gotten more rooms.
00:39:28
Speaker
And so the next year I brought a videographer in and you know, it's a huge investment, but I knew i was like, people have to see this space. They have to see it. Cause everybody that was there is just like, I mean, literally i went there like six years in a row and every year, um your jaw's on the floor. You can't even explain the beauty.
00:39:47
Speaker
And so everybody that went would like return, right? And so I brought the videographer in and that... um I'll link to this video. When I did that video, that was when the retreat would sell out in like 24 hours.
00:40:01
Speaker
I posted that video and people are like, yep. Because it's like, that was such an example of selling how you serve. Like it was, it's as 3D as you can get without being there, having a video, you know, the vibe of it and kind of the fly on the wall video.
00:40:14
Speaker
um So I think really good photos, getting photos from the venue if you've been there using photos, but people need to be able to visually like get the vibe, the feel. If you serve a certain type of, person demographically to show them in the photos. Um, you know, my retreats, I only work with women and non-binary folks, and you're going to see that you're not going to see any dudes in the pictures, you know?
00:40:37
Speaker
Um, and then bringing kind of that masculine energy in for like the logical buyer. And this is what I'm talking about of like, am I sharing a bed? Is the food gluten-free?
00:40:49
Speaker
Do I need to wear fancy clothes? Like whatever. It's just like giving people the nuts and bolts. Like I think sometimes we, like you said, we lean one way or the other where we get so vibey and it's so poetic that people are like, yeah, but what are we doing?
00:41:02
Speaker
yeah Like what's happening? So I think like making sure the who, ah where, when, how is like super clear. um And then the FOMO buyer, like that's kind of more in our marketing. That's a little bit more of like,
00:41:14
Speaker
who can you become, who will you become on the other side of this retreat? And what kind of person says yes to this? you know um And then the time buyer is just being super clear. right And the time buyer, some time buyers love an early bird.
00:41:26
Speaker
You will get those folks. But I find with most everything I sell, but definitely with retreats, we get a lot of people at the beginning with early bird. It's total crickets, even if I keep marketing. And then there's a last call. And so I've actually just in my own business this year, we're not doing a ton of business on the beach marketing right now.
00:41:43
Speaker
Cause I'm like, people are, we've already got the early birds. Like I'm going to talk about it once a week, but we're going to do a bigger push. Like I said, in the last call energy. Okay. Yeah. So you feel like it's definitely sales are happening in the very beginning and at the very end, usually. Yeah. And I think,
00:42:00
Speaker
Again, I have such a long runway. We're selling this for like seven months. um if you If you're doing, like I used to do in-person events in Austin that were, they were like a day experience. not There's no sleepover.
00:42:13
Speaker
um and those, we just had like a shorter runway because it wasn't, you're not asking people to get a passport and get a ticket and get a yada yada. It was like kind of, so I think it's going to be transposed to whatever people are selling, you know? So it's not to say don't sell in the middle, but I think like,
00:42:30
Speaker
I know for me to sell something every day for six months, I start to get a bit tired. And so I'd actually rather like ease up a little bit and then come back with fresh energy.
00:42:41
Speaker
i'm not saying that is the way. I'm just saying that's like, that's kind of where I'm at right now. Do you, do you have an assistant that helps you during the retreat? Oh, I love, okay. That I did not talk about that. Thank you.
00:42:53
Speaker
So at first I didn't, didn't. Um, and then, I mean, I did the first two retreats I did with my friends. So we like co-facilitated. And then once I started doing them alone, the first year I did it I was like, Whoa, I had like 12 students and I was like, oh I need someone when we get to the studio to like unroll the mats and I need someone to like when so and so is sick,
00:43:16
Speaker
and ah And we've heard a rumor they're throwing up. i actually need them to go check on them while I'm facilitating a women's circle or whatever. You know, it's like, oh, I need, I actually kind of need more hands on deck. um And so my husband historically has always come with me on retreats, which is like so funny because he does not do yoga. And fun fact, when we first started dating the first time we went to Greece, I booked the retreat and I was like, do you want to come with me? And he was like,
00:43:40
Speaker
yes, I'm going to come, but I'm not going to do yoga and you have to pay for everything. And I was like, ha, ha, ha, ha. ha And then that is like literally what happened. I paid his way. And then I taught yoga twice a day. And every time I teach yoga, he'd be like, we're like on a tiny Greek island. He doesn't know anyone. And he'd be like,
00:43:55
Speaker
ah do you know, I actually have to go. I saw i met this man in town. i have to go help him with something. I'm like, what doing? So all he did was just like loiter and hang out. so i was like, you work for me now. You need to be my helper, you little shit.
00:44:09
Speaker
um But anyway, so he's been coming and like kind of being like my hype man. And like, if I need you to like heavy lift something or whatever. um But in Greece, I did bring on an assistant who helped me chase up people's diets and flights and just kind of like data entry in the spreadsheet. Cause then the retreat grew to like 25 people. And i was like, whoa, that's a lot of moving parts.
00:44:33
Speaker
Someone's flight changes. I want the shuttle, but this chain, you know, and also for Greece, it was like, you're meeting, at the Athens airport taking an hour shuttle to the ferry. Nothing is in English.
00:44:44
Speaker
And you know this this unmarked boat that you're like boarding, sometimes in pitch black, you know and then you're on the ferry for 10 hours. And I actually get super motion sick.
00:44:56
Speaker
So I am dead to the world on a ferry. not Like I'm not like walking around chatting with people. I'm just like laying down. Like we would get the upgrade in the cabin and I'd just be like laying, trying not to vomit.
00:45:08
Speaker
So i was like, I need someone to like help with all this. um So yeah. So I brought an assistant for many years. i even like the last couple years I flew in a dear friend of ours ah who played live music. He plays harp and sings.
00:45:23
Speaker
I brought in a dear babe, Jessica, who sang. So I mean, like it got really... It was pretty dreamy. We're we're due for another one. um But anyway, yes. And then the venue, they started to book out more and more and more retreats. They actually like hosted a yoga conference.
00:45:38
Speaker
And then they started offering ah a staff member to be your your assistant during the retreat. And it was amazing. they' So I mean, this is the thing about the five star. And so with Greece and with Mexico, they're like, OK, what room are you going to be in for this?
00:45:52
Speaker
for your business mastermind of the day. And they're like, what do you want? I'm like, oh, I want lemon water. They're like, great. Do you need pens or pencils? I'm like, okay. So like they're pretty on it, you know where if you have an Airbnb, that's on you to have the pens and the pencils and the snacks and the lemon water. And what's the temperature and do we need blankets and dudadadah da, da, da, da.
00:46:11
Speaker
um And is the space dusty? Do we need to sweep if we're doing sound healing? you know so So again, you get what you pay for. um But I think if you if you are DIYing it or you're at a hotel and not a retreat center, bringing on, even if it's a student that you're giving a huge discount to, to kind of work trade, I think having more hands on deck is so, so, so helpful because it is like your big day and you just need someone to be able to cross T's and dot I's while you're like space holding.
00:46:38
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. Okay, thank you for that. And i that's kind of what I was thinking as well. um Because it is, its so many moving parts. It's people in real life and lots of them. there's lots of needs, lots of, and all I can think is the food thing.
00:46:53
Speaker
I'm like, i just cannot imagine keeping track of the diet. I mean, and there are so many different dietary needs. And I'm not trying to harp on this, but that's probably the number one thing that would scare me is like keeping track of all of those things.
00:47:07
Speaker
But then at the same time, like I'm facilitating things. So you got to be aware of where you're going to be and how unavailable you are going to be like in the background.
00:47:18
Speaker
Yeah, totally. And that's why i love hotels that handle it. Like Greece, it's a buffet. It's like this unreal, just like smorgasbord of the most gorgeous food. So it's like kind of sorted because everybody just eats what they can eat.
00:47:32
Speaker
um And then, you know, yeah, every venue is going to be different. But yeah, I think there's just so many unknown logistics. Again, I've lived through so many of them. It's comical. um What can happen? And so I think cover your butt legally.
00:47:45
Speaker
um if you like, i have a credit card that has traveler's insurance as a part of it. um Some people require traveler's insurance for attendees. um And then I think if it's Airbnb, they have a pretty good policy as far as liability coverage. But that's something you could also consider if they don't.
00:48:03
Speaker
And you know a lot of you are going to, if you are in the yoga space, you're going to have a yoga teaching program. insurance, but like just, just covering your bases, seeing, seeing what else is available to you is not a bad idea.
00:48:17
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Um, last question, cause I can't believe we've already been here for so long and it feels like 10 minutes. This information is so valuable.
00:48:30
Speaker
Uh, Wrapping it up, if there was one piece of advice that you could go back, right? And like give yourself the first time you ran a re retreat after everything you've been through, after everything you've learned, you've seen and you've done.
00:48:47
Speaker
Can you think of one piece of advice that you would go back and give to your, your former self? Or would it just be like, just do it?
00:48:56
Speaker
I don't have any, don't think I have any regrets. You know, as far as going back, I think the two things that come up for me are um go on more retreats.
00:49:09
Speaker
Like I I've always been someone who creates what I wish existed. And so i can find myself facilitating the thing that I want to attend, which is great because what I deliver, I believe in. And also like, uh, I think that for a while there I was, I was in a season of burnout where i was facilitating so much and like, yo girl needed ah trip to Mexico by herself being served, you know?
00:49:35
Speaker
So I think that piece is huge. Um, And then i think when I was hiring, we had some kind of misconnections where I think this is probably true for all this. But again, you look at the videos of Greece and you're like, oh Abby's hiring for a retreat assistant. Fuck yeah. I want to go hang out on a Greek island and like drink sangria or whatever orzo by the pool.
00:50:02
Speaker
And that is a part of it. That's six days of it. But 359 days of it is spreadsheets and trying to call a shuttle in Greece and find how to Google Translate communicating that the flight has changed and the fae da da da da.
00:50:21
Speaker
And it's so, and so I think like instead of hiring like dear friends, actually hiring for the skillset. And again, this goes for all biz, um not just someone I have like so much fun with, but actually someone that's like gonna be really like kind of space holding more of that, um
00:50:43
Speaker
not quite masculine, but you you know you need that T cross or an eye daughter. So I think if you are going to bring in support, asking, what do I want to spend my time doing? Because if you're a healer and you want to spend the whole time like channeling, you don't want to be, you let me rephrase that, you do want someone who's actually pretty anal, and like, hey, we're running late, and like, oh, the shuttle's supposed to leave in 10 minutes. like You need that personality. You don't want another sound healer or someone else. You know what I mean? it's like So I think any time we're hiring,
00:51:11
Speaker
ah Making sure that that person is really space holding this, you know, that they and embody the skills that we don't want to be embodying then. then um Because I think that that creates so much more comfort for you, that you get to drop in and trust because that's handled.
00:51:29
Speaker
Mm. Okay. I just have to say this. Um, I love that. And i have done things in the past where I've run in real, you know, in real life events and have hired, this was a mistake, like truly a mistake.
00:51:46
Speaker
I've hired somebody that, um, was coming into basically like in my mind was going to be really more of a contractor.
00:51:57
Speaker
Right. But instead the lines got crossed because i was not clear for myself on what the roles were supposed to be.
00:52:09
Speaker
And ah there was some pretty heavy energy that happened like day of, and then things got totally crazy for the next weekend where things were supposed to be playing out. We were supposed to have more events and, and we did, but not together.
00:52:25
Speaker
And, um and it was really like looking back, it was my inability truly to communicate with what my expectations were. I was so lost in the sauce. I was so excited about the vision and gave up actual equity in the event, like in the, in the branch of the business that I was starting.
00:52:46
Speaker
And, um, without realizing Like, no, the you hire like, okay, this is the real lesson here. If it's somebody who is going to be an assistant and is going to be there to support you on this venture, like that's that's a role.
00:53:04
Speaker
Right. And of course, like you said, like giving that to a family member who doesn't actually have the skill set is probably not going to be beneficial for anybody. Yeah. um But then also like remembering that contractors are contractors, that you can contract somebody out and not co- create this thing with them because you feel that now they're a part of it. So you have to give them a cut.
00:53:25
Speaker
There's a big difference in that business model. And that was something that I had to learn the hard way and back out of and, and really like cut some ties. And it was because of my, my, uh, I got so excited about the vision and then realize our energies did not match at all. Yeah.
00:53:45
Speaker
And it was something that was not what I really wanted. And this person was then, you know, essentially becoming like another face of my business.
00:53:56
Speaker
So be careful when you are making offers, hiring people. And because that is a very, very messy lesson to learn. And I feel like I got a big slap on the butt for that one. Oh my God.
00:54:10
Speaker
I'm so sorry, but also lesson learned. And I relate so hard. I had... I had someone I had brought on to support me that was a dear friend I love deeply, but we had never been in a business relationship. And i had never had to tell them what to do.
00:54:27
Speaker
And I was like, oh, i love hanging out with this person. and suddenly it's like, oh, I'm so used to being like fun, cool, playful Abby, but i'm actually I actually need to be the like, why didn't you get that done, Abby?
00:54:39
Speaker
And I shied away from that because i didn't, I mean, I think now in reflection, I'm like, oh, but I want to be cool and we're good friends. And like, like, I want to think better of you than you kind of like drinking a little bit too much and like missing this thing I asked you to do. And like, what the F is going on here? and Yeah. And, you know, some things you just don't know until you know them. But I will say, yeah, being, um I don't know, 17 years into entrepreneurship, like I really want want to know people's integrity, especially IRL, especially IRL, someone's energy. So, and again, this particular person was drinking a lot. I didn't know that about them in, and I mean, I know that ah you understand the gravity of that. And like, it was, i was like,
00:55:23
Speaker
Like I'm talking like drunk driving with strangers. Like I was like, whoa, this is not the vibe of my retreat. And suddenly it was just like such a big thing. So I think anytime you are bringing someone on that is gonna be an extension of your brand, IRL, it's like like, do the do the work.
00:55:41
Speaker
Like and in knowing who they are, like, I mean, like I wouldn't, I wouldn't have known to say that about the alcohol, but now I do, like I mentioned, and people ask me about drinking. I'm like, yes, you can have a glass of wine. It's not a dry trip, but like, this is not, this is not a party retreat. Like we are not here to like get wasted every night, you know?
00:55:58
Speaker
um so yeah, I think you just learn what you don't want sometimes and what you, and it's just like, who putting on our big girl panties and asking for what we need. And so now when I hire, I'm like, Hey, I look like a really fun, sparkly person, or this looks like a really fun, sparkly da da da.
00:56:13
Speaker
And also the role you're supporting me with is kind of the roll up your sleeves. Like, you know, like this is the reality of it. Sometimes it gets intense. Sometimes it isn't just like all giggling, sparkling, laying on the beach.
00:56:28
Speaker
Exactly. And it I mean, it puts you in a position of if if see, this is where the the real messiness for me happened. And this was the chaos of it was me questioning my own, you know, oh, my God, why am I feeling this way? Why am I so upset right now? Why? and and am I being too overbearing? Am I because we're so painfully self-aware?
00:56:48
Speaker
But ultimately, those are such amazing qualities to have as a business owner. But be honest with yourself, right? Like, that's what I learned. It was like, I need to be really honest with myself that I care very deeply about my business, the brand, right? What ah the might the reputation as well as my energy while I'm conducting and facilitating events, whether they're virtual or in real life.
00:57:13
Speaker
And if somebody is not matching that, I have to be... First of all, I have to be direct. I have to be able to actually, like you said, put my big girl panties on and confront and do the uncomfortable thing and then learn my lesson and hopefully not ever put myself in that position again and realize like, listen, you got to do your due diligence. You've got to actually like.
00:57:37
Speaker
vet these people and really understand what the job descriptions are, what you expect and be very clear about communicating it. And if they aren't on board, let it go.
00:57:48
Speaker
Like that's 100%. And and And we know as biz owners, like every, I mean, you just shared like all the hires you've made, right? And everyone we hire is there to support us.
00:57:59
Speaker
I hope they're there ultimately to make our lives more abundant and and more ease filled, right? And so if we're, and you know, I know sometimes you bring someone on for a discount. It's not that you're paying them. Sometimes we do pay them, but regardless of what the compensation is, it's like, they are there to make our lives easier. And i sometimes I struggle when it's a friend for it to be that transactional, but it's like,
00:58:23
Speaker
if they are not upholding the values of the brand, the ethos, fulfilling their scope, contract, et cetera, it is not bad or mean to communicate that. And I think like, but we only have to say this as women. I don't think male biz owners struggle with this, but it's like, hey, it's okay to say,
00:58:43
Speaker
This isn't working for me. And I've had to make minor edits with my team of things where I kind of forget that I'm their boss because I love them all. You know what I mean? know I'm like, I just love all of you. And it's like, I just, and they're all geniuses in within their world. So I'm like, oh, you're my designer. Tell me about what you think about design instead of, i mean, I do give feedback, but it's like, tell me everything.
00:59:03
Speaker
um And sometimes just to stop and say, oh, this system isn't working for me. This is actually adding so much more time to my schedule. We had to do that recently where they were setting up something that was really brilliant and genius, but it just was like more busy work for me. I was like, I actually need none of this.
00:59:18
Speaker
And to advocate for that, i' like, oh, got it, done, pivoting. And it was like... That's all it took. But I grappled with that for so many weeks, Dana. I was like, oh my God, I didn't fill out the thing she wanted me to fill out. I'm such a jerk. Oh my God, da, da, da. And then it was like, wait, no, no. The whole reason I'm hiring people and paying them thousands of dollars a month is to literally to save me time and to create ease. So like, oh yeah, needed to remember that. Yep, yep, yep.
00:59:44
Speaker
I swear to God, can you come back? Yeah. Can we talk about hiring? Oh my God. Yes. That is my jam. gives me months to let all these new hires settle in. Yeah.
00:59:56
Speaker
We'll circle back. Really riff. Yes. Yeah. Oh my God. Okay. So just to really actually truly wrap this up, I just want to say one last piece on that. And because I think it's so tempting for people who are new to retreats to think like, how can I do this? Maybe possibly on a budget, you know, and when you're thinking about people helping you, it's my mom. It's like, but yeah, truly understanding that this is a part of your business strategy, no matter how you look at it.
01:00:26
Speaker
And honestly, investing the look at, look at somebody as an investment, not a cost, right? Cause it's the overall feeling, vibe, vision, mission, like it's going to help everything go easier for you, for the people that are a part of it.
01:00:42
Speaker
And it will just keep it all intact. And and like, you know, and it will make the package a lot prettier at the end of the day for everybody. So yeah. Abby, do you have any last thoughts? Do you want to invite people into your retreat, do ah ah just you go. Yeah.
01:01:00
Speaker
Oh my God, I love you. Yeah, just to piggyback on what you just shared, i think coming at the first retreat as your MVP, which is corporate speak for a minimum viable product, if you can have the retreat go off without a hitch,
01:01:12
Speaker
You cover your costs as in you're not in the red, or maybe you're a little in the red, I don't know. But if you can, if everyone can leave happy and alive and you've covered your costs and you've gotten, like, I think the first time is like, get the photos, get the testimonials, film the people on site, workshop the schedule and be like, oh my God, that was way too busy. I need to cut out three things.
01:01:34
Speaker
I did my retreat. I thought it was overbooked. Everybody's feedback. I want more programming. I was like, oh my God, I was teaching you like six hours a day. You guys want more. Wow. Okay. Now I know that, right? And so it's like your price gets to adjust. Like you can, the first year, like you don't have to do this, but if it does feel edgy to sell, sell it out, get the data and then rerun it next year.
01:01:55
Speaker
And it's like your 2.0, you know? So it does, again, we don't, it doesn't have to be a home run out of the park, but I think like treating, treating the first one as just this big giant experiment is amazing.
01:02:06
Speaker
Um, and yes, I mean, please come. I'm trying to get data to come to my retreat. Let's all hang out in Mexico. um as of today, we have spots for biz on the beach. We can link it up and share, but, um, yeah, if you are really seeking like just so much fun, said, it's like networking has never been such a fiesta like in Mexico.
01:02:27
Speaker
um it's It's just so much fun fun. And the thing that I love is everybody that left the retreat last year was like, oh, I didn't know how unclear I was until I'm leaving now. And now I have so much clarity on what to spend my time doing, which I know you've been talking about the eighty twenty And they're all like, oh my God, I have so much clarity on what to do to move the needle. And then also I think the power of being seen,
01:02:51
Speaker
really being seen in person, you know, like is so huge. And um I'm really honored to, yeah, be in more spaces like that and to facilitate it. So everyone's invited. um And we can also link up um if you are curious about, okay, how do I like time batch myself? How do i how much time do I give to the retreat? I have a method called Monday magic method, and it's how I, i call it self boss. It's how I lead. It's a notion template.
01:03:23
Speaker
We have a PDF for peeps that want to print and write on paper, but we also have a full notion template. Um, it's in my shop for sale, but I'd love to give it to you guys for free too. I'll link it up if anybody wants like a little support in bringing a little backbone to how you map everything out too.
01:03:40
Speaker
like but I will welcome. thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Abby. This was wonderful. And anybody who's interested, please. We got biz on the beach happening November, 2025. Thank you, Abby. I'll see you in a few months.
01:03:58
Speaker
ah Sounds great, Dana. I love you. ma yeah