Unlocking Success: The Power of Conferences for Business Growth

If we can give you one business-related task to complete before the end of the year, it is: book the conference.

Conferences are get a bad rap. Sure, some are boring and ineffective. But pick the right one? You’ll get the extra dose of creativity, motivation, and confidence to take your business to the next level.

Recently Annie and I took off to the Big Apple and made their way to the Altitude Summit, a conference specifically designed for creative entrepreneurs. Here are some notes from the road.

Every woman has some level of imposter syndrome.

From published authors to million dollar agency owners, they all have imposter syndrome. With growth comes mistakes, and all too often women attribute those mistakes to a lack of competency. Seeing up close and personal how this impacts women all over the spectrum was really the push we needed to starting brainstorming and building in more strategies and opportunities to overcome this big elephant in the room that so many of us struggle with in 2023.

 Networking with people in real life is important.

Anchorlight Creative has a team of remote women all over the country in every time zone. This reality + the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult to meet face-to-face. But this conference showcased the importance of being able to network with other people in person and the energy that’s palpable with in person events. In 2023, we are doubling down on making it more of a priority.

To be an expert, double down on what you know and stay in your lane.

There are a lot of brilliant people in this world. To stand out, it feels necessary to know it all. To be the best. But what is the best anyway? It’s a different definition for everyone. By definition, an expert has authoritative knowledge. Expand your depth in your zone and stick to it. Saying no to going wider and instead going deeper with your knowledge has much more impact.

 You experience growth & opportunity in fear.

Fears are not limited to scary movies, spiders, or heights. Fears are very real things that also invade our professional lives. Whatever fears you experience as a person, both in and out of your business, are valid. The inclination to avoid or run from your fears, that fight or flight response, is normal. However, a key takeaway from Alt was that we have the opportunity to excel and succeed when we move toward our fears. We aren’t saying to dive right in (but if that’s your way to tackle your worries, make a splash!). Taking small steps in the direction of things we are most anxious about gives us an opportunity to practice using our fear-conquering muscles.  With every movement forward, confidence will improve. As a result, we’ll experience more growth and opportunity than if we backpedaled or remained stationary. What fears in your business have you at a standstill? We’d love to help you take baby steps forward.  

 Make space & time away from every day.

This one is a biggie! The biggest takeaways was that as women especially, we need to prioritize making space and time away from the every day. What does this mean?

Typically, we all operate within a routine. We follow the same task structure. We work in the same place. We work during the same hours. We follow the same evening pattern.  Same. Same. Same.

When our days feel stale, sometimes our progress and ideas can feel the same. Changing up your routine can reinvigorate your mind, increase your creativity, and catapult your productivity.

This doesn’t mean you need to book a flight to NYC. Although, if you need recommendations, we are your gals. What it could mean is moving your office to an alternative space for the day. It could mean taking a 30-minute walk in the middle of your workday while listening to your favorite true crime podcast. It could mean finding a new daily hobby to reset at the end of the workday.

Whatever it is, change it up. Don’t fall into a monotonous pattern. Keep it fresh and you will feel so much more rejuvenated, both personally and professionally.

 Bonus: Pedicabs are fun. Sort of.

 We did it. We booked a pedicab out of desperation. And it went exactly how you’d imagine. Wind blowing through our hair as we went careening through traffic, barely missing some bikers, waving to the Comic Con attendees. Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind” blared through the Bluetooth speakers. Despite the cliché experience, we found ourselves laughing uncontrollably and throwing out excited spirit fingers (Yes, all preserved forever on video-a future reel perhaps?). All of this to say, we learned that sometimes it’s okay to embrace being a tourist and not take yourself so seriously. Especially when you;’re late for a ferry ride. You can take the Moms to NYC, but we’ll still be skating into the dock with 60 seconds to spare, even sans kids. This is who we are now.  

If you want to network with us in real-life, reach out at us. We are happy to take time away from our every day to connect with you!