The Hit List - The CEO Retreat

I never travel in winter. I’m terrified of getting stuck in a blizzard…or at an airport. Yet, here I was in the middle of January, heading to Richmond, Virginia in the wee hours of the morning. Why, you might ask? It was an easy decision: I was going to The CEO Retreat, a cool event for female entrepreneurs, hosted by one of my biz idols, Racheal Cook.

Racheal is one of the smartest people I know. I have religiously followed her for years and have learned so much. The idea of meeting her in person was too tempting. It was time to brave the elements and get my scaredy self to Richmond.

Thankfully, the weather was cooperative and I arrived without a problem. Heck, I even got there early! Yay!

After a restful night at my hotel, it was time to get to the retreat.

The retreat was held in a cool building located in an industrial area. (By the way, I got a nice tour of Richmond the day before from Racheal. Richmond has GORGEOUS homes. I’m a fan of architecture so this was heavenly!)

I picked a seat in a room filled with fellow ambitious women – and got ready to get down to business. My mission for the day: clarify my biz goals and map out my year. Racheal gave us some exercises to do before the retreat so I already had an idea of what needed to change about my business. (Hint: pare down that giant list!)

Racheal dished out biz wisdom and guided us through more exercises. These exercises helped me to further clarify my goals and set myself up for success. Better yet, I began to get a strong idea of what next steps I need to take in order to scale my business. This information left me fired up and ready for the next big leap. HELL YEAH!

My seat mate was Amber Kinney of the AK Collective – an online friend that I finally got to meet in person. Amber is another biz whiz – and Racheal’s right hand person. She gave me some brilliant advice about paring down even further. For a Gemini with too many ideas, this was something I needed to hear. I tend to over-do and frankly, that’s a recipe for overwhelm and business messiness. First thing I’m doing when I get home: trashing my list of frivolous ideas so I can implement Racheal’s suggestions.

The CEO Retreat was one of the best business events I have ever attended. As a one-woman show, I crave being around successful, ambitious women – I want to up my game and rock my business without killing myself in the process. This event gave me the steps I need to make that a reality.

That’s me and Racheal above. I am so grateful that I was able to spend this day with her. I learned so much and yes, I would come again in a heartbeat – no matter what time of year! (Psst…the next time Racheal hosts anything – you NEED to come.)

After the retreat, I dined with Racheal and Amber at Mekong, a big, bustling Vietnamese restaurant with a beer list that my hipster son would approve. This was my fortune: The time has come to allow your heart to guide you. How appropriate.

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