Then I invite you to join us in Boston, May 4-6, 2023, at Business Beyond Freelancing Live!

I timed this for the second quarter so you’ll have plenty of time to put things into action this summer, then go into fall with everything situated.

Also, spring in New England is beautiful! Flowers are blooming, everything is green, and the tourists haven’t shown up yet. It’s a great time of year to explore Boston.

Something magical happens when you get together in person. The ideas take hold better, and the memories seem to stick. More than anything, the follow-through has a much better track record. For whatever reason, people actually act on the ideas and make them pay off. I take no credit for that, it’s just part of the experience. I absolutely love hosting live events, which is why I keep doing them! 

Gary Wright, a past attendee, said:

“The small size makes it easier to share our stories and create a bond that would be hard to replicate in a larger group. Steve’s relaxed style and willingness to give is evident through the whole retreat experience. I would definitely recommend it to those who are serious about improving their business.”

And I got this message from Anton Volney six months after he attended one of my retreats in Vermont:

“Happy story! I just landed a full-time Senior Copywriting position with Ramit Sethi at IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com. This puts me on track to AT LEAST double my income this year.

“As far as I’m concerned, the breadcrumb trail that led me to this position started with Steve’s retreat four months ago. I’m very happy I decided to come.”

I picked Boston for a few reasons. It’s one of my favorite cities in the country, and I especially love the North End. It’s got an old-school Italian neighborhood vibe, there’s history around every bend, and it’s very walkable. The North End has the distinction of being the oldest residential community in Boston, having been inhabited since the 1630s. Our retreat during the day on Friday and Saturday (all day on May 5 and half a day on the 6th) will be at the CitizenM hotel, a few blocks away.

We’re going to kick things off at 6 pm on Thursday, May 4, with dinner together at a restaurant of my choosing (I’ll let you know after you sign up and before you arrive). This will be mostly a social time to get to know each other and I’ll introduce our main topics for the next two days.

We’ll get down to business Friday morning at 9 am at the top of the CitizenM hotel (Boston North Station) at 70 Causeway Street. It’s a great space with a creative vibe, including an entire white board wall for us to write on! 

The style of the retreat will be part teaching, a lot of interaction and sharing of ideas, and some rolling-up-the-sleeves work knocked out on the spot. 

We’ll break for lunch in the neighborhood, go until 5 pm with a full day, and then enjoy another dinner together. Feel free to explore the neighborhood on your own before and after dinner. (We’re doing the retreat at the CitizenM hotel, but I’m letting you choose your own hotel to sleep in. See next expandable button for more details on that.)

Saturday will be a short day of business from 9 am until Noon back at the CitizenM (Meeting Room 2). We’ll work through a couple more key points, complete an exercise that some past attendees considered the highlight of the event, and give this phenomenal event a proper send-off.

But wait…there’s more!

If you’re sticking around, I’ll be having lunch with the five people who signed up early (in 2022), and after that I have some historic fun planned if you can hang out with us.

You’ll get a detailed agenda when you arrive, and I’ll send you more information between now and then.

If you’re in New England, New York, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey, consider driving. Further out? Fly to Boston Logan (BOS). Depending on your pre- and post-retreat travel plans, you may or may not want to rent a car. 

Getting into the city is easy by Uber, taxi, train, or boat taxi (I’ve done the boat taxi and it’s pretty cool, and reasonably priced). Getting around in Boston is easy if you’re in the heart of the city, either by walking, subway (MBTA, called “the T,” with 4 lines and 114 stations), or Uber/taxi.

Plan to arrive by Thursday, May 4, so you can attend our dinner that evening (see schedule above). I decided not to do a room block at the CitizenM where I’m holding the retreat because everyone’s schedule is different (some are coming early, some are staying late), and everyone’s budget is different, too. Boston hotels are a little pricier than most cities, so you can decide if you want to stay close to the action, maybe right at the CitizenM or nearby, or further away at a hotel of your choosing.

After you register, I’ll send you some hotel options, and you can certainly find a good hotel that fits your needs easily enough on your own, too. 

Note: There’s no parking at the CitizenM, so if you’re staying somewhere else and driving over, you’ll need to find nearby parking. It’s a two-minute walk from the Boston North train station if you’re open to taking the subway.

If you’re driving, you can head back anytime after we’re finished at Noon on Saturday, May 6, or stay an extra day or two and make a fun weekend out of it. Boston is a wonderful city to explore for a few extra days, and New England in spring is beautiful! 

We’re right near Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard, or you could head north up to Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont. I can give you lots of suggestions. Emida and I are taking a couple extra days to head to Eastport, Maine, the furthest point East in the United States.

If you’re flying back, either make arrangements for late in the afternoon or evening on Saturday, May 6, or stay longer to enjoy the weekend. The CitizenM is only an 8-minute drive from Logan Airport, and a two-minute walk from the Boston North train station.

Included in your cost: The retreat itself at the CitizenM, dinner on Thursday evening, and lunch and dinner on Friday. (Plus Saturday lunch if you signed up during my promotion last fall.) Also: Big Ideas. Clarity. Feedback. Camaraderie. Fun. Laughter. Long-lasting friendships forged.

Not included: Getting to Boston, your hotel room, transportation in and around Boston, and breakfast on Friday and Saturday, and any sight seeing you do.

11 more things you’ll get at BBF Live! Boston: 

1. A newfound shift in the way you position yourself and operate your business.
2. A Client Conversation process to sift and sort and bring people into your world.
3. The last opportunity to come to one of my events in the Northeast or New England. This is probably my last time hosting anything north of the Mason-Dixon line, for many reasons. It’s also unlikely I’ll put on events for less than $1,000 again.
   
4. 4. Fun! Intermixed among all the business stuff, we’ll enjoy our time in Boston with each other.
5. In-person interaction with other sharp, like-minded people. Live beats Zoom any day.
6. Ideas (from me and other attendees) that you might not have thought of on your own. Too often we work in a vacuum. It’s good to get amongst people who are making things happen!
7. A possible metaphorical shot to the head (see Ed’s testimonial below).
8. A rare appearance by Emida Roller! She’s usually not able to attend my retreats, and this will be the first one she’ll be fully participating in. Not only participating, but presenting. She’ll be sharing details of how she’s built her mural painting business. There are a lot of parallels to what we do.
9. A chance to see an amazing historical city in what I think is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. There’s a reason I live here.
10. Answers to any questions you have and feedback on your ideas.
11. Time with me, Emida, and the rest of the group. I can’t emphasize this enough! There’s nothing like hanging out with fun, sharp, interesting people. This is going to be one for the ages.