As a few of you may know, we hold TWF Live events. These events have turned out to be everything we hoped for and more. We truly do want to thank everyone who attend. It means a lot to us that people have taken time out of their busy schedules and lives to come hang out with us for a weekend.
The people who attended our events are all-stars. Present in mind and body, ready to learn, and participating. I am always in awe at how well these awesome folks immerse themselves into the atmosphere, as well as getting involved in networking with other attendees. It’s truly a sight to behold and honestly, we were honored to be a part of such great experiences!
I believe that live events can be life-changing, and what I keep witnessing, reinforces that. However, there are a few things that you can do to get the most out of ANY event you attend.
1) Be in attendance, and be PRESENT!
That kind of sounds ridiculous, but many people believe that by physically being there that they are setting themselves up for success. While that is certainly part of the equation, the other half is you have to pay attention and not let the outside world distract you and take away from your experience.
When you are attending, you have to completely immerse yourself in the spirit of the event. Share and network with others and leave the outside world at the door. In real life, there are a million things that try to get our attention or pull us away. At an event, you have to ignore those distractions — not only for yourself but for everyone in attendance.
Try to leave your phone in the hotel room! As Amazon sellers, we are addicted to the Amazon sales app, but you have to realize that ALL of it can wait for a few hours.
2) Network with fellow attendees
I can’t stress this one enough. Our entire business has been built around working with people who are better at something than we are and sharing with them to help them.
We used to be the world’s worst at this. We felt uncomfortable and didn’t like to approach people and share about our business. You have to realize that nothing is TRULY proprietary. If you can move beyond your comfort zone, you can make valuable friends who will hold you accountable, add invaluable insight, and generally will help you grow your business.
I can honestly say that I am SUPER proud of the folks that attend our events. They network on breaks, organize lunches, dinners, and meet-ups outside of the event. We have heard from several attendees that they formed mastermind groups with the people they were working with onsite!
3) Take notes and participate in discussion
It’s important that you pay attention during the presentations. Now, most of you are thinking – yeah, Dan, I realize that and that is a perfectly logical response. However, sometimes presentations aren’t for your business and may only relate in minor ways. We are of the opinion that we can take one piece of information away from an event, and it be worth MORE than the cost of the event. It’s this mindset that allows us to extract and absorb information that others might miss.
Just make sure to pay attention, even when you don’t think it applies. There could be a gold nugget in there that pays huge dividends later.
4) Venture outside your comfort zone
This is incredibly important! You have to be willing to go outside of your comfort zone. When opportunity strikes, don’t let irrational fears stand in the way.
In business, success starts where your comfort zone ends. We all know this! However, when the time comes, many people allow themselves to be held back by irrational fears. In reality, by pushing through we automatically get invaluable experience AND have the ability to learn even more.
Whenever you run into a situation, think about it this way…
Does this have the potential to help my business? If the answer is yes, push forward at all costs!
5) Take Action on What You Learn
It is as important that you take action on what you learn, as going to learn it in the first place. You will learn lots of amazing things at an event, but to make it effective and see growth you have to take action!
A great practice for this is to take a day and reflect on what you learned. Review your notes, and put them into order for what needs to take priority in your business. Once you are clear on where you need to start, set dates that you will start each project and timelines for completion.
Remember, the difference between a plan and a dream is that the plan is on paper!
Hopefully, this article gives you a few ideas about how you can make the most out of your next event. I can say that we are truly blessed to have been able to work with such great people at our events, and truly believe that our attendees leave motivated and hungry to make changes in their businesses and lives. Until next time, go out make connections, and forge awesome relationships with amazing entrepreneurs!
Dan
