Event Recap Series : Blueprint Summit 2018
Intro by Shanna Skidmore | Recap by Ashley De Filippis

As my online student community continues to grow, it is such a treat to get to hug them IRL (in real life!) each year at Summit.

This annual event has come to feel like a family reunion for sure and while not all students can attend each year, we definitely see so many familiar faces returning for their 2nd, 3rd or even 4th event!

Blueprint Summit 2018 was one for the record books as we brought in eight amazing speakers for the first time ever! I definitely dropped my jaw when Erin Loechner agreed to attend, and she was a crowd favorite for sure!

We also introduced My Blueprint Story highlighting four student success stories from the main stage this year. It was definitely one of the highlights for me as I saw women stand up on stage and own their successes, share their failures and encourage their peers.

I’m so proud of this amazing community and honored to be a part of it!

xo,
Shanna

Blueprint Summit 2018 Recap | written by attendee Ashley De Filippis

Name: Ashley De Filippis
Business Name: Hologram Branding
Industry: Branding/Business Services

I’m Ashley De Filippis—a total brand-obsessed chick that helps beautypreneurs develop badass beauty brands. Coupling my 15 years of corporate beauty industry know-how with my passion to empower solopreneurs going at it alone, I founded Hologram Branding to help beautypreneurs—like you!—with brand strategy, education, and design so that their brands ooze personality and heart-pumping purpose. Fist-pump to that!

What brought you to this career?

I’m totally an “accidental entrepreneur” – starting my own business was never, EVER on my radar! I had dreams of climbing the corporate ladder in the beauty world, snagging the corner office, trotting around in sky-high Louboutins (especially since I’m a 4’11” tiny sprite of a thang!). But I felt really caged in all my jobs, exhausted from burn out, which eventually led to being super unhappy. No bueno!

During a trip to Hawaii with my best friend (who was an entrepreneur), we were visiting lots of local markets full of really cool indie brands that had amazing beauty products, chock full of good-for-you locally sourced ingredients. I remember saying to my friend, “this is the kinda stuff people really want—not toxic crap that’s everywhere—it’s such a shame that these brands are such hidden jewels!” And she was like, “THAT’S IT! That’s what you should be doing… helping these brands stand out so they can be discovered.” That was my lightning bolt moment when I thought maybe I could really have a go at this entrepreneurial thing.

The rest is history ?

So I decided to take my experience to the masses so that I could teach these solopreneurs—newbies or rookies—how to create an uber-authentic beauty brands that bring their big vision to life. And I’ve never looked back since!

What did attending an in-person retreat mean for you?

Where do I even start?! Well, the biggest thing was carving out intentional time in my business to get reflective and vision-y, which I rarely give myself the breathing space to do when I’m in the day-to-day of my work. I’m also an introvert, so this was totally outside my comfort zone.

BUT I knew I wanted to go for it anyway. Plus it meant finally giving hugs in real life to the amazing peeps in the Blueprint Community that I had gotten to know during the program. And that for me was the biggest takeaway…there’s nothing like in-person, human-to-human community ?

From the first hellos to the very last bittersweet goodbyes what was your experience attending Blueprint Summit 2018?

I was a bit nervous at first, wondering what the experience would be like, what the vibe would be like, etc. But all those buzzin’ questions melted away immediately the second I got to the event.

All those feel-good vibes Shanna and the Team Skidmore cultivates so well in the Blueprint Community came to life in a really heart-bumping way. Plus the event itself was SO well-executed—you definitely felt taken care of and welcomed.

Saying goodbye is always the hardest part—but just until we see each other next time!

What is one word to express how you felt after leaving Blueprint Summit 2018?

Refreshed

I felt Summit was a great time-out for me and my business to get back to the heart of what I do and give a pulse-check of how things are really going. I came back to my work with an invigorating sense of renewal and intention that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Were you nervous to make the investment to attend this event?

Somewhat, mostly because that exchange rate (I’m Canadian) meant it was going to be a hefty investment. But I knew in my gut it was worth the spend.

How did attending Blueprint Summit 2018 move you forward in your business and your life?

Coming out of Blueprint Summit, I developed even deeper friendships with my Blueprint buddies—we’ve even created our own bi-weekly mini mastermind to help encourage each other during the entire year, which has been a game-changer for me and my business.

What would you say is the most important thing you’ve walked away with?

Friendships that go beyond just business—I feel like I have friends for life!

What would you tell your best friend, biz bestie or someone walking through similar struggles in their life and business about attending a Blueprint Summit?

If you’re feeling all kinds of claustrophobic in your life and biz, Blueprint Summit is the golden ticket! It’s taking that intentional time off to get back in touch with the heart of what you do and why you do it—kinda like a giant reset button for your business.

Plus hugs IRL are just the best!

You’ll love it.

Trust me.

And lastly: what is the best thing you’ve learned about money?

There’s more where that came from! I’ve always lived from a money scarcity mindset—and it’s something I’m continuing to work on—but I’ve learned that there’s more than enough money to go around. And you’re totally deserving of it!

Blueprint Summit 2018 Vendors:

Event Location : The Church on Main Chattanooga Tennessee
Photography : Sarah Ingram Photography
Florals : Ginny Early of Enemies of the Average

Keynote Speakers :

Erin Loechner of Design for Mankind and author Chasing Slow
Emily Thompson of Being Boss Podcast
Beth Kirby of Local Milk Blog
Emily Jeffords

Interested in joining the Blueprint Family and attending one of our live events?!

*All Blueprint live events are exclusive for students of The Blueprint Model.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BLUEPRINT MODEL HERE!