Welcome back to the Subscription Box Basics podcast. I am Renee Gonzalez, your marketing coach here, and I am with Julie, our head coach. Say hello, Julie. Hello, And this week we have a really fun episode, and for those of you that have. FOMO cuz you weren't able to come to Sub Summit 2023. Do not worry. This is the place to be. We are recapping our sub summit experience. Absolutely, and last week's episode was actually recorded live in Dallas at Sub Summit. We had a live studio audience that was super fun to do, so if you haven't listened to that one, after you hear today's episode, go back and listen to that where we talked about five ways to gamify your subscription box business to reduce churn, increase customer loyalty, all the good things. So we're gonna do this episode very linearly, so we're just gonna like relive the whole experience. We both flew in on Tuesday, so Renee and I live on opposite sides of the country. So Dallas is actually a really good fit for us as far as it's about the same flight for both of us. And the spoiler alert, they did announce that next year's event will be at the same place. Same hotel in Dallas and Renee and I actually really like this, decision because it's a great hotel, really nice. It's got, you know, a market there. It's got a couple bars and a restaurant. We, once you're there, you literally don't have to go anywhere else. So we, you'll probably see us there again next year as usual, but we wanted to let you know that it is in mid-June. You can get all those details at Sub Summit. It really is such a good decision to have it centrally located. And probably a lot of reason behind the motivation to do it again next year, and that'll make three years of hosting Sub Summit there. But it, no matter where you are in the United States, it's an easy flight. I know a lot of places and for both of us, we were able to get direct flights, which just makes it so easy when you're balancing all the things. But for us, specifically motherhood and business owner life that I, you know, I was able to be home. I left the event a little early. We'll get to that, but I was able to be home by 10 o'clock in the morning back on Friday. So you can just, nice jump right back into all the things. But yes, let's go. Let's start with with when we arrived on Tuesday. Yeah, so Tuesday it's a travel day basically for most people. The actual event started Wednesday. It was pretty much like a half day Wednesday, then all day Thursday and then a half day Friday. Just to give you a frame of reference of the days. So we flew in Tuesday. I didn't even get in until, what, like six o'clock and then back to the hotel around six 30 or so. But there was just a lot of mingling that night. It was really fun. walking into the hotel and seeing people in real life that I've talked to a hundred times on Zoom calls or just on Facebook or messaging with Instagram it's, just so fun to be able to see them in person. And living in a world where we work digitally but still get to go to these in-person events, I feel like it really speeds up the getting to know you process. Cuz even if you haven't had multiple conversations with someone online, you recognize them and you recognize your name and you're instantly like, ah, like here, you're here. We're here in person. So, It was, and I got in a little earlier on Tuesday, but totally went into just like veg out in my hotel room. Nice attempt to nap. Take it easy. So it, was nice to kind of get there a little early and us do the things and then still be able to socialize. We got to see the sub summit, the sub crew on Tuesday night and kind of yep, check out a little sneak peek of the, place. So that was really fun too. Yeah, and when, I walked into the hotel, the first two people I saw were Jocelyn from Dog Mom Lifestyles and Jennifer from Entry Envy, and it was, it almost felt like a reunion I've seen those girls several times over the years at Sub Summit, this was our seventh. Sub summit, including the virtual event. And so when I walked in, it just felt like a family reunion between them and Samantha from the pink envelope. And then seeing the sub Summit team, it just made me feel like we were home and at a family reunion. Absolutely. I, Alex from the sub summit team commented that on one of our posts, he's like, the best family reunion. And I was like, ah, yes. That's the perfect way to word that. Yeah. And if you're listening and, you go to an event like this, In, and it's your first time there, or maybe you don't know anyone, you actually do know people there, like the people that you're communicating with, that you're networking with online or you're listening to our podcast. We got to hang out with so many of you and quite a few of our listeners and our boot campers had gone and traveled by themselves and they figured, you know, they'd just meet Pox besties there, or they'd hang out with us and it was so awesome. I, loved that about it. That, but hands down there's so many good parts to it. But I feel like meeting people in person and, whether it was like a two minute conversation where they told us they listened to us, so many people had encouraging words for us. Yes. Which was like brought us to tears multiple times. It true. It just meeting people in person. There's nothing like it. Yep. So then we moved to Wednesday, right? And we slept in. Shocker. If you guys know me, I don't like to get up early. I'm not a morning person, and this was gonna be our only opportunity really, to catch up on sleep after the travel. So, We made our way down to the lobby, got some coffee, hung out with some people, and our first event wasn't till one 30, but there were a few other events going on. There were a few sessions. There was a live podcast studio, as I mentioned. So throughout the entire event there were a handful, I don't know, like maybe five or seven different podcasts. Got to do their live podcast. And so we went and our, session was about selling the subscription box. It was just such an honor and such a treat to be able to take the stage with you, Renee, but also Carol from Sparkle Hustle Grow with who, if you've followed our journey, she and her husband bought Sparkle Hustle Grow in summer of 2022. And so we got to tell our story on stage and Renee got to be the moderator. I did I got to watch the clock and ask the questions and it was, I mean, you already said it, but just echoing, like being on stage with both of you who I get to work with every day. And I have so much respect for you guys as people and business owners, and to hear you guys tell your story and I got to live it in person and be behind the scenes and in the middle, and really, we've said it a million times, but how the handing off went, it couldn't be written better. I feel like it was so storybook. So having you two on stage and to tell your story, I feel like was such. Something about everyone, even if it wasn't a thought in your head now to sell your business eventually. It's just such a good example of all the things like women supporting women and like carrying on your legacy and knowing when it's, you're kind to pivot. Like there's so many lessons in it besides just selling your box. So I was happy to get to be up there and we finished with five seconds to spare, so I did my job. Yes. Good job. My, my favorite part about. That whole panel and being able to tell our story is that most people are either, going to the sub summit to learn and grow and scale. But there's this, I feel like there's this gap in the conversation about selling your business and in other industries. I feel like people talk about this all the time, and so we're trying to help start that conversation because it's a really exciting. Thing, and it's a bus huge business milestone for you to be able to sell your business. Now, when I started Sparkle Hustle Grill I had no idea where it would go, how long it, I would run it, if I would eventually close it down or sell it. And it wasn't until the, over the past two years, and I started looking into it, and it ultimately did sell the box I, didn't even realize it was such an option, you know? And so having that conversation is great because it makes it so it's not as scary to share with other people. We got approached after the panel by several people that were saying that really resonated with me. I'm thinking about selling my box business, but I'm afraid to talk about it. I'm afraid to ask about it. I don't wanna cause any chaos with my subscribers, and I just didn't know where to go. So I feel like we did our job there. I could not agree more. And I think it's important too, just, and you said it, but for people to know it's an option because, yeah. In my baby entrepreneur journey, before I was in the subscription box journey, I had a business and I ended up just closing it, and it was really successful. I owned a brick and mortar. I probably could have sold it, but I didn't. I knew it was an option, but I wasn't. Prepared in the years leading up to that to have my books correct and be able to show my profits and losses and, have operations in place. So it would've been such a headache for me to try and go down that route that it was easier to close it. So I feel like if people take anything away from that, even if you weren't at that session, but just really get your know, your procedures know, like really start to get your books in place because if that opportunity ever comes up, you want to have that as an option and not just have to close it. Exactly. And, we work so hard in our business and there are other options than just shutting something down. So, okay, let's continue on with Wednesday. So, That was one 30 on Wednesday and just an hour and a half later, or maybe it was an hour later, they started doing the opening remarks of the whole thing. We got to hear from Neil Hoy, who is the chief measurement strategist at Google, and I really liked his presentation. He was a keynote speaker on the big stage, and he talked about using data like smart marketing to make decisions. And one of the things that really stuck with me is he talked a little bit about AI and how it can get you started with something. AI can help you make data-driven decisions. It can help you get started with a marketing campaign, but it still needs that human element. You still need to look at those numbers. You still need to look at. Any copy that AI gets you started with, but he was such a great presenter, and to have someone from Google was a really, cool component of that first day. Yeah. And , he talked about it being your first draft, and that was Yes. Like the perfect way to put it. Like it, it is, your AI can be your first draft and then you tweak it from there. You, add your own element and your own twist to it. But I, that was my big takeaway from his discussion too. And he did a really good job. And like you said, having some big names. I mean, throughout the whole conference there was Quote unquote big wigs there. And just to have the big players in there with, the little guys, the startup subscription boxes, they feel like it. Yeah. It was a different little element this year and, a real testament to how the industry is growing. So after the Google presentation by Neil, we got to hear the opening remarks from the co-founders of Sub Summit. So huge shout out to Chris, John and Paul. They always have such a great energy about them. I don't know how they keep their energy up through the entire event. I think they're feeding off of everybody. And then of course Paul's brother, Chris was the mc and he's hysterical. They had this really funny video that had to do with ai and they were ma, they were kind of poking fun at. You can use ai, but the, AI woman, what was her name? Cheryl. Cheryl, yes. The voice of their AI was trying to take over Kris's job and it was so funny. Of course he brought out the power clap. I'd be disappointed if he didn't. Yeah, that's like his signature move. And then I. We had this great keynote right after that. It was Jesse Pji from Gateway X, and he has worked with like Dollar Shave Clubs, stitch Fix, Madison Reid Blue Apron. And he just told his story of what it's like behind the scenes, particularly with scaling and using Facebook ads and, you know, so many of these businesses had these. Billion dollar exits, which is crazy to think about. Again, some of the bigger companies and bigger players in the industry joining us, like rubbing shoulders with us, teaching us things from behind the scenes that you're not gonna find this kind of content anywhere else. A big takeaway I had from him talking too was that, The movement towards trying to be profitable from your very first box and how it can be done and it should be done. And you really, in the subscription industry, you don't need to take a loss to get that customer that you can find ways to, really make a profit. And I know it's something we tell our students as well that you want to rate from the get know your profit margins and know what you're putting in the box and really Work on that lifetime value of that customer, but really from the very moment they should be profitable too. Yeah. And you'll probably, as you grow your business, you can get better deals so that profit margin will change over time. But I loved his point on like work really hard to make it profitable from the get-go because I feel like one of the biggest mistakes new subscription box owners make is pricing too low. And I made that mistake. I changed our pricing, what, like three times over six years. And each time I lost a lot of sleep, cried a lot of tears, and like was really nervous about changing that price and raising it. So if you can get it, Closer to being right or right from the get-go, you'll be in a much better situation. So after that session, and we won't break down each session, but these are the ones that really stuck out to us. But after that was the pitch competition. That was so cool. It was the pitch competition finals. There were four different companies. Up there that were vying for a $50,000 prize, which include included 10,000 in cash and then 40,000 in services, marketing, new website, all that good stuff. So that was really fun to watch cuz it was almost this shark tank style. I think they had five minutes to pitch. They could give All the coaches a sample of the product, and then they got I think a five minute Q and a. So it was super fast-paced and they all did amazing. I can't imagine how scary that must have been on the big stage in front of everyone pitching their business. Not only were they in front of four judges, but Yeah, they had a live audience too. And they, all did such a good job of acknowledging, talking to the judges, but also acknowledging the live audience too, because we also got to vote. I think our vote was, what did I think 30% of deciding who the final was, but not you and me are, but like everybody. Yeah. The whole live audience. Yeah. So I think. The four judges had 70% of the say, and then the whole collective live audience had 30% of the say and who won. And it was really a fun opportunity to listen to them. And they were all so, so deserving. I feel like we didn't find out until the next day. And Julie, you and I, the whole time were like, Ooh, who's it gonna be? It was, everyone did such a good job. Yep. They waited till the Cube Awards ceremony the following night to announce the winner, but we'll tell you who it was right now. It was Jennifer Lee from Entry Envy. Yeah, she is amazing. We're so happy for her. And it was really great to see a woman win that, which was well deserving too. She has such a big heart for the business. It's not just about, you know, launching her business for her own pocketbook. She is super passionate about teaching women trades, entry Envy creates these, they're kinda like welcome boxes that you put at your front door. Like it has either initials or it has your house number, and then on a monthly basis or seasonal basis, I can't remember if it's monthly or seasonal, but they send Different seasonal things to put in that box so that there's always a fresh look. It's always matches the season really great. But her staff is women. Like she teaches them how to build these boxes out of wood. So there's like the opportunity for them to learn this trade carpentry almost, if you will. And she just really has a big heart for giving back. So I'm really happy for her. I think a big takeaway too of this pitch competition for anyone listening is they do this every year. If you are a new business or you're in pre-launch, start to think now about entering next year. It's something where the prize continues to grow, but it's, always a big prize worth doing. And then don't just wait until sub summit each year to apply. We talked to Brittany from Black Girl Mathic at the event as well, and she has. What was it? Over $200,000 in grant money she's received in the lifetime of what, like 4, 5, 6 years Yeah. Of her, box being in business, there is so much grant money that gets left on the table and is out there. She was saying especially for women, especially for minorities, if so definitely. Think of the pitch competition if you're a new business or soon-to-be box business, but look out there for other ways to get money for your box as well. Yeah. And fun fact, Brittany was a finalist last year for the pitch competition. Was it last year or the year before? I think last year. But she was digital. Yeah. Yeah. But she did her final pitch over Zoom because she was 10 days postpartum. Yeah. Like she had just had her baby and she but, she's so well versed in pitching because that's part of her business model. That is part of how she gets her funding. And so we did a little subscription box bootcamp meetup and Brittany was there and she shared some really great tips on how she acquired all of that funding. Gave us some tips on, places to go, like ifundwomen.com. I think the another one was, hello alice uh.com. She had shared. About reaching out to specific industry organizations because her box is a STEM box, and so she reached out there and some local organizations. So there's a lot of opportunity and a lot of times we just don't think about pursuing that route. We do have a podcast episode on it though, so I'll make sure that we put that link in the show notes. All right, we ready to move on to Thursday? Let's skip on to Thursday. More good stuff. Okay. Okay, so we did on Thursday morning, eight 30, you guys 8:30 AM Yes, that's when we started. I had to get up that early and be on stage by eight 30. It was so much fun though. It was really easy. It was a live recording of subscription box basics. Again, that's last week's episode, so go check that out next. But at this point, you know, It was just fun. We, had our episode mapped out. We talked back and forth and then we were able to chat with some of the audience members afterwards, which was cool. And they had a lot of questions about how to incorporate gamification in their boxes. So if you have any of those questions, just hit us up in the dms of Instagram and we're happy to answer them. And last, week's, episode two had some templates that we had linked in the show notes. And I feel like we can't go beyond talking about the podcast without a quick little shout out to Candace Leach who introduced us Yes. With like the best possible introduc introduction, known to woman, known to man. And it was at eight 30 in the morning and she just brought the energy and was such a breath of fresh air, especially for it being that early. So best intro ever. It was so fun and it really got the audience fired up too. Like it gave them some life that early in the morning. So thank you so much, Candace. Yep. All right. So after the podcast we went over to support our friend Liam, and you guys might know Liam Brennan. He is also a subscription box coach, and a lot of students actually start with our program at Subscription Box Bootcamp, and then. Graduate and move into his program, which is called Subscription Box Experts. And so we went and to his session and he talked about TikTok. Don't worry if you weren't there for that one. I actually interviewed Liam on this same topic, so if you're interested in that, check the show notes. I'll make sure that we put a link to that one as well. But he's had a lot of success using the TikTok creator marketplace, which is essentially a way for. Influencers and creators on TikTok to create your, to create content for you, and then you can kind of add fuel to the fire by running them as ads. So he is the expert on that. So we'll point you to the, his episode in the show notes. And there were so many good sessions on Thursday and Friday and Wednesday that we are, that we missed and, but there was a few that we were able to go to. So we're just gonna spotlight a few more. One of them being Vanessa, who is the procurement manager at Workspace Spark. She talked about costly mistakes and lessons learned. And my biggest takeaway, I think she said so many good things, but my biggest takeaway was, She talked about an example where they had their own them as their team had their own decisions made up on what they thought gonna , go in the box. And then they, this happened multiple times actually. And then they asked their customers, they pulled their customers, and this specific example was about books. They're like, do you want books or do you not? And then overwhelmingly, her customers were like, yes, we want books. And they're like, oh, we didn't even think people were reading the books, you know? And then they started to include a book every other month, and she did that example on a couple other stories too, like tea versus coffee, and they were surprised by the results. So it was such a good. Example of why you need to pull your subscribers and why what they think matters, because it could be different than what you're thinking. Yeah. I love that example specifically with the coffee and tea, because I b I like both, but , they were thinking, you know, their team was split down the middle and it's so funny that their poll was also split down the middle. So what do you do in that situation? And Vanessa had such a great piece of advice. She's like, every time. We put any coffee in there, we also put tea in there so nobody's left out. Now granted, you can't always please everyone, but that was a really simple example of how if something's literally split down the middle, you still can do your best to make sure people get things that they're actually gonna use. It was perfect and, something being in a similar industry for six plus years, it was an aha moment for me cuz I'm like, oh, that's so good. Put both. Yep, exactly. Okay. So later on that day, we went to another session called Key Ingredients for Subscription Box Success. And this was a panel I really like panels because , I feel like the content moves quickly. I love hearing from multiple people. And so this particular. Panel was moderated by Jennifer Klein from Sub Summit and it had Jennifer Lee from Entry Envy, Mara Eon. I don't know if I said that right. Hopefully I did. But she's from Derated and then our friend and Boot Camper, Britney Rhodes from Black Girl Math Check. And they talked about, you know, everything from operations to mindset. But what was cool is they all had different answers. To all the questions, which really kind of nails down the, idea of everyone's definition, of success can be different. Everyone can all be reaching for similar goals, but do it like take a different path. And it was just so interesting because all three of those women are at different places in their business. And granted, Mara's not a founder, so Jennifer and Brittany are founders. So again, that makes it different. They're answers. So it was, I was just really. Intrigued. I was really leaning in as they were answering their questions and I thought it was a great panel. They did such a good job too, cuz all those things were different, but they also had different target audiences. And they did such a good job. One would answer and then the next one would go and tell their answer. And like you said, I was like clinging by their every word to be like, oh, what's she gonna say now? Yeah. And something really fun and I think Jennifer Lee did a good job of explaining, definitions of success, money was never at the top for any of them. And I feel like Jennifer said something where she was pulling at a past job and money was always like the number 10. I, feel like, down there at below. So it's, everyone can have these, things of success and I feel like that's, Something about the subscription box industry that makes it so special is that you're moving towards solving a problem and that motivation behind that it, it ranks as hi when it's coming to success, not necessarily how much money you're bringing home, right? It just, it's about those key performance indicators and yeah, we're gonna have some of the same like number of subscribers and churn rate and stuff, but they all had unique key performance indicators similar to how you and I have talked about this in the past. Where we're like, okay, is this an easy project to do? So that key performance indicator would e be ease of doing business or like, are we enjoying ourselves? Is it fun? Yeah. Those are part of what the conversations we have around any sort of project ? So that was a really great panel and I, enjoyed being, In the audience for that one, but then shortly after we were back up on stage. Right. I know. Can we talk about one of our favorite parts, favorite session of the whole event? It was the Women in Subscription Meetup. It was moderated by Jennifer Klein, again from Sub Summits. And then you and I were on stage kind of answering questions but also cheering people on and, it You wanna tell them how Jennifer kind of mapped it out? She did such a good job and we are so grateful her and the team at Sub Summit approached us to be a part of it. Yep. She would alternate, like Julie mentioned, she would alternate between asking the audience questions like, where are you in your subscription box journey? What are you focusing right now on your journey? All sorts of different questions. Is it your first time here? Yes. It started off with, is it your first time here to really help people in the audience connect with each other, or complimentary answers that they could become box besties, , Which is something near and dear to our heart. But then she would also ask us questions like shifts we've seen in the subscription box industry, how to prepare for the Cube Awards. So just really fun and meaningful things that we got to answer. And just being up there, I know multiple times, both you and I, Julie would grab our phones to record people answering cuz it was just. So cool seeing women in the industry together in the same place. Just working off each other and supporting each other and answering. And then that's not even the second half of what happened, which we'll talk about in a minute, but just, being up there was so surreal. Like seeing all these badass women. Yeah. Just coming together and making connections. And they were all parts like they all had different jobs too. Like there were founders there, but there were graphic designers there. There were women in operations, there were women that were wearing all of those hats. And the idea of this more casual session was to , get people talking to each other, and to find other women that they can maybe be accountability partners with or friends and or just colleagues. And so I. I was really, proud of the fact that an hour later, after this is like a 30 minute session, and then an hour later we still had a full room of women talking to each other, sharing business cards, you know, doing videos together. Two of our students actually were working together to carve out a new marketing message and they had all this energy and all this hype, and they said, let's video this. Let's get on video right now. They just recorded it to their phone. They weren't doing a Facebook Live or anything, but they knew they were in the moment. They had energy and they wanted to remember that so that anytime down the road when they need to feel that energy again or revisit their why, they have that video now where the two of them were talking about the marketing message and just like, Being happy and having fun. And so I, I love that idea. I thought that was super fun. Shout out to Jocelyn from Dog Mom Lifestyles and Stacy from Be Gutsy. Those were the two that were doing that, and I just, I thought that was such a brilliant takeaway from that networking event. There were so many moments like that, like women coming up to other women, like, I got an idea for you. Or, I got a question for you, or Let me pick your brain about this. And that 30 minutes before where it was an icebreaker, even if people didn't connect right then, I feel like it made them comfortable. As soon as that we, were off stage. And as soon as that like, okay, it's time to network, time began for women just really to like let their guard down and be like I, need your advice. What do you think? Yeah, it was fun answering all kinds of questions, and then when people would ask us a question, we'd be like, oh, you need to meet her. Because we had just met her as well, and maybe that they could work together on something. So it was fun. And then I hit my wall. Yeah. Mama Julie hit her wall and I was like, Renee. We've been talking for an hour and a half straight. My energy is about to bottom out. So what'd we do? We went back up to our room. I literally took a nap. We took, a nap, but we recharged. Yes. I think we had a little less than three hours. To just like relax it. We literally talked very little to each other too when we shared a room. Yep. We were introverting side by side, just taking that opportunity to recharge because we knew that would be up late that evening because of the Cuba awards. Oh, and Cuba words are always so much fun. So let's lay it out like this is how it starts. You start with a happy hour. So everyone's in a big kind of ballroom style room and they have an open bar and you're just chit chatting with people. You're taking pictures with your new box besties, and then they move us into the main stage area, which is set up as a dining room, but. In between the happy hour and the dining room is a red carpet. We love this so much. They do it year after year and it always feels so good to walk this red carpet because they hire actors to act as paparazzi. What? What did you find out that what they're from? They were from the local area, from the Dallas area, but they went to an acting school. So yeah I had to know 'em, like, tell me where you get these amazing people, and they're like, we hire them. They're yelling your name, they're cheering for you. They're taking pictures. There's flashes. Someone had a black and white photo of me and a Sharpie, and I got to sign it. It was just so funny. And then at the end of the red carpet, they're doing some interviews. So a couple of our students got in on that. But it's really fun. And then you walk into the, I'm just gonna call it the ballroom. So you walk into the ballroom and they have tables set up and they feed you, I think it was like a four course meal. We had a salad, we had like salad and bread, and then they had. Steak dinner. Main course. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Our main course was steak dinner. It was delicious. And then they have dessert and then I guess it was a, so three course plus an open bar. So you feel very well taken care of. We got to watch the show for once without being nervous. It was such a different experience for us because a lot of times in the past I've either had to present an award or we were up for an award, which we were lucky enough to win last year. I'm super excited about that, but I'm gonna tell you, it was such a good experience to just be a spectator this year. And as a subscription box fan every year, I love it because I'm like, ooh, I'm literally Googling. Like I, I didn't know this one. Let me look up this subscription box. So it's really good to see new BR brand, learn about new subscription boxes as you're watching, but also cheer on all the winners and all the nominees as well. And then we have to give a little shout out to the sub summit team too, cuz they put together, should we talk about the worst subscription? Oh yeah. I wonder if we can get that link to the video or anything. If we can. We'll put it in the show notes, but yeah, tell 'em about it. So Bradley and Chris from the Sub Summit team were put together this fantastic little parody almost, I don't know what you would call it. Where they go through and they're trying to figure out their, Subscription box that they're gonna create. If we can find the link to put in the show notes. Maybe I won't say too much to give away spoilers cuz it's hilarious and has to be watched, but Yes. They, created the worst subscription, that's all I'll say. And it was hilarious. Yes. And my jaw hurt from laughing and so they had it in a couple of segments and so throughout the award ceremony they'd play a, snippet of it. And yeah, my jaw hurt from laughing. It was, Hysterical. Every year they do something like that. So we'll have to see too, Renee, if we can get any of the videos from years past just because they're fun. So the award ceremony, if you've never heard of it or been there, it's called the Cube Awards and it's to award the best in the industry. And so it's, almost like you're going to the Oscars or the Emmys or something like that, and they have categories like Best New Box, best Pet Category box. Best craft box, things like that. And then of course, they announced the winner of the pitch competition and gave out some other industry awards. And then after that, they send us back over to the other room where they have a reception set up, and it is a full on party where they have a dj, they have food open bar cornhole sets, life size, Jenga like so much. A little bit, for everybody. Like if you don't like to dance, which Renee and I like to. Dance a lot. Yes, I think I might have pulled a muscle, but they have so much for other people too. Just to be in a social environment with your peers and your colleagues, and they do such a good job. We had a ton of fun. And we've said it before, but it truly is, they create that feeling that it is like a wedding reception. But every single person is the bride and groom. And every year I can like pinpoint an exact moment where I'm dancing on the stage and just like, Full of so much gratitude. Yes, and I feel like this year we were doing the Chacha slide and I was like looking around and literally people were overflowing past the dance floor. Yes. There was. So I was off the dance floor. Many people, yeah, so many people just dancing. I'm like, ah, you like, you don't even find this at a wedding. Like everyone's just having the absolute time of their life. So it the. Sub Summit team knows how to throw an event, but they know how to throw a party too and really make sure after two days of working hard and learning and your brain feels like it's about to explode, just to kind of cut loose and have fun no matter what that is. A hundred percent. They, nail it every single year, and their team is just top-notch with the production, with the sponsors. They bring on board the keynote speakers. Now, you and I both had to leave pretty early on Friday, but typically the last day they do about a half a day and they do a closing ceremony around noon. So unfortunately, we missed all of those sessions, including our friend Jill Lodato. She did a session on Friday and she runs kids baking clubs. So we wish that we could have seen those, but we had to head back based off of our flights. But all in all, I think, obviously, you know, I already said my favorite session of the entire event was the Women in Subscription event. My heart was so happy, my bucket was so full, but the biggest thing that I get from these events, Year after year is meeting the people, like being able to pour back into the subscri subscription box community to meet some of our students and our podcast listeners in real life and just, you know, when you're running a business from home, And you have the opportunity to meet people in real life, take that opportunity, even if you're an introvert, like, like we've told you before, we go back to our room, we go recharge. And I was at an event a couple weeks ago where I couldn't go back to my room, but I found other ways to just get some downtime to recharge, get a little bit of fresh air. But the, biggest thing year after year is the amazing people that they bring together. You need those events that aren't like this, that, that have your target audience. So you can do the selling and do, the spreading of the word about your box business. But you also need these events too, where you can find your people and the people that really know are, they're in the trenches day after day with you. You can, they can be your sounding board, I feel like. It's literally priceless making these connections and just putting yourself in the room with the people that are there year after year at Sub Summit. And it is such a joy to be there year after year and continue to be there and make connections and literally have people like. Fill your bucket and bring you to literal little tears cuz of the kind things I have to say. We're recording this what are we, A few days past? A few days after. Yeah. Yeah. And still like riding that high, so it's awesome. Yeah. But I'm starting to get those post-event blues, like I just wanna go back. But if you wanna go next year, they do have a wait list already. So the best thing for you to do is to go over to subs summit.com and get on that wait list. That way you'll get the emails as they're sending out more information, and save the date. It's June 17th through 19th. In, 2024, and we love the fact that they moved it to mid-June instead of right after the Memorial Day holiday because I don't know about you, Renee, like as a parent, it's just easier. There's just so much going on around Memorial Day, so having this just a couple weeks later, I think is gonna be a really good move for them. Well, and I was already telling my husband, like my girls, the girls are gonna be in fifth and eighth grade. I don't know how I'm gonna leave the last week of school. So, ugh, my, I am so excited. It's moved to June. And little shameless plug, this was not planned, but you started talking and it made me think of it. If you can't wait till next year to join people in person, we have a live event for you that is in October. We would love, love, love for you to join us at Box Besties Retreat. It will be a little different. It'll be a lot different than this. It's gonna be smaller scale, it'll be a lot of masterminding, but those real in life connections will still be there. So if you are curious about it, go to box besties.com/retreat. And there you can find out more information. Yeah, and we'll be sending more information via email , so make sure you're on our email list. And Renee, I think you and I were talking about doing an episode to talk about, to paint the picture of the box besties retreat. And you don't actually have to be in our box besties small group coaching program to go to the retreat, but , they get first dibs. Because that was part of the program. So if you are still on the fence about joining the fall box besties program, just message us, ask us more about it. We're happy to share more information about it. The link for that is just box besties.com and you can get all the information. All right, Renee, that was so fun. I'm so grateful we got to spend last week together. Hopefully you guys learned a little bit from this experience and you're pumped to get on that wait list for next year. Stay tuned because we're gonna be talking in the next couple episodes very shortly about that retreat.. So hopefully y'all wanna join us. We'll see you guys all soon all right. See you in the next episode. Bye.