After 20 years of running her medical manufacturing business and divorcing from her husband, Rose Tafoya, an entrepreneur from the US, started to feel that she was lacking purpose in what she was doing. She knew she had to change direction but didn’t know where to start. Two years later, Rose runs GeniusU Entrepreneur Socials, has earned $40,000 in commissions from her first Entrepreneur Fast Track event and launched her global entrepreneur travel and events company. So how did she do it? 

IDENTIFY YOUR IDENTITY

Looking for guidance in changing her career,  Rose discovered GeniusU - the world’s largest entrepreneur education platform and network. She joined its Entrepreneur Mentor Certification, which helped Rose to see where she was at personally.

“I kept going through all the workshops and microdegrees and every time I would watch Roger’s videos, I would think that he is speaking directly to me. It really prompted me to ask myself: ‘What do I really want to do, what do I love and where do I want to go’. ” 

Through this process her new company was born - GeniusETC, a company that provides entrepreneur experiences through trips and retreats around the globe. Rose also knew she wanted GeniusU and its resources to become an integral part of her business. So she decided to apply to run Entrepreneur Fast Track (EFT) - a one-day event where GeniusU founder Roger Hamilton flies in to help local entrepreneurs to 10x their business. 

“It was a total shift but I knew this was the direction I wanted to take. I just had to find a way to get Roger to come to the US!”

BUILD UP YOUR COMMUNITY

Rose got in touch with GeniusU and its Chief Partnerships Officer, Michelle Clarke, to see what was possible. Michelle invited Rose to first become a City Leader and organise entrepreneur socials - a monthly event format created by GeniusU, where local entrepreneurs get together to share their knowledge and experience. Rose saw this as a challenge to build up her community before hosting EFT.

“I first went out and found a co-working space and started to organize monthly socials there. I started getting involved with the chambers, clubs and networking events and attract people to the socials that way. I was focused on connecting with the local community.”

Rose also experimented with the format.

“I am constantly experimenting with the format, trying to fit what entrepreneurs need the most in my community. Recently I have moved the events from a co-working space to a restaurant environment. I also began running interview-based events, where I have 2 entrepreneurs on stage to sharing their journeys.”

Each monthly event would attract up to 30 people and Rose would also take an opportunity to educate them about Roger’s Impact Meter and GeniusU, and how these tools could help them grow their businesses. 

ANCHOR YOUR AUTHORITY

Having warmed up the whole of Lake Tahoe entrepreneur community and prepared the ground for the EFT, Rose set out to find the right event partners. A local newspaper publisher came on board, agreeing to promote the event locally. Others committed to bringing in a certain number of attendees and supporting Rose with the logistics of the event. 

Rose also saw that it was important to promote the event with ‘a personal touch’ and took time to have a conversation with each entrepreneur, who expressed their interest. 

“I would spend a lot of time on the phone and in person talking to people, making sure they understand what EFT is about. I would always follow up and offer my time if they had any questions.” 

Her first EFT was a success: Almost 100 showed up for the event and 21 joined the Genius Entrepreneur Mastermind- Roger’s mentoring group for entrepreneurs. Although it was one of the smallest EFTs, the sales per head were at record high and Rose’s commissions peaked at around $40,000. 

“I think the reason for my success was that I thought through who I wanted to invite and chose people who had their own networks to promote the event further. For the time frame and energy I’ve put in, I think it’s a really good pay off.” 

Rose now wants to to start organising Entrepreneur Socials and EFTs in Sacramento area, and build up her EDventures branch of GeniusETC, which is a group entrepreneur travel excursion that combines education and adventure to locations such as Bali, South Africa, Costa Rica and Australia.

”This experience has helped me to discover my why and my identity and what I could give back to the world. I have met so many great people.  All that I have done so far with GeniusU has really changed the course of my life!”

Find out more about being a City Leader and running your own Entrepreneur Social events here - https://www.geniusu.com/mentor_circles/565/welcome