Now that my life is more settled, I have been educating myself on many things pertaining to my business. A few years ago, a mentor suggested that I go to events within my trade to understand the industry better and connect with others, so I have also been attending more online events. I have acquired a lot of knowledge over the past few months, but attending the Digital Werk-a-thon, the event I went to this weekend, has exceeded all the others.
The Werk-a-thon is an annual event hosted by WERK University, Koreyelle Dubois’s trade school for Black women. It features some of the most prominent girl bosses around like transformation coach Alechia Reese; marketing guru Adryanauna Tuggle; business coach and strategist Eliza Diop; digital marketer Ashley Ann, and the great activator Lucinda Cross to just name a few (and also the ones that I was able to catch).
What I found most impressive about this 3- day event is how the women took the time to break down the processes that their presentations covered literally. They didn’t just give an overview of the subject, but they really gave the meat and potatoes, and to top it all off, all of their activities were also compiled into a workbook that we can always refer back to. Plus, if you purchased a VIP ticket, you will receive playbacks for all the sessions. The playbacks are also available for purchase for those who opted not to get that package. I was not thinking about that when I purchased my VIP ticket, but I am glad that I did. A few topics that we learned about were leveraging our social media to build relationships, business credit, and how to plan a marketing campaign.
And while each of the sessions was great, my favorite experience was the one-on-one that I received with Cross. I volunteered to participate in a surprise exercise that she decided to do where she asked me what I needed and why. I won’t go all into the activity, but it was very enlightening, and one had to make themselves vulnerable in order to do it properly. I was not expecting anything so intense, but I knew I did not want to miss an opportunity to speak with Cross regardless of what it was about. I’m just a big fan, so it was an awesome experience AND I got some really great prizes for participating, including a trip voucher, a creative session with a coach, and free credit repair.
If you can’t tell, I had an exciting weekend by my standards and while it was work, which is something I no longer believe in doing on the weekend, it also wasn’t work. It was taking the time to invest in myself. I don’t wish to continue working hard at my success, but instead I wish to work smart and that is just what the Werk-a-thon was all about. One would really have to be a fool to have been given all that knowledge and not do anything with it.
So now CEO, I shared all of that to ask you, how are you investing in yourself? Do you attend events for personal or professional development? Have you taken the time to find a mentor? Do you seek continuing education courses or workshops to further educate yourself? Werk U was an investment well worth it.
Never get so content in business that you think you know everything. Times are changing, and so are business practices and procedures. It’s important to stay abreast of this information. But also, if you are like me and seeking a like-minded community, this is a great way to connect with people.
Did I mention the event was powered by The L M Experience?
Speaking of which, if you are looking to network and meet new people, stay tuned for our Bosses LinkUp- fall edition coming up next month.
In the meantime, you can also check places like EventBrite, smaller publications similar to SwagHer, and Instagram for more events.
The Werk-a-thon takes place every year close to fall or in the fall and is usually a weekend affair. To learn more about it follow @werkuniversity.
