Meet Sharee Collier

We recently connected with Sharee Collier and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sharee, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.

I was driving to Seattle from Los Angeles on a road trip with my husband and 4 kids when I took a work call on Zoom right before entering the Avenue of the Giants in the Redwoods. What I thought would be a quick recap meeting about upcoming projects or just a normal catch-up call turned into a fire Sharee call, with my whole family present.

Needless to say, I was in shock for the remainder of the trip, but I used the time to brainstorm ways to replace the newly lost income and landed on virtual summits.

Let me back up a bit…

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. From a young age, I knew I loved to create things and as I grew older, I loved the freedom of creating money from my ideas. I didn’t lean into entrepreneurship full-time but did it more on the side as a little project here and there while working ‘regular’ jobs.

So while working these jobs, I’d do side projects like freelance writing, and creating digital products like ebooks and courses, and most recently at the time of this story, I had started a niche blog that talked about how to make money and travel in an RV.

The blog was pretty young, less than a year old, and had a super tiny following of people who were very engaged. They opened emails, responded, and hung out on Facebook having conversations about RV life and how to fund these adventures.

In the car, while driving through one of the most majestic forests in the U.S. I decided to take a ‘glass is half full’ approach. I tried not to focus on the fact that I had just been fired or that my whole family was right there when it happened. I tried to keep my energy and attention on finding a way to monetize what I had.

That’s when I landed on the idea of producing a virtual event that answered the biggest question I was seeing… How To Make Money & RV? So that’s what I did.

I took the next 60 days to find anyone and everyone I could find who would sit down and talk to me about how they made money while traveling and funded their RV adventures. The event turned out to be a HUGE success.

We ended up having over 5K people attend and we made over $10K by Day 1.

Since then, I’ve doubled down on planning and hosting virtual events that answer BIG questions for the audience and make BIG impacts on my business.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

In 2023 I founded TheSummitHost.com, where I help creative entrepreneurs plan and host virtual events so they can grow their audience, increase their authority, and create income in their businesses! We offer DIY, done-with-you, and done-for-you templates and services that meet you where you’re at, when you’re ready, and at the right price!

The Summit Host was born after I hosted over a dozen virtual events for myself and a few clients that were wildly successful. I struggled so hard during the planning of the first event, that by the time I had my processes and systems figured out, I knew I wanted to share them with other people trying to do the same thing.

The truth is that virtual events are a lot of work, so if you can cut that in half by having a blueprint or templates to save time and energy, you’ll be in a much better place by the time the event happens and feel much better about what you produced and the way you produced it.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Resilience: Being fired in front of my family was undoubtedly a devastating experience. However, I refused to let it define me. I channeled that pain into a relentless drive to succeed. Resilience allowed me to bounce back from adversity and turn a negative situation into a positive one.

Adaptability: The world of virtual events was relatively new when I started, and the landscape was constantly changing. I had to be quick on my feet, learn new tools, and adjust my strategies as needed. Adaptability helped me navigate the challenges and seize opportunities in this rapidly evolving industry.

Entrepreneurial Spirit: I’ve always had a passion for helping others and building something of my own. This entrepreneurial spirit fueled my determination to create a successful virtual summit. It drove me to take risks, think outside the box, and persevere through obstacles.

Don’t shy away from difficult situations. View them as opportunities for growth.
Surround yourself with positive and supportive people who can offer encouragement and advice.
Be open to new ideas and experiences.
Stay curious and keep learning new skills.
Don’t be afraid to try new things and take calculated risks.
Don’t just dream about it, do it. Start small and take consistent steps toward your goals.
Build relationships with other entrepreneurs and industry professionals.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to instill a strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. Watching my mother balance a full-time job with her own business taught me the value of hard work, perseverance, and the power of self-belief. She demonstrated that with dedication and determination, you can achieve your dreams, no matter the obstacles. Her example inspired me to pursue my own entrepreneurial ventures and has shaped my career path. And she was the perfect role model for a young entrepreneur who needed to see that every day working for yourself isn’t picture perfect, but it is an investment in yourself that pays off bigger and bigger over time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thesummithost.com