Lessons I Learned As A CEO Producing, Organizing, and Hosting my 6th Annual Hustle + Socialize Conference

This past weekend, I hosted the 6th Annual Hustle + Socialize Conference. This was the sixth conference, but the second one since I lovingly acquired the company 100% from my former business partner.

Elevating the H+S 2024 conference pushed me to the edge, made me uncomfortable, and pushed me to my core. I would love to share some lessons I learned as a CEO regarding producing, organizing, and hosting an event of this caliber. It's only going to go UP from here!

Here are 10 lessons I learned throughout this last year,

1. Your way of being needs to be aligned with your strategy. We all need that strategy, tangible action, HOWEVER, the most important thing that led me to take action was the confidence I had in myself and my ability to take action even when it felt scary.
2. Delegating comes with trust. You have to trust you’re bringing the most aligned individuals onto the team & trust to let go and have them execute. I’m learning so much about delegating and what that means as I continue to scale and build my team of "Avengers."
3. You can’t & will not please everyone. I’m a perfectionist. But when it comes to being a CEO and problem-solving and decision-making, some won’t understand your decisions and why you did it this way vs this. That’s okay. Feedback is feedback & it’s their opinions. Take what resonates, and where you can make improvements, and then let go of the rest. Don't stay ruminating or stuck on something because you're taking it personally.

4. Each conference year is different. Literally. Since it's inception, there hasn't been a consistent blueprint (thanks to COVID). Every year is different and there is going to be stuff that you weren’t prepared for because some of it is all brand new. You don’t know what you don’t know until you DO. Event organizing comes with a lot of nuances. Focus on the progress.

5. Kindness goes a long way. Do NOT be a diva, this goes for all parties involved. Shonda Rhimes developed a policy during her reign at Grey's Anatomy called the "NO A-HOLE" policy and this is so true! When you're part of a team or experience, we are "all in this together," we are all in alignment with the mission and vision. Be kind to EVERYONE because kindness does go a long way

6. Plan for the unexpected and BREATHE. Sh*t will happen the week of that you didn’t plan, it’s how you react to it and also how you handle it.

7. To elevate your business and yourself, it requires new mindsets. You can’t get to where you need to be if you’re still stuck on the past or old ways of thinking. Oh, and it also requires people who are in alignment with that elevation. If those who are not, aren’t there with you, you have to decide to let them go

8. Focus on profitability. Events are INCREDIBLY expensive. Most people do not understand this. A lot of events take a HUGE LOSS. (I'm so fortunate that the six years of this event have been profitable) To be profitable means you need to be great with budgets and numbers. Sometimes you have to make decisions to cut cost to BE PROFITABLE. And it sucks at times. Focus on data and numbers and then focus on raising profit margins year over year.

9. Make data-driven decisions while also staying in alignment to the mission and vision. Data never lies and you need to KNOW YOUR NUMBERS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

10. BE PROUD OF YOURSELF. BE KIND TO YOURSELF. And CELEBRATE YOURSELF

I can't wait to share the 2024 Hustle + Socialize Impact Report with you all! Cheers to another year of this conference!