Making the decision to attend a conference or live event is always a little bit scary. How can you be sure the value of what you learn will be worth the investment in time and money? How do you know your questions will be answered?

Worse yet, is the fear of the unknown, and of being all alone, of not knowing who to talk to, or how to make those connections you know are so vital to your success as a blogger.

At ACTIVATE, we've worked hard to alleviate those fears and concerns, and to create focused space for not just learning, but for taking action. The minute you walk in the door, you'll be handed our ACTIVATE workbook, which will allow you to apply everything you are learning to your own blogging business. By the time you leave, you will have a comprehensive action plan for your blog ready to implement. 

Better yet, we have added plenty of opportunities to connect with and get to know your fellow bloggers....without feeling awkward! Starting with our TRIBES gathering on Friday night, where you'll meet others in your own niche, all weekend long you'll have a chance to network with and get feedback from your fellow bloggers.

Kate Ahl is the owner and founder of Simple Pin Media, a Pinterest Management company. They help bloggers/content creators and small business owners grow their business using Pinterest. She also teaches Pinterest marketing at conferences and through her podcast, The Simple Pin podcast. She aims to teach simple, actionable tips that help business owners move forward successfully instead of feeling overwhelmed. 

Chandler Bolt is the host of the Self Publishing School podcast & the author of 6 bestselling books including his most recent book titled “ Published. ”. He’s also the founder & CEO of Self-Publishing School , the #1 online resource for writing your first book. Through his books, podcast, training videos, and Self-Publishing School, he’s helped thousands of people on their journey to writing their book. 

Tasha Agruso Tasha Agruso is the owner and founder of the top-ranked DIY and home decor blog, Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body. She is also the creator of Designer in a Binder and Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers: Master Course. Though her blog and Designer in a Binder, Tasha is on a mission is to inspire everyone to design a home and life they love. She has happily retired from the private practice of law to blog full-time and lives in North Carolina with Joe, her firefighter husband, and their young twin daughters.

Michael Chesal is an Intellectual Property attorney who knows his way around the blogging world. Counseling, troubleshooting, and resolving matters regarding protection, registration and infringement of trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets, domain names, and computer software are just some of the ways he helps his clients.

Kim Anderson was as stay at home mom who found her passion in online content creation. Her thrifty lifestyle blog led Harvest House to publish her book: Live, Save, Spend, Repeat: The Life You Want with the Money You Have. She thrives at breaking down complex steps and helping bloggers focus, plan and understand in her weekly podcast Just Keep Blogging. Kim's a Carolina girl, married to a Maker with a spunky 6-year-old boy and adorable identical twin 2-year-old girls. 

Ryan Langford* caught the entrepreneurial disease at the ripe of age of 13 and has never recovered. To make matters worse, he contracted the travel bug from his wife, Stephanie, in 2013. Since then, they have traveled to over 50 countries with their 5 kids and served over 300,000 customers and 5,000 digital content creators with the support of their equally-crazy team at Ultimate Bundles. *ACTIVATE Workshop Only Speaker

Janel Hutton is a successful entrepreneur and food blogger, with a reach of over 4 million a month, who motivates people to get in their kitchen making and baking at home, sharing meals with family and friends, and connecting over the table. She’s also worked with hundreds of brands, mostly national food brands, product companies, start-ups, and restaurants, developing recipes and content to feature their products. Her work has generated her clients’ hundreds of thousands of product views, page views, revenue, and visibility.

JoAnn Crohn is the founder of NoGuiltMom.com where she helps moms feel less guilty about all things parenting. After spending time in both the television industry and as a 5th grade teacher, she now uses her skills from both worlds to help women feel good about themselves and keep their cool while parenting. She's also the creator of Outfit Mastery - the course that proves "it's not you, it's always the clothes." She lives in Chandler, AZ with her husband and two kids.

Lena Gott* is a CPA turned stay-at-home-mom to three munchkins. When she's not volunteering at school or driving the kids to sports, she blogs on WhatMommyDoes about family finances, printables, and parenting. She documents her crazy blogging experiences on Adventures in Blogging, where other bloggers can learn from her mistakes along the way. *ACTIVATE Workshop Only Speaker

Rosemarie Groner is a formerly stressed, overworked and exhausted mom who loves blogging almost as much as she loves brownies. She writes at The Busy Budgeter about how she used the free 90 Day Budget Boot Camp to reduce their spending enough to be able to quit her job, stay home with her kids and then grew a new blog into a full time income within 10 months. She's been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur and Business Insider. 

Niki Robinson is a wild word wrangler, urban explorer, and overall nerd living and working in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has written and edited thousands of blog posts, articles, whitepapers, eBooks (and more) on a wide variety of topics, published all over the web and in print. As President of the growing team of talented content creators at Posts By Ghost, her passions have shifted toward content strategy, SEO/data analysis, and practical applications for artificial intelligence. She also serves as the Milwaukee StorySLAM Producer for international live storytelling organization, The Moth.

Brian Dixon knows that path to profitable purpose starts people. He's here to help you clarify your message, develop your product, and increase your sales. He is the founder of Amplify Courses and author of the forthcoming book, Start with Your People. You can learn more about Brian at briandixon.com

Abby Rike Rockenbough is a professional speaker, published author, and former teacher who now helps bloggers hone their public speaking skills. She believes everyone has a story to tell, and she aims to help bloggers craft theirs in such a way they authentically connect with their audience. She has had the opportunity to share her story on Ellen, the Today Show, and as a contestant on The Biggest Loser. When she’s not traveling for a speaking event, feeding her fainting goats, or eating Mexican food with her husband, you can find her at speakingforbloggers.com.

Amanda Bond is owner of The Ad Strategist and the creator of The StrADedy System. Entrepreneur Magazine calls her a “Facebook advertising genius” due to her unique mix of creativity and her vast analytical experience—from analyzing hundreds of millions of client ad impressions. A fiery personality, Bond mixes education and entertainment in a straight shooting way to show people the right way to do Facebook advertising. She's the official Facebook advertising news correspondent for Social Media Examiner and a HubSpot Academy instructor.

The first phase of creating a successful, profitable blog is to refine your message–not just what you say, but how you want your readers to feel when they come to your site. We'll show you exactly how to refine this message of yours, until every single person who comes across your blog can tell at a glance what you are all about, and, more importantly, what they have to gain by being there.

The second phase in our EBA framework is to grow your audience. Finding people to actually read your blog can sometimes feel like a daunting prospect, but it doesn’t have to be. At ACTIVATE we’ll provide you with an armory of proven, detailed strategies for how to get your message heard and shared. You’ll never feel unsure of how to get more traffic again.

The third phase in our EBA framework is to monetize your platform. This is where blogging starts to get really fun, because it is where all the hard work you have put in starts to really pay off and multiply. But believe it or not, not all income streams are created equal, and at ACTIVATE you’ll learn exactly where to focus your efforts in order to maximize your bottom line and skyrocket your profits.

The fourth and final phase of creating a successful, profitable blog is to build your business. This is the point where you realize that you are not just a blogger, but an entrepreneur, and this is also the point at which you can really take off and begin to find massive success. ACTIVATE will show you how to work smarter, not harder, and how to build momentum that keeps you going long after you’ve completed your coursework.

Can one weekend really make all the difference for your blog or online business? In a word? Yes. 

The laser-focused intensity of this supercharged event is designed to open your eyes to possibilities you never thought possible, and to spur you to take action. You won't be simply passively listening to other people's advice, you will be actively applying every single thing you learn to your own blog or online business, in a way that gets real results.

As your blog grows it can be hard to know how to pivot from capable blogger to confident business owner. With the advanced-level training you receive during this workshop, you’ll never again wonder how to make the leap. 

During this 2-day intensive, you will: 

• Learn how to create a big picture strategy for your business through a guided strategic planning session.
• Master the art of creating powerful quarterly plans that keep your whole team on track. 
• Identify your own "Genius Zone," and learn how to set up a company that frees you to do what you do best.
• Discover how to grow and manage a stellar team.
• Find out what you need to do to protect your assets.
• Learn how to grow and prime your list of prospective customers so that they can’t wait to buy.
• Convert your prospects into paying customers through proven strategies that actually make them like you more, not less. 
• Get honest, direct feedback on your business plan during focused, guided mastermind sessions.

Space for ACTIVATE 2018 is limited, which means tickets for this event are only available while supplies last. Don't miss your chance to change the trajectory of your blog and catapult your business to success, and take advantage of Early Bird pricing through December 15th, 2017. We have three conference packages to choose from:

Our main event will kick off on Friday, September 14th at 7pm, and conclude on Sunday, September 16th at 7pm. Your base ticket:

• Includes your entrance fee to the main Activate event and any official sponsor-hosted activities.
• Includes your Activate Blueprint Workbook, which you will use to create your personalized action plan.
• Includes opportunity to sign up for 1:1 mini coaching sessions with EBA team members and EBA alumni.
• Includes welcome bag filled with goodies & special offers from event sponsors.
• Does not include food, lodging, or travel to & from the event.

A service charge of $8.42 will be added to the ticket price at checkout.

Our pre-conference workshop will begin at 8am on Thursday, September 13th and conclude on Friday, September 14th at 3pm.

• Includes your entrance fee to our exclusive pre-conference workshop, "From Blog to Business."
• Includes all workshop materials.
• Includes your entrance fee to the main Activate event and any official sponsor-hosted activities.
• Includes your Activate Blueprint Workbook, which you will use to create your personalized action plan.
• Includes opportunity to sign up for 1:1 mini coaching sessions with EBA team members and EBA alumni.
• Includes welcome bag filled with goodies & special offers from event sponsors.
• Does not include food, lodging, or travel to & from the event.

A service charge of $19.95 will be added to the ticket price at checkout.

Your VIP ticket will give you full access to both the pre-conference workshop and the main event, plus a private reception with Ruth & VIP guests. 

• Includes your entrance fee to our exclusive pre-conference workshop, "From Blog to Business"
• Includes all workshop materials.
• Includes a private reception with Ruth & VIP guests on Thursday evening.
• Includes priority VIP seating at the main Activate event and any official sponsor-hosted activities.
• Includes your Activate Blueprint Workbook, which you will use to create your personalized action plan.
• Includes opportunity to sign up for 1:1 mini coaching sessions with EBA team members and EBA alumni.
• Includes welcome bag filled with goodies & special offers from event sponsors.
• Includes access to all the workshop & main event videos after the event is over.
• Does not include food, lodging, or travel to & from the event.

A service charge of $19.95 will be added to the ticket price at checkout.

Ruth Soukup is a blogger, entrepreneur, product creator, and the successful founder of the wildly successful blog, Living Well Spending Less. Since first launching in 2010, LWSL has become one of the most popular and profitable lifestyle blogs on the net, receiving more than a million visitors a month. Her blog has grown to include its own online retail shop, which is now recognized as a Shopify top performer, generating over 7-figures in sales in its very first year.

In 2014, Ruth founded Elite Blog Academy™ to teach professional bloggers–or those who aspired to be–her simple, step-by-step framework for creating a successful and profitable blogging business. She has since led more than 5,000 students to create their own successful blogs.

Ruth is also a New York Times bestselling author and the creator of the Living Well Planner®. For more information about Ruth and her team, please read about our company HERE.

Because our event space is limited and because tickets have been selling faster than anticipated, we highly recommend booking your ticket as soon as possible. We will be offering early bird pricing through December 15th, but at our current pace, we are likely to sell out before then. Our VIP and Workshop level tickets have been going particularly fast, so if you are interested in the higher level, we recommend booking now.

If there is still space available, you can contact us at eba@lwslinc.com to upgrade your ticket. That said, workshop and VIP level tickets are very close to selling out already. As such we recommend booking the level you prefer right away.

This is a question that comes up a lot, but the reality is that if you are waiting to be ready, you will be waiting a very long time. Part of being in business is learning to live with the feeling that you are never quite ready for whatever comes next. You’ve never fully arrived. There is always more growing to do, and new risks to take. 

All that to say, no matter where you are at in your blog or your business right now, you are ready. 

If your blog is still an idea in your head, ACTIVATE will help you gain clarity and insight, get you motivated and excited, and give you a working plan to finally get started. If you’ve been blogging for a while but struggling to gain momentum, ACTIVATE will show you exactly where you are getting stuck and exactly what you need to do next to get un-stuck. If you are already killing it with your blog, ACTIVATE will show you new possibilities you’ve probably never even considered before, and help catapult you to a whole new level of success. 

No matter where you are at right now, whether you have a blog or online business, or are just thinking about starting one, you will leave ACTIVATE completely fired up, excited about the future, and with a plan in hand for how to make it happen. If you didn’t feel ready before you came, you will feel more than ready by the time you leave. 

The Pre-Conference Workshop, Blog to Business, will take a deep dive into all the most critical elements of running a successful online BUSINESS, not just a blog. If you feel like you understand the basics of blogging and are now ready to focus on monetization and scaling up in a BIG way, this workshop is right for you. We'll cover everything from strategic planning and growing your team to maximizing your time, increasing your ROI, and protecting your assets. 

There is nothing worse than attending a conference and feeling like you haven’t actually gathered any practical takeaways that you can apply to your blog and business right away. Either the material covered was so basic you didn’t learn anything, or you left with so many different ideas that you felt paralyzed with what to do first. 

At ACTIVATE, we are determined not to let that happen. The entire event is designed to be cohesive, practical, and—most importantly—actionable from start to finish. And every single session will include at least one “ring the bell” takeaway, where you say “THAT was worth coming for.” Our goal is not to give you MORE information, but to give you the RIGHT information. No fluff, no filler, just the golden nuggets you need to know to create massive success for your blog. 

We’ll take all the concepts we teach at Elite Blog Academy a step deeper, so that you have more clarity in your blogging journey, and a clear plan for moving forward. You’ll not only understand what you need to do, but also what you need to STOP doing so that every action you take is purposeful and worthwhile. Best of all, your action plan will be recorded in your very own ACTIVATE Workbook, which we will hand you upon your arrival, and will be yours to keep. Every single session will help you work your way through the workbook and show you how to apply what you are learning on stage to your own blogging business. 

If you’d like to see a sample schedule for the main event, you can check out our 2017 agenda HERE. (Just please know that this may be subject to adjustments!) 

We understand the fear of attending an event in a strange city where you won’t know a soul, and that’s why we are so committed to making sure that every single person who attends ACTIVATE—even the introverts who suffer from social anxiety—feel completely welcome and at home. 

Our first night, just after the opening session, we’ll have a TRIBES gathering, where you can connect with and get to know other bloggers in your own niche. Plus, after each session, you’ll split into mini-brainstorming sessions with the people around you, giving you plenty of time to make connections in a completely non-awkward way. 

The EBA community is pretty amazing, and there is no better way to make lasting connections with other bloggers than to meet them face-to-face. We’ll make it super easy for you to do just that, we promise! 

There’s no way around it–traveling to a live event is a big investment in both time and money. It can feel difficult to justify the expense, especially if you are not earning a lot of (or any) money through your blog just yet. 

But the reality is that nothing will allow you to level up your business more than strategically attending live events. There is something magical that happens when you get in a room full of people who "get it." The energy transforms you, and it will in turn transform your business. 

Our own goal whenever we attend an event is to have at least one “ring the bell” moment, where we think, “wow, that was totally worth coming here for.” And that is why our personal goal for ACTIVATE is to have you say that after every single session. This is the event that you will look back on and say, “that was the moment where everything changed and my business really began.” It will be worth it.  

No. ACTIVATE is open to all bloggers, authors, and online business owners (or those who aspire to be), regardless of whether you are currently an active EBA student. If you are currently waiting to enroll in Elite Blog Academy, this is an amazing opportunity to get a jumpstart. 

ACTIVATE will be held in Orlando, Florida at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista - Disney Springs™ Area. The hotel address is 1751 Hotel Plaza Boulevard, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, 32830, USA

Please note that food, lodging, and travel are not included with your event ticket.

Hotel Highlights Include: -Official Walt Disney World® Hotel across from Disney Springs™ -Sunday Disney Character Breakfast available (costs apply) -Shuttle to and from Walt Disney World® Theme Parks included -Within 5 miles driving radius of Disney Theme Parks -2 outdoor heated pools, 7 dining options, 24-hour fitness center

The ACTIVATE Pre-Conference Workshop begins at 8am on Thursday, September 13th, 2018, and concludes at 3pm on Friday, September 14th, 2018. The ACTIVATE 2018 Main Event kicks off on Friday evening, September 14th, at 7pm and concludes at 7pm on Sunday, September 16th.

Orlando is served by two airports–Orlando International (MCO) and Orlando Sanford (SFB). Orlando International is the bigger of the two, and is used by most major airlines, including Delta, United, American & Southwest. Orlando Sanford is used by Allegiant.

If you are planning to attend the Pre-Conference workshop, we highly recommend flying in the day before the event, on September 12th, as we will begin promptly at 8am. The main event does not begin until the evening of the 14th, so you could reasonably fly in that morning or early afternoon. On Sunday, September 16th, the event will not conclude until 7pm, and we highly recommend that you plan to stay until the end! Plan to either stay until Monday, or book a late flight on Sunday evening.

All tickets purchased for ACTIVATE are final. Due to the promotional and limited-time nature of the Live Event, no refunds will be issued for tickets purchased for any reason. You are welcome to resell your ticket if you are unable to attend.