Has the idea of hosting your own live event (or scaling the one you’ve got) ever sent you into overwhelm?

I get overwhelmed easily when I can’t see the path or when I know I need help but I’m afraid to ask.

Regarding #1, “seeing the path”: I’m a planner at heart. Very type A. I like to “see” things. I like to know what the steps are to getting things done and what order they need to be done in and what the “best” way is to do them.

Regarding #2, “afraid to ask”: This is probably my biggest shortcoming. I know when I need help, yet I don’t ask. Have you ever been here?

So what to do about it, right? Overwhelm, for me, manifests itself in procrastination. So unhelpful, right?!

For me, forcing myself to focus on only the very next thing I have to do, helps a lot.

And when it comes to events, what I’ve found to be most helpful is the parking lot. And that’s the gift I want to give you today: permission...

I went to a family reunion recently. It really is so awesome to see family from all over the globe gathered. I know in my family, it doesn’t happen nearly often enough. So, suffice to say, I was thankful for the opportunity to bounce around six different airports in four days to attend. Whew!

One of my relatives graciously went through the trouble of reserving a discounted block of sleeping rooms for us all. However, I don't think we filled it because so many folks went and their own thing. It got me thinking about how old the school of concept room blocks is.

Just think about all the options there are these days for guests at an event… they could stay at the event hotel, or with friends or family in the area, they could use a vacation rental website like Airbnb or VRBO, they could use an online travel agency like Travelocity or Expedia, book with points, book with a military or government discount, or maybe they use a travel search engine like Kayak, my personal...

A monthly letter from the desk of Sarah Fejfar

Hey there

I hope this note finds you enjoying sunshine and summer!

I’m writing to you from the middle of a four-week road trip. We’re making our annual trek to visit family and friends (in SD and MN,) visit some of our favorite vacation spots (Coeur ‘d Alene, ID, and Door County, WI) and see some new places (this trip it’s Park City, UT, Boise, ID.)

Yes, it’s exhausting, and yes, the adventure is worth it to figure out how to work on the road and sleep new places each night in order to connect with people and places we love.

Welcome to July!

What did you learn last month?

Here's a quick recap of my favorite aha’s:

1. Stepping Into the Role of CEO: The universe delivered lots of opportunities in June for me to learn about how to step into the role of the CEO of a multi-million-dollar online info-product business BEFORE I’ve achieved that goal.  (A few of my favorites are The Common Path to Uncommon...

Recently, a leadership conference I could have attended was canceled and turned into a virtual event. Stuff happened outside of the event leader’s control that made it so the event couldn’t happen live.

I was so impressed with how fast the conference pivoted and switched the entire event over to a virtual event.

They were able to increase the capacity for the event now that it was virtual, which drove up excitement for the event.

They stayed strong in their communication efforts with their guests, in fact, they probably increased their communications.

They created success from a situation that could have turned into a huge failure.

A quick perspective switch and thinking outside of the box made it possible.

It got me thinking… there will be times when a virtual event just makes sense. You’ll know when that’s the case. Your gut will tell you.

If that’s the case, what do you do to make it feel special and unique, and successful in the eyes of your guests?...

A monthly letter from the desk of Sarah Fejfar

Hey there

Remember back in grade school during standardized tests when the teacher would make the announcement "pencils down?" 

I had to tell myself that this week.  I spent May finishing my sales page for Live Event Academy (you can peek here: www.sarahfejfar.com/academy (any and all feedback is welcome)) and while there's so much more I could do and want to do, I had to tell myself, it's good enough to move on to my next project (the live webinar funnel) and I can make it better after the funnel is up and running.

I'm training myself to be more about progress and imperfect action and less about perfection... and gosh it's hard.  This quote by Ira Glass is exactly why.

So, we've made it into June.  Blows my mind. It’s summer! This is exciting stuff!

What did you learn last month?

Here are a few of my most notable learnings:

1. EVERYTHING is figureoutable.  I read Marie Forleo's book of the same name in May (it's...

A monthly letter from the desk of Sarah Fejfar

I’m a bit emotional as I write this note today.  I have the gift of a three-hour, uninterrupted block of time to work today while my 9yo daughter, my kiddo, is at school (3^rd grade) … for the first time in over a year.

She’s nervous and excited and was wondering “what to wear on the first day of school…” which struck me as so very interesting… what a question to be pondering in May!  She gets to go for 3 hours, outside, 2x a week for these last 4 weeks of the school year.  Progress.

So… what did you learn about yourself or your business last month?

Here’s what I learned:

1. My New Zero Tolerance Policy: In April, at my life coach’s recommendation, I read the book Dollars Flow to Me Easily by Richard Dotts, to help me work through some subconscious limiting beliefs I have about wealth.  My biggest takeaway was making the decision that I now have a...

A monthly letter from the desk of Sarah Fejfar

Well hello there!

Our family took a trip to see the tulip fields on Easter Sunday.  All the pictures of serene, sun-kissed tulip fields I had collected in my head from their social media were met with the reality of a tulip farm turned circus complete with carnival rides, a craft fair, food trucks, and large crowds… yikes, the comedy and horror of it all.  

It got me thinking about how the importance of intentionally crafting not only the experience but also the expectations for our event guests.

It also got my inner entrepreneur thinking about clear CTAs.  I could not find a clear call to action to take tulips home (and I wanted to!) and was noticing missed opportunities for order bumps, upsells, and increasing the average cart value everywhere.  Oy vey.

Tulips aside, I wanted to pop into your inbox to see how you’re doing and also give you an update on my March.

I’m curious, what did you learn about...

A monthly letter from the desk of Sarah Fejfar

I vividly remember the day I picked my daughter up from 2^nd grade last year, a few school days before Spring Break was to start and being told “we’ll see you after Spring Break!”  I was shocked her school was temporarily shutting its doors.

And as I sit here writing this note to you, 50 weeks in, she’s still doing school online in the next room, nearly a year later… and we just got word that won’t change this school year.

I’m going to choose to remember this time for all the gifts it brought upon our family and all the struggles we overcame, together… and how the three of us learned we’re so much stronger than we think.

What was the biggest gift that came from the last year in your life?

I couldn’t let this milestone pass without a bit of reflection, but I digress… let’s get down to business… I’m curious, what did you learn about yourself or your...

A monthly letter from the desk of Sarah Fejfar

Well hello there!

I hope you finished January strong and are entering February feeling refreshed and renewed towards your mission.

I don’t know about you, but my January came in like a lion.  Wow.  I now realize announcing “we’re getting puppy” with youthful enthusiasm in December was the equivalent of first-time expectant parents announcing, “we’re having a baby!”  There’s so much I didn’t know I was getting myself into, and it’s probably best left that way, or we might never have gone down this path… and it’s a good thing puppies are cute.  I’ll keep up my mantra… remember the long game.

I’m curious, what did you learn about yourself or your business last month?

Here’s what I learned:

1. Seinfeld is right. Nailing ‘focus’ is hard.  And we need to constantly be building our constitutions so we can achieve the...

A monthly letter from the desk of Sarah Fejfar

Hey there!

Happy 2021! I hope this note finds you and your loved ones happy and healthy.

As my family and I made a list of our 2020 wins on New Year’s Eve, our reflections revealed so many ways the year happened FOR us. The hard things were things I needed to see or experience or work through to level up and grow.

But before moving full speed ahead into 2021, let’s get dialed in in December, shall we?  What did you learn about yourself or your business in December?

Here’s what I learned:

•  I have two new favorite words: pre-supposition and future pacing. They sound so fancy! My challenge for you this month is: to weave more of these two words into your everyday life, both business and personal.  Because everything is a marketing conversation, right?  Whether you’re selling someone a ticket to your virtual event or selling a loved one on a particular way to spend the weekend, it’s...