Business Retreats, New Team Members and Compelling Offerings: Abambyh Business Coaching Spreads its Wings - Alison's Transformation Story, Part Four
The conclusion of Alison's Journey so far...
After RESTORE, Alison realized she desperately needed downtime. She and her husband took two weeks off to regroup, and it was the best decision she could have made at that point. After every subsequent retreat, Alison has repeated this step, taking time off to replenish herself and care for her relationships after the stress and emotions of the hard work she undertook.
After her break, she knew that she wanted to host more business retreats, so she started planning the next one. At the same time, she designed and launched her website on her own — just the home page at first, adding more as content developed. Drafting a Business Plan was reworked as an easy-to-use and inexpensive digital download that became available in December of 2022.
And in July, while swimming in the beautiful waters of Holbox, Alison had an idea. She surged out of the water shouting to her husband and began to take some notes on what had so forcefully struck her out of nowhere: Abambyh Business would offer an intensive coaching program. It would take place over the course of a month and would include hands-on work with the client's business, instituting immediate changes and growth.
She charged out of the water and called one of her clients right there from the beach, before she'd even written anything down—and that client was instantly on board: "Yes! Send me an invoice." And 23-Hour Collab was born. The next month was a frenzy of activity as Alison prepared for this new program; she ended up hiring another administrative assistant, Kelley, as there was PLENTY of work to be done. In September her first Collab commenced, and the client was so intensely impressed they immediately signed up for ANOTHER month of 23-Hour Collab. Alison flew to New York in October of that year to be present for her client's introductory cocktail party, and participated in that business's first event in December: a Kenyan Safari.
For her next retreat, while RESTORE was certainly a success and benefited its participants, Alison knew she wanted to shift to an event that had more immediate results. She envisioned something that allowed for individual coaching and tangible advancements for each woman's business, a retreat that revolved around one-on-one sessions. This meant there would have to be fewer participants—a more intimate group.
Accordingly, IMMERSION was limited to five participants (three of whom had been at RESTORE!); each attendee would have sessions with Alison for business coaching, with Amy Tuccio for emotional intelligence work, and with Tina Harmuth for business writing. A photographer, one of those working for Abambyh at the RESTORE retreat, was present and had individual sessions with each of the guests that produced excellent pictures for their personal and marketing use. There was also a videographer, who filmed retreat activities and, like the photographer, had sessions with each attendee to produce footage for their later use.
This retreat, which took place in an absolutely stunning villa in Playa del Carmen, had even more amazing food and amenities than RESTORE. The five participants made astonishing breakthroughs while enjoying the beautiful space they found themselves in; one participant even went from just an idea to an actual, detailed plan for a business over the course of that single week in March 2023. Mission and vision statements as well as social media posts were written, plans were made and refined, and emotional strength as well as communication skills were fortified for all of IMMERSION's attendees.
Afterward, immensely happy with the work that had been accomplished, Alison took her post-retreat break. And after that, another 23-Collab swung into motion, this time with one of IMMERSION's guests, and another business was launched. At the same time, Abambyh Business's next digital download, Prospecting; Professional Alliances, Centers of Influence, and Natural Market, was released.
After all the stress and setbacks, Abambyh Business was back on track. Alison would incorporate ClickUp into her management toolkit, and it would make work for the team much easier to track and plan.
Just seven months after IMMERSION, a new business retreat would take place. As different from the previous two as IMMERSION had been from RESTORE, this event would be an incredible achievement. CONNECT, a networking retreat, was meticulously designed to forge real relationships among attendees as well as provide insight on effective messaging and the value of referral partners and professional alliances.
It was a resounding success. Participants were planning collaborations before the retreat even ended. Some flew to see each other months later. Referrals were shared and relationships, both business-based and friendly, were established. The amazing women who attended CONNECT refined their messaging and practiced the art of being seen for who they are and what they do.
The journey of Abambyh Business Coaching has been wonderful, heartbreaking, inspiring, and overwhelming at various times. But Alison appreciates every minute of her odyssey. She has taken the lessons learned to heart, she celebrates the successes that she's been privileged to be part of, and she treasures the relationships that have developed along the way.
So what is she doing now? What are Alison and Abambyh Business up to these days?
Well for starters, Alison has realized that the priceless experience of hosting business retreats has provided a wealth of experience that she can use to help others. Retreats are an incredible way for professionals to reach out to groups of people who can benefit from their expertise. They provide incredible opportunities for shared experience, for learning, and for connection.
So Abambyh Business is offering consulting services for retreat planning and management. Alison invites entrepreneurs to bring their vision for a retreat to her to be realized. Custom retreats, with activities, excursions, and workshops that follow the theme of the event, allow their hosts to lead with their knowledge and experience, build supportive community, and empower their attendees.
As Abambyh Business grows, its needs expand, and it was at this time that Alison brought on a new team member. Libbie is the marketing and project coordinator for the business, involved in every endeavor since she came on board. One of the first that she assisted in bringing to fruition was Virtual Connect.
Because CONNECT was so incredible, Alison decided to host an online version, a virtual retreat of sorts: Virtual Connect, with May, July, and September cohorts, with the same potent, effective activities that the in person retreat did, but available to a wider audience. The May event was wonderful, with an excellent group of strong, focused women, and Abambyh Business can't wait to see what July brings.
Another event took place as well — Virtual BluePrint Blitz: A Mid-Year Intensive, had its attendees evaluating their business strategies, assessing their progress against their plan for the year, and looking at where they might shift gears or move resources to reach their goals. The amount of work that took place in just two four-hour sessions was astonishing, and the women there achieved clarity that will guide them to amazing progress and success as 2024 continues.
Alison has grown and changed along with her business. Every joy and sorrow along the way has taught her what is important to her, honed her skills, and sharpened her vision. She will never stop reaching, never stop learning, and never stop assisting others in their own successes.
And she wishes all of you the joy, success, friendship, and love that she values so much in her life.
Written by: Tina Harmuth