You don’t need a huge audience — or a famous name — to create an in-person experience people will value.

In this episode, Steph and Ben pull back the curtain on planning profitable, small-group retreats and workshops for creatives. They share what they learned from Maker Division’s Las Vegas events, why intimate gatherings can be more transformative than large conferences, and how a retreat can become another income stream for your Solo Studio.

They also get honest about the work involved: choosing the right location, setting attendance thresholds, vetting participants, designing an experience around what people actually need — and preparing for those last-minute food allergies.

In this episode:

• Why five to twenty attendees may be the ideal retreat size

• How to validate an event with a small audience

• Retreats versus conferences — and what each does best

• How to make a small event financially viable

• Why teaching should be 20% delivery and 80% support

• How to lead a workshop without positioning yourself as a guru

• Turning your existing creative skills into an in-person experience

• Starting small, learning from the first event, and improving as you go

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not big enough to do this,” Steph and Ben want to challenge that. You don’t need to rent a hotel ballroom, hand out lanyards, or plan trust falls. Start with something useful, invite the right people, and see who shows up.

Interested in joining Maker Division’s next Las Vegas retreat?

[https://www.makerdivision.com/m/maker-vegas]

Learn more about the Solo Studio:

[https://youtu.be/dZEd0l9zU8E?si=LlEJS3rsNgshPPc1]