Last week I shared the big long list of our winter education opportunities here at the 304 Collective, and this week I want to spill the tea on all the details of the thing I’m most excited about!

FOCUS 2020 | A Workshop for Small Business Owners

Here at the 304 Collective, we are passionate about supporting the small business and creative economy here in WV.  As a former educator, I’m a big fan of in-person learning.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love a good YouTube tutorial, Webinar, or How-To blog post as much as the next person.  But I learn best when I’m in a room with others, 100% focused on the task at hand.

And that’s what we’re going to do at this workshop.  FOCUS. 

This workshop is designed to take the vision you have for your business and break it down into actionable steps to help you reach your goals for the year.

If you’ve ever gone to a conference, workshop, or seminar and felt really hyped up by an enthusiastic speaker, but frustrated by the lack of resources or direct knowledge shared, then this workshop is for you.

“If you just work hard enough, and believe in yourself, you’ll achieve every goal.”

*cue the eye roll

Because you HAVE been working hard.  You’ve been working really hard.  Maybe you’re even hitting some of those goals, and maybe you’re missing them all.  Maybe you don’t even know what goals to set because you’re so new to the game.

Then this workshop is for you.

Maybe you have some amazing goals, and you want to do the work, but you aren’t really sure what work you need to be doing to meeting those goals.

Then this workshop is for you.

This is a collaborative experience.  You’ll be engaging with other business owners, and together we’re going to dig deep into each other’s businesses to strategize a course of action for each and every participant.  No one walks away empty-headed or unclear of their purpose.

Tangible Take-Aways

I don’t like platitudes, and I don’t like vague ideas.

I like lists, graphs, calendars, and charts.  I like step by step processes that achieve results.  I like being able to measure those results, and refine a process.

So I’m filling this workshop full of things that you will hold in your hands, things that will inspire great ideas, things that you will take home with you and use all year long.

Each attendee will walk away with a 12-month calendar to help them stay on task, a refined social media marketing plan, an individualized plan of action, and an increased understanding of SEO and writing for SEO (including 6 custom topics and one completely written post).  Alisha Faith Photography will provide branded mini sessions and headshots for all participants, so you’ll have some great images to use in your branded content throughout the year.

The Schedule

We will meet at the 304 Collective on January 29 & 30 from 9am-4pm.   Lunch and snacks will be provided for both days. You should dress comfortably, and bring your laptop (if you have one) and your favorite planner or notebook.

Day 1

Vision Casting Discussion

We’ll open our workshop with a round table discussion to begin our vision casting.  Each participant will share a little bit about their business, along with any goals they may have already defined and pain points they’ve experienced in their business.  This guided discussion will set the foundations for every other activity we’ll be doing together.

Word of the Year

Nicole Colton of Quartz + Coal will share about choosing a Word of the Year to help you set intentions and define success on your own terms.

Meditation

Emily of Coco and June will lead a guided meditation.  This practice will serve as an introduction to anyone who is unfamiliar with meditation and mindfulness and give another take away for use throughout the year.  Additionally, this mediation will allow us calm our minds, clearing them of all the clutter and allowing us to FOCUS on our goals for the year.  Following the meditation, we’ll revisit our goals and adjust or refine them as needed.

Lunch Break

Marketing Review

After lunch, we’ll break into small groups for marketing reviews.  We’ll take a look at each person’s website, social media, and other marketing assets to see if they match the outlined branding and will work to reach the defined goal.  We’ll work through a basic SEO rubric to be sure each website is hitting the marks that search engines look for and providing an engaging user experience. During this time half of the participants will have their Branding Photo Session with Alisha Faith Photography during this time.  We’ll let you know which day your session will be on prior to the workshop, so you can bring a change of clothes or any other branded items you might like to include.

Strategy Jam Session

We’ll reconvene as a large group to start defining those action steps that each of us need to take to reach our goals for the year.  We’ll begin putting those tasks on our calendars and filling our year.

Day 2

Yoga

Emily of Coco and June will lead us in a gentle yoga session.  Again, dress for comfort.  If you have a yoga mat and props, please bring them.  If not, we’ll have some you can use.  Following our yoga session, we’ll get those calendars out and start scheduling our self care.  Taking care of yourself is the first and most important step to taking care of your small business!

Writing for SEO

Rebecca from the 304 Collective will teach the basics of writing for SEO.  Your website should be the home base for your business, and writing content for your website (blog posts and web copy) will provide content for you to use year-round.   We’ll outline a format to get your thoughts in line and share them with your audience!

Blog Topic Brainstorming

We’ll sit down as a group and start tossing out ideas.  Whether you’ve been blogging for years or will be writing your first post at the workshop, each participant will walk away with at least 6 custom blog topics.  These topics will be formulated to connect with clients and take you steps closer to achieving that goal.

Lunch Break

Writing Practice

We’ll divide into small groups again to write an SEO friendly blog post on one of the topics from brainstorming.  You’ll receive instant feedback and help from your group members as you go.  During the session, the other half of the group will have their Branded Photo Session with Alisha.

Publicity Points

We’ll gather for our final session of the workshop to walk through the process of taking each blog post that we’ve just written and using it to craft multiple pieces of content for all of our marketing platforms.

Looking at it all typed out, it sounds like a lot.  And it is a lot.  I want to give you a lot, because I know that for small businesses to be able to justify the expense of workshops, conferences, and seminars, they need to be able to see a good ROI.

But I don’t want you to look at it and feel overwhelmed, because I promise you, you can do it!  We’ll be in it together, we’ll have a fun 2 days of hard work and new friends.  We’ll learn some new things and eat some yummy treats while we do it.

So, you in?  I hope so.

Full price for the Focus 2020 workshop is $399* Book your seat before January 1 for a $50 discount!

*Lodging is not included, for those of you who are local and need to travel. We can make recommendations for affordable and close accommodations though!