I have been here for three weeks and it’s still sinking in that I am here at Project Getaway: “Over a period of 30 days, 20 adventurous entrepreneurs live and work together in an inspiring and luxurious location. Project Getaway is not just an event, but a complete experience.It is geared towards successful and aspiring entrepreneurs, who have taken the leap towards a deeply satisfying lifestyle, where great success, adventure and a balanced lifestyle goes hand-in-hand.”

I heard about Project Getaway for the first time about 5 months ago, I was Googling myself (as an Entrepreneur & blogger it’s important to keep up on what you are doing) I was featured in some Magazine and there was a feature on this place, called Project Getaway. I read the first page of their website and I really liked what I saw and decided to apply right away. It didn’t cost anything to send in an application so I decided to just go for it- why not?! My life theme…

After I sent in my application I did more research on this cool new concept of the Travelling Entrepreneur Collaboration Month and realized they only accepted 20 applicants each year. I instantly thought ‘I really wish I took that application more seriously!’ Luckily I had a follow up Skype interview with the PG Staff Kristina & Nick.  For about an hour we discussed my company, interests & more about what Project Getaway had to offer. After the interview I was even MORE excited about the opportunity to join in October. I felt the interview went well after getting a chance to ‘sell’ myself, but I was also really nervous- could I beat my competition and join this amazing group?

Two months later in July 2014  I received and email that exclaimed I was accepted out of the 80+ applicants to join them in October in Bali.

Wow.

I was able to raise the money to secure my spot & bought a one-way ticket that would allow me to stay in Bali for two months. I had this great new software idea for Virtual Business Managers I was going to develop and this trip was going to propel me into the international market and scale my business. This was really happening! It’s always been a personal life goal to live in Bali and a business goal to expand internationally- all the stars were aligning.

I am honored to have had this opportunity to live in an extravagant Villa in Bali (below), collaborate with people all around the world, have a wonderfully caring staff to take care of our daily needs and to be able to explore the island of Bali.

 

PG, offers a wide variety of adventures throughout the month such as: hiking, surfing, zip lining, beach days, snorkeling, dinners, charity events, etc. The Organizers Michael & Kristina  really invested a lot of time energy and resources to make this an EXPERIENCE not just a destination.

  

22 Days later and our time here is coming to an end and so far this has been an experience of a lifetime, but not the experience I thought I was going to have.

At first I felt I didn’t fit in with these model type bodies that backed successful business ventures (have you SEEN the PG website photos?). I spent every last penny I had on this trip trusting this would be an instant business investment but instead I lost all but 2 of my clients due to my international travel which means I lost 2/3’s of my income that I was relying on. My software idea hit many dead-ends and I had to place it on the back-burner in order to figure out how to make cash flow so I could afford a ticket home. I spent more time working with the few clients l had and consistently worried about money that I declined a lot of invites and missed out on a lot epic adventures. I was basically living just as I did back home in Hawaii- except more desperately. My original plan of launching myself into the international market & scaling by business had been a complete failure and I felt horrible. I pride myself on the outcomes of my hard work and my ego was very very bruised. It felt like I had hit another dead end.

At first I was going to use this blog to write about PG and all it’s glories, I wasn’t going to tell the vulnerable tale of my woes. But as I was writing I began to realize the experiences I am having are beyond monetary and the amount of growth I had in these 3 weeks have been overwhelmingly positive. I have made a great group of friends, they are so easy to get along with and possess such a vibrant, supportive and positive energy. After mind-expanding conversations I was able to to gain clarity and confidence that my future will be involving a lot more Creativity and a lot less Billable Hours. I learned how to ask for what I deserve through the power of negotiation and that self love is not just an expression but a lifestyle.

Best of all I learned the first step on letting go of my ego in order to live a more passionate and authentic lifestyle.

Project Getaway is indeed only as awesome as we all decide to make it.

As I write this blog I have no answers. I have no plan on how I can survive the next month in Bali. I have no magic revenue stream that will make me enough money to secure a place to sleep and I am unsure how often I will be able to afford to eat in my remaining 30 days here. All I know is that I will thrive throughout this experience and it will be another step into the direction I am suppose to be in not necessarily the one I planned for myself.

I’ll keep you posted 🙂

 

**A special thank you to my Business Coach and Mentor, Sloane Ketchum