I don’t usually get emotional over a post – But I’m feelin’ a little sappy today.
Because today closes out one of the most impactful and important chapters of my career, and my life.
Kevin Rogers and I just wrapped up an incredible Copy Chief Live event in Nashville Tennessee.
I’ve both attended (and hosted) many events, and I can confidently say this is one of the absolute best I’ve ever had the pleasure of joining.
From memorable moments like chatting with Daniel Throssell about building a controversial cult-following (he really is the nicest dude!)….
To the chivalrous Ryan Lee helping me over a puddle on our way to the speaker’s dinner….
Or swapping “team-building war stories” with Jeff Walker as we snapped a selfie to send to my new client Marie Forleo…
And laughing with tech-powerhouse and Xero Shoes’ founder Steve Sashen about inappropriate jokes that I DEFINITELY won’t put in writing here…
Or long-overdue bear hugs from Parris Lampropoulos, Chris Orzechowski, Justin Blackman and Sam Woods…
And of course – Marcella Allison’s standing ovation after kicking off her shoes onstage so she could get real with the crowd about knowing when to QUIT vs. GRIT.
The conversations, true connections, countless laughs, and even a few tears made this one of the best weeks I’ve had in the past few months.
Frankly – even though I am grateful to go home and recharge my introvert batteries – I’m dissapointed that we can’t continue the whole shebang indefinitely!
But everything has a shelf life, and that’s not the only thing that came to a close this week…
It still feels surreal, but today is also the official end to my time growing the team and building Copy Chief with Kevin Rogers.
Man…
[leaves for 10 minutes to get my shit together]
Who cries over a blog post?
Apparently I do.
But can you blame me?
Working with Kevin these past 5 years has been life-changing, and has surpassed every expectation I could have imagined.
This is the part where a better marketer would insert some “humble brag” stats about how amazing I am and all the impressive things I’ve done during that time…
But you can read all about that on my website.
THIS post is about what Kevin and I built together. This is about people. Connection. Partnership. And having someone in your corner no matter what.
Kevin was the first mentor I worked with who truly “got” me. He coached me through building a business I truly loved…
Connecting me with people and resources that gave me strength, and options, and FREEDOM to do things MY way…
Then he invited me to partner with him in his own business – giving me his unwavering trust and support as he handed me the reins to build the team and the business at Copy Chief in my own image.
Together we designed the Freelancers Journey Roadmap – a tool that revolutionized the business…
Built several coaching programs that are changing people’s lives, solved tough challenges that would have buried most entrepreneurs, and built a strong, autonomous team of leaders that continue to inspire and impress me every single day.
All along the way, Kevin helped me learn how to trust myself. To believe that my ideas were good. That my instincts were valid. That I could be a leader. That I was worth listening to.
He elevated me. And celebrated me. And has been instrumental in helping me become the entrepreneur I am today.
Not only that, but he’s truly become one of my best friends. Closer than my own family in some ways!
I’ve slept at his house…
Shared drinks and laughs with his amazing wife Michelle…
Went to concerts with his kickass kids Ben and Angelina…
And been through the dark night of the soul with this man more than once.
But from day 1 – the plan was ALWAYS to replace myself in the business. To work myself out of a job.
We set out to first help Kevin turn back from burnout, step out of the day-to-day, and truly sit in the Visionary role so he could own his zone of genius.
The next step was to help me do the same so I could continue to explore exciting new opportunities, and build up my own ideas and offers.
So we went to work overhauling the tech…
Relaunching the community…
Defining and refining the offer stack…
Honing the funnels and marketing systems…
And building a dedicated team of leaders who could shepherd Copy Chief into something even greater than anything we had imagined before.
And you know what?
We f-ing knocked it out of the park.
I am so proud and inspired by the company and the team that we’ve grown together. I truly believe it is one of the best in the world.
Now I’m excited and honored to hand over the reins to this amazing team so they can continue to implement Kevin’s incredible vision, and take Copy Chief to new heights.
I know without a doubt that this will not be the last thing Kevin and I partner on together.
We’ll always support each other, and find ways to build and grow exciting ideas together.
And I will ALWAYS be a part of the Copy Chief Community – which I truly believe, without a doubt, is the BEST place to be if you want to confidently grow a sustainable and profitable freelance career.
There is no other place like it, and no other coach who cares as much, and can support you so fully as Kevin can.
Kevin truly honored me this week at the event by featuring me and all the amazing work we’ve done together – celebrating all my hard work in a big way, in front of the industry’s greatest leaders and business visionaries at the intimate speakers dinner.
It was the best send-off a girl could ever ask for, and I can’t think of a better way to launch into the next chapter of my career.
To everyone who gifted me with their time and attention at Copy Chief…
To everyone who helped us overcome tough challenges that may have broken lesser teams…
To everyone who trusted me enough to let me coach you through the tough stuff in your business…
To everyone who makes the Copy Chief community a true HOME for us wild and wacky creative marketers…
Thank you.
I appreciate you more than you know, and I’m excited to continue supporting you and working with you in the next phase of my own adventure.
Talk soon,
Rachel