Our goal for this weekend was for every woman to go home knowing that they have influence. We couldn’t have accomplished that goal on our own. We’ve got a long list of people that need to be thanked. This weekend would not have been what it was without them taking a step and trusting in Him. God called these people to step up and make The Influence Conference what it was intended to be for the online community, and we are forever grateful for them. We’d like to thank:

- Community Leaders: We chose these women to serve attendees throughout the weekend, encourage community, pray and talk with women who needed a listener. From feedback we’ve received from our attendees (and from what we personally noticed during the conference), we know that our community leaders stepped out and did just those things throughout the weekend. They helped form friendships, connect women, and promote a healthy environment for Christian women to flourish. We are so thankful for these women that God put on our hearts to lead.

- Volunteers: We are so thankful for the huge number of women who came to us asking to help with anything we needed assistance with during the weekend. There were way too many volunteers, because so many of you love to serve. That right there says so much about our community of women. It was made so clear that you weren’t attending the conference just for yourself. It was to be a servant to others and a servant to God.

- Prayer Team: These women were called to pray for every single attendee by name. Many of them even contacted attendees to let them know they were being prayed over and encouraged them before the conference. We are so thankful to have had these women praying to cast out fears, give peace and courage to attendees, pray safety over their families, and pray that every attendee leave the conference knowing that they have influence.

- Attendees: If you wouldn’t have shown up, there wouldn’t have been much of a conference. We needed you there to help form the community God wanted us to create. We needed you to encourage each other, inspire each other, help each other, and pray for each other. We are so thankful for the relationships and connections made that are going to take this community to the next level. Attendees, thank you for taking such a huge step of faith and coming, being expectant for something greater. We’re so thankful for you.

- Husbands: We need to thank our husbands, the community leaders’ husbands, the speakers’ husbands, and the attendees’ husbands for taking a step of faith and believing in this community. Especially for those husbands that don’t understand the “online thing,” we hope that this conference was proof to them that THE INTERNET IS REAL, and that God has a plan for those who are involved. Thank you, husbands, for supporting your wives during this season.

- Audio Visual Guys: Okay, we literally could not have done it without these guys. They were not paid for their services and they still graciously served throughout the weekend to make sure our conference happened. We are so thankful for their knowledge and their willingness to serve.

- Speakers: You were the voice throughout our weekend. Our women heard the Word of God through you. We are so thankful for your presence, for your willingness to share your story, for your encouraging and inspiring words that have now gone home with our attendees. Thank you for being a huge part of our weekend and motivating our women to look for their worth through God who is in them.

Hopefully you’re all home safe and sound.

We’re all starting to process and unpack and think through what comes next.

The pictures are being edited and the speaker’s session recordings are getting formatted.

We cannot wait to share more with EVERYONE. But today, if you WEREN’T at the conference this weekend, you might not know that we’re selling some early supporter tickets for only $125 for next year. We’ll be meeting again in Indianapolis September 26-28th, 2013 and we want you THERE. We sold out of the tickets that we had set aside for women who were at this year’s conference and we’re only offering TEN at this price for those of who couldn’t be there. Hop on it and get yours today - use coupon code “firstsupport” to snag one of those tickets!

More coming soon!

1.  If you want people to be able to find you easily, let them know how to recognize you!  At Blissdom last year, my roommates and I took pictures of each other each morning…the purpose being to Instagram our outfits.  I wanted people to be able to recognize what I was wearing THAT DAY and be able to say hi.  Let’s be honest, we don’t always look like our little 100px by 100px avatar.

2.  Know why you’re coming.  Are you coming to soak up amazing wisdom from Emily Freeman?  Make sure you’re really well rested and there early for her session.  Are you wanting to connect with John Saddington outside of his talk?  Maybe tweet him during the conference and see if you could say “Hi” in real life.  Do you want to walk away with a few new business partnerships?  Make sure to check out our sponsors and maybe even the women selling at the Market.  Know why YOU are coming and plan your actions strategically.

3.  Know that you may feel tender.  I’ve been to several blog conferences and know that some women can get overwhelmed, both by the people and the amount of information.  Plan for this.  Think of how you reassure yourself and regroup.  It’s more than okay to feel like this–and it helps to know your plan before you do.  Our community leaders are more than wanting to help you walk through the weekend if you need someone to talk with.

4.  PLEASE KNOW that there is NO ONE at the conference to be intimidated by.  The other day when I wasn’t feeling “Jesus-y” enough, Jessi told me that “Jesus in you is at Jesus-y as it gets”…as in, I can’t add or take away from His great grace.  And, in planning the conference, Jessi, Casey, Moriah and I have all had moments where we doubted ourselves professionally.  Know that there will always be someone bigger and smaller than you…and most likely the girl you perceive behind the blog is a little different and a little  more vulnerable in real life.

5.  Talk to your new friends about next year.  We want you to be with us as we grow.  We’re going to be selling 20 “First Supporter” tickets AT the conference for a CRAZY low price–to bless women who are ready to get on board again for next year.  Because we want to see new faces next year, too, we’re going to offer 10 online “First Supporter” tickets on the Monday after the conference for those of you who couldn’t make this year happen.  We’ll announce the prices and dates then!

Head over to Naptime Diaries to hear Jessi’s top 5 list and Moriah Makes for hers.  We are so excited to see you in just a few days!

But wait, there’s more. How about an amazing market filled with goodies of the like minded women you’re going to bond with all weekend. Check. 

Proverbs 31, the passage in the Bible that gives us a beautiful picture of a wise woman, says that she “makes linen garments to sell, she delivers sashes to the merchants” and while we know all women might not be called to run handmade businesses – we absolutely want to support the women in our community who are. Thus we present – the Sashes Market at Influence.

Here’s just some of the goodies you might find and below that you’ll find a list of all our retailers! We’ll see you all in the Sashes market next weekend!

top left to bottom right: The Hollie Rogue, Suzie Studios, Peas & Carrots, Bonn Bonn Boutique, Better Life Bags, Borrowed Lark, Shop Lemon Drop, Live FashionAble, Lucy Jane Boutique, MelodyJoy1983, Amanda Lynne Designs, Live with Less, Wear Love, NS Pottery, Shop 24, Love Spun Studio

A few other goodies you’ll find there: necklaces from The Tiny Twig, Snow Drift Designs, Casey Wiegand prints, paper goods from The Scribble Pad, journals & prints from BabeBlessings, The Unconventional Doctor’s Wife, Simple Red Stitch

]]> http://www.theinfluenceconference.com/2012/10/05/sashes-market-details/feed/ 2 http://www.theinfluenceconference.com/2012/10/04/adproval/ http://www.theinfluenceconference.com/2012/10/04/adproval/#comments Thu, 04 Oct 2012 05:00:38 +0000 admin http://www.theinfluenceconference.com/?p=556

We’re really excited to introduce a new guy on the scene.  Matt Anderson, the founder of Adproval, is a young guy fresh out of college.  He’s got business school experience and a fresh mentality–ready to take on the challenges bloggers face.

We want to be creative.  Most of us like to produce content more than we like to manage email or code or ad placement.  Matt gets that.  He has created a way for bloggers to easily sell ads (and soon other social media services!) and get paid.  That way we can get back to creating.

Sponsor income and ad sales are one revenue stream many bloggers depend on, however, sometimes when you do the math it makes you wonder if it’s really worth it.  Now, however, it is.  Adproval makes it easy for a blogger and an advertiser to mutually approve a relationship.

Matt will be at Influence to answer your questions, charm you with his business smarts, and help you determine if Adproval is the best move for your blog.  I (Hayley) have moved my ad management to Adproval, and it’s been fun to watch Matt grow Adproval from a senior business project two years ago into a mover and shaker in the Indianapolis tech scene.  He’s really excited to work the Influence community–and values our feedback and future desires for ad management.  It’s nice to have someone in our corner!

Matt has been generous and gracious enough to throw the Stripes Party on Thursday night at Influence.  He’ll be around all weekend to help you get set-up and answer any questions you might have.  We’re excited for Matt to join our small fraternity of men at Influence, and know you’ll make him feel so welcome!

Mocha Club Director (and Influence Speaker!), Barrett Ward, was leading a trip of college students to Africa in 2004, and through talking with them, he realized the frustration among many young people today who feel marginalized by their perceived inability to make an impact in Africa. With only a few dollars – rather than thousands – to spare, many people feel like their efforts to give are like dropping a pebble into the Grand Canyon. This compelled Barrett to create a new model of giving, and Mocha Club was born. The official launch was at a Matt Wertz Rep Concert in Nashville in July 2005, and the success of Mocha Club has grown to have a massive impact both in Africa, and in the countries where their members live.  Mocha Club was at the forefront of Social Giving, and presented a new model in contrast with the traditional child sponsorship programs.

Mocha Club is addressing extreme poverty through holistic solutions. The challenges that face Africans today are as diverse as HIV/AIDS, access to clean water, and the vulnerability of women. Mocha Club is committed to locally developed projects where the community identifies the needs and the response. The end goal is always to create real, sustainable solutions.

By giving up the cost of a few mochas a month, members are supporting these strategic relief and development projects throughout Africa. Whether it’s mochas, tacos, a pedicure, or a movie ticket… the thought is to add tangibility to giving. We all spend money on things every month that we could do without, and the reality is that our money can go so far in other parts of the world like Africa. The cost of just a few mochas a month can provide life-saving HIV/AIDS medication or books and uniforms for a kid in Kenya to go to school. And we really don’t even miss it.

There are 5 different project areas you can choose from: Education, Clean Water, Orphan Care, Healthcare, and Women at Risk. Again, these all work together to holistically empower and change the communities Mocha Club is invested in in Africa.

Mocha Club began as a $7/month endeavor (again, the cost of a few mochas) — and just celebrated 7 years of $7/month with a big party in Nashville (Hayley, Amanda Williams of Life.Edited, and Blair of Wild and Precious celebrated with them!!). Many of the artists that bring the message of Mocha Club on the road to share at their concerts were there performing — like Matt Wertz, Dave Barnes, and Drew & Ellie Holcomb. Mocha Club works with musicians in many different genres who want to use their influence for good.

One of the cool things about Mocha Club is it’s set up as a community endeavor. Members can invite their friends and those with whom they have influence to join them in making a difference. A great example is one of Influence’s community leaders.  Blair of Wild and Precious, approached them to raise money for one of the projects. She had been wanting to get a pixie haircut, but wanted to bring a bigger purpose around it. Through her blog, she was able to raise $2500 for Women at Risk in Africa!  At Influence, Mocha Club will be sharing how this little pixie project is growing into a much larger endeavor, and how you can join in the fun.

fashionABLE was actually born out of Mocha Club, specifically their Women at Risk project area. A big part of real, sustainable solutions lies in job creation, and that’s what fashionABLE is doing — creating business for women who have been marginalized due to the effects of poverty.

We are so excited that fashionABLE will be joining us in the inaugural year of The Influence Conference.  They were excited from the get-go, back when we were still trying to figure out how to get the conference from BIG IDEA to BIG EVENT.  Because they believe in women, they also believed in us…in YOU.  They believe in the power of women helping women out of poverty–actually doing something rather than just talking about it.

You’ll be able to snag the scarves at the Sashes Market, and I hope you plan on doing just that.  Every scarf purchased directly helps lift a woman out of poverty.  The super fun thing is–each scarf is tagged with a little note from the woman the scarf is named for.  What a great gift for a woman in your life–Christmas is coming up, after all.

Look for Barrett, the founder, to be speaking and Marisa VH Pardo to be leading the workshop Social Media for Social Good.  They are full of great information for the women who are attending the conference, because they deeply care about the community we are building.  We’re excited to finally connect fashionABLE with the women of Influnece.

Check out their Fall Lookbook, follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Getting ready for a conference can be a crazy time, can’t it? Choosing which workshops to attend, figuring out what on earth to wear, making sure your family is well taken care of in your absence, and arranging for transportation from wherever you are to the conference and home is a lot to add to your already full plate. I wonder how you are doing with all those preparations…

Have you ever taken the time to stop and pray?

When life got busy I didn’t used to either, and it totally affected my health, my relationships, and my life. 10 years ago my life came to a standstill…literally. I had pushed my busy-ness too far, stressed myself out too much, and I was paying for it. I was at risk of a heart attack and in peri-menopause (I was 33). My husband and I were on the edge of divorce after a recent miscarriage. The relationship with the daughter I did have (who was 4 at the time) was tumultuous and filled with anger and frustration. And, I had just been moved from everyone and everything I had ever known in California, for Charleston South Carolina. My life was a bit of a mess, and God knew the only way to bring me back to His plan for my life was to make me stop doing and start listening.

Why do I share this with you? Out of that chaotic part of my journey Peace of Mind Ministries, and the new Bible study I have written called Cultivating Peace, was born. As a ministry director my goal is to spread the message that God’s peace IS available to everyone. Through speaking, blogging, and teaching I work to reveal God’s ever-present peace no matter how chaotic a woman’s life may be. As an author my goal is to share the very real experience I have had as a woman who once wanted to be a gotta-do- it-all superwoman and ended up a mess, but has been transformed into a woman on fire to live the life God has given me His way. Through the Cultivating Peace study I teach other women how they too can go from chaos to peace when they align their day according to God’s priorities and not their own.

Throughout your weekend at the Influence Conference you will have the opportunity for tremendous growth. There will be a ton of great information to listen to and take down. You will meet amazing women who have dreams as big as yours. Fantastic ideas for how to improve your blogging, writing, and speaking will be presented to you. One way to describe it could be that you will be standing in front of a firehouse trying to get a drink.

I am praying that as you walk through your experience at the Influence Conference, you will continually keep an open dialogue with God. Ask Him to keep you from feeling overwhelmed. Ask Him to protect you from feeling like you aren’t good enough, smart enough, hip enough, or simply…enough. Ask Him to help you determine which parts of what you see and hear are part of His plan for you and to let go of the rest. When doubt and fear start to try and overwhelm you, I pray you will remember that God didn’t give you His gift without also wanting you to trust that He has a plan for how and when to use it.

These are the lessons I have learned on my journey with God. He is enough, and He does have a plan for us: “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

While you are at the conference, if there is ever a time you feel overwhelmed, full of fear, or otherwise freaked out, please shoot me a quick email, message me on facebook, or send me a tweet (links are below) and I will pray for you on the spot. You can also take a moment to grab a girlfriend and pray. Please also stop by our booth and visit with Jennifer Tubbiolo. Jennifer is my best friend, closest confidant, and a voice of reason in my life. She is an amazing woman with a passion to write just like you who will be there to pray with and for you or just chat until you relax a bit. If you could use some of God’s peace right now, you can email me at Stephanie@peaceofmindministries.com, message me on facebook, or send me a tweet.

Ladies, there IS a way to have God’s peace: Trust Him at His Word and let Him work out the details for you!

I am praying for you!

- Stephanie 

Connect with Peace of Mind Ministries: Facebook // Twitter