December 1, 2018
Can you believe it’s already December?! With 2018 drawing to a close, I gave myself the gift of pausing to reflect on what we’ve created this year through the Ellivate Alliance. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with me and the women of the Alliance!
The Alliance was born because I wanted to create something I wish I had when I was starting my first business – easy, convenient access to expert support and a loving, supportive community of my peers, at an affordable price. When I pitched the idea to the members of the Dream Team (before they were the Dream Team!), I was blown away by their intense desire to collectively support other women entrepreneurs. They were all-in, right from the start!!
Individually, the women of the Dream Team are successful, passionate business owners with diverse areas of expertise. Each of us have valuable wisdom and expertise that helps other people run successful businesses. But we could only support our clients in our niche area of expertise. By uniting, we expanded our impact well beyond anything we could do individually. We found a way to multiply our contribution through the power of collaboration…without requiring more time! Pretty amazing, right?!
We decided to kick off 2018 by hosting an immersive experience designed to support a woman in all aspects of her business during one action-packed weekend in January. We called it the Ellivate Immersion Weekend. By combining our time and talents, the Dream Team created something for women entrepreneurs that never existed before! I believed in the incredible Dream Team and was excited to see what would happen…
All the while, I nervously wondered, “Will anyone show up?”
Well…they did!!! In fact, 34 of us showed up in Austin – many traveling from all over the country. All 34 of us showed up “as we were” – authentically and openly, many of us in yoga clothes and no makeup. We were there to learn and work on our businesses, not impress anyone! 🙂
Together, we created something that I cannot adequately describe with words. Not only did our women learn so much about what it takes to run a business, they made lifelong friendships and finally found a place where they could share their experience, “like it really is.” One attendee described it like this, “The experience and the energy outweighed even the information. Yet the information itself was so incredibly valuable…so, what does that tell you?”
Even with the myriad of details on my mind, I hit my own personal pause button at various moments throughout the weekend, just to soak it all in with awe and gratitude. What I witnessed was nothing short of magical.
As soon as our first Immersion wrapped, I knew we needed to bring this magic to more women and make it even more accessible. We piloted our first 100% live, online Immersion over two weeks in April. We proved that it is possible to create a powerful and connective learning experience through video conference.
It didn’t stop there. We worked to refine the model and make it easier to host. With the help of Ellivate member, Christine Lehmann of Elearning Delta, we converted the content delivery to an on-demand, online format and kept several live, virtual meetings and Master Mind sessions. This model provides even more flexibility for our women because they can review the content on their own time and benefit from the connection and accountability that the live, virtual sessions provide – much easier to fit into our busy women’s schedules! We hosted two more Immersions using this hybrid format, in July and October.
Additionally, through experimentation and member feedback, we’ve developed a strong membership model at an accessible price point that continues to support and connect women well beyond their Immersion experience. I am thrilled to share that all our hard work in 2018 has paid off – we’ll continue to spread the Ellivate magic in 2019 and grow our beautiful tribe!
In addition to this amazing story, here’s a measure of our impact for 2018:
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67 = Women who have directly benefitted from attending Ellivate Immersion
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55 = Members of our tribe who are committed to growing, supporting and dreaming for themselves and one another!
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Too many to count = Women business owners who have indirectly benefitted from our collaborative model through shared opportunities, content and referrals
This year’s learning and growth inspired us to create a new way to support our Ellivate Alliance members. I’m thrilled to share that we’re hosting our first ever, members-only Ellivate Evolve Conference on January 18-19 at Kristi Vitali’s Be Well Yoga House in Austin, TX! This unique experience will give our members the opportunity to evolve their business beyond Immersion. They will work on their business challenges in real-time with the Dream Team, alongside their Ellivate sisters.
Since our next live Immersion is not until April 2019, we’re offering a special package for any new women who are ready to join the Alliance right now and don’t want to miss out on our first Evolve conference in January! If you or someone you know wants to join us, you can learn more here.
What started out as a “what if?” quickly blossomed into a reality that has already surpassed my expectations for 2018. I stand in awe of what we have created together this year. I hold immense gratitude for the support and contributions of the Dream Team and every single one of our members and allies!!
Congratulations on a stunning 2018, ladies!! We’ve only just begun…
With love and gratitude,
