10 reasons why the LBN Conference made me feel like I can do anything!

The annual LBN (Lakeland Businesswomen’s Network) conference took place last Friday at Kendal College. As a new LBN member, it was my first time attending the conference and I had been really looking forward to it. I found the entire day so inspiring and motivating. Here’s why:

1. The Keynote speaker, Isla Wilson from Ruby Star Associates, was absolutely brilliant. Isla dispelled a number of business myths and offered an interesting insight during her talk ‘Five things that entrepreneurs told us they wished they’d learned earlier.’ Anyone who was there will know exactly what I mean when I say two words: Tin. Foil. Isla took ‘out of the box’ thinking to a whole new level by asking us to choose one of five debate topics and solve it by using… tin foil. It was an imaginative icebreaker and got the whole room talking/laughing! Isla herself was hilarious, warm, confident, engaging and set the tone perfectly for the day.

The hilarious and brilliant Isla Wilson

2. There was a fantastic range of workshops on offer throughout the day. I genuinely struggled to pick just three and I kept changing my mind before I actually forced myself to send the form back. There were terrific options for everybody, in every stage of business and in every industry.

3. My first workshop was ‘Trending, Targeting and Tracking’ with Catherine Rumney from The Creative Branch. As Catherine said, these days there is more and more overlapping across services and it helps to know which messages to convey at different times of the day. For example, consumers want a different tone when they’re reading something first thing in the morning, compared to the evening when they might be reading their iPad before they go to sleep.

Catherine Rumney told us all about trending, targeting and tracking

Catherine gave an in-depth talk, which included: online messages, data and details, the importance of tracking (and tools to do so), content and language, consumer personality types, testing and statistics. I thought it was a really informative session. I have a basic grasp of ‘trending, targeting and tracking’ and I wanted to broaden my knowledge (especially as it’s a key part of my job!) – Catherine helped me do just that.

4. Lunch was an ideal opportunity for networking. As well as chatting to new people, I saw some familiar faces, which was lovely. The sandwiches (which were provided by the college I think) were very yummy and there was lots of variety. It was great to see lots of dietary options, such as gluten-free and vegetarian, too.

5. The second workshop I went to was ‘Creating Compelling Goals’ with Nicola Jackson of Growing Potential. I am a goal-making enthusiast, so this was right up my street. There has been so much research lately about the importance of having both business and personal goals. There are many advantages of setting goals, but one of the key benefits is that goals give you a clear focus – you can concentrate your attention on what it is that you really want in life.

We created compelling goals with Nicola Jackson

As Nicola said, goals can influence the way you live, month by month and day by day. She talked about the mindset of high achievers, problem thinking vs outcome thinking and tips to create compelling goals. Nicola’s guidelines were really useful and the session helped me outline exactly what it is that I want in the next three months, six months and 12 months.

6. We had one last networking opportunity before the final workshop. The word ‘networking’ can put the fear of God into some people. I know because I used to feel that way! I think the thing with networking is to remove the pressure, then it becomes much more enjoyable. Networking shouldn’t be a desperate attempt at making sales or generating leads and if you stop thinking of it like that, then you’ll definitely enjoy it more.

The great thing about the LBN Conference was that it was a friendly gathering of women who all have one thing in common – business. It wasn’t about being competitive or who’s better than who. It was an encouraging and supportive atmosphere and a fantastic chance to get to know women who are also self-employed or wanting to start their own businesses. There was nothing scary or intimidating about it! (Plus, there was yummy cake and lots of tea!)

7. The final workshop was one I’d been really looking forward to. It was called ‘Allowing yourself to think BIG’ and was presented by Alison Tordoff of Fidget Design. Her business story was truly inspirational. She offered some excellent tips and encouraged us to think big and go that extra mile. On a personal note, I was really pleased to hear how much she values PR. Sometimes, it can be tricky to explain the importance of PR to businesses, so it was great to hear Alison talk about how hiring a good PR consultant has opened up lots of doors for her (including a fab column in Lake District Life, which I really enjoy!)

Alison Tordoff encouraged us to think big!

8. After an educating and hugely motivating day, we gathered in the main room for the closing session with Isla Wilson. It was aptly titled ‘Let it Go!’ (which also meant I had that song in my brain for the next couple of hours!) The idea behind it was brilliant. Isla talked about habits and the way that everything we do (everything – including the bad things), we find rewarding in one way or another. Otherwise, why would we do it? So, with that in mind, we all picked up an origami bird and wrote on it the bad habits that we wanted to stop. We then stuck them to a line at the back of the room and made a promise that we were going to let those bad habits go and leave them behind. What a sweet, but effective, idea!

I left two bad habits behind

9. The conference asked for voluntary donations to raise money for two very worthwhile charities – the Birchall Trust and the Tiger Lily Trust. The Birchall Trust supports those affected by rape and sexual abuse in South Cumbria and North Lancashire. The Tiger Lily Trust provides tangible symbols of rememberance for parents bereaved through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. Hopefully lots of money was raised for the two charities! 

10. My final point is this… the conference was FREE! How incredible is that? Three informative workshops, two motivational talks and lots of networking opportunities… all free of charge thanks to funding provided by Cumbria Growth Hub. I left the conference feeling confident and inspired. I had so many thoughts and ideas. It really was a fabulous day!

If you are interested in joining LBN, check out the website here.

... Also, as this is very much a 'girl power' post, I thought I'd share this fabulous pic that I posted on my Facebook and Instagram for International Women's Day on Sunday!