How It All Started: Our Journey Into Virtual Summits
If you’ve been around the online business space for a while, you’ve probably seen virtual summits popping up everywhere. But what you don’t always see is the messy, scrappy beginnings that happen behind the scenes.
That’s exactly where our story starts. Before we were Summit Success Squad, we were just two business owners—Jenny and Lindsey—looking for a fun collaboration. One small idea ended up changing the course of our businesses (and lives).
The First Collaboration: A Freebie Bundle That Sparked It All
We first met in a Facebook group for bloggers while running lifestyle blogs and trying to figure out online business. Our very first collaboration wasn’t a summit at all—it was a freebie bundle with a few other entrepreneurs.
It was simple. Totally free. And just a way to grow our email lists.
But the surprising part?
We loved it. The collaboration, the process, and the feeling of creating something bigger together. That spark pushed us to try something bolder: our first virtual summit.
Hosting Our First Virtual Summit (And What We’d Never Do Again)
With the freebie bundle behind us, we launched the Uplevel Your Biz Summit. It looked a lot different than the events we run now.
At the time, many summits used a “hybrid” format: the first half of an interview was free, but attendees had to pay to hear the second half. We quickly realized that format didn’t feel aligned with us.
Still, the real win wasn’t the format—it was the connections we made with speakers, attendees, and each other. That community piece is what convinced us we were onto something.
Early Lessons & Mistakes
Like most first-time summit hosts, we made plenty of mistakes:
- Letting our domain expire (and scrambling for a replacement).
- Zoom freezing mid-pitch without us realizing it.
- Tech hiccups that gave away paid bonuses for free.
But the lessons we learned shaped the way we host events today—and the wins made it all worth it.
From Uplevel Your Biz to Summit Success Squad
After our first summit, we officially teamed up as Uplevel Your Biz and even launched a podcast with the same name. But after two years, we realized what we loved most wasn’t the general online business side—it was hosting and supporting virtual summits.
That’s when we rebranded as Summit Success Squad and went all in on helping entrepreneurs plan, promote, and host profitable events.
Relaunching the Virtual Summit Secrets Podcast
Fast forward to today: we’ve hosted dozens of summits (together and individually), developed a repeatable summit planning process, and built strong connections that have led to collaborations, clients, and friendships.
But here’s the truth—summits aren’t effortless. They take work. From planning to promotion, there’s a lot involved. Still, when done right, they’re absolutely worth it.
That’s why we’re so excited to relaunch the Virtual Summit Secrets Podcast. We’ve tried a lot, learned a lot, and now we’re sharing it all so you can host a summit with less stress and more success.
The Big Takeaway for First-Time Summit Hosts
If we could go back and tell our pre-2018 selves one thing, it would be this:
👉 Hosting a summit is a lot of work, but you don’t need to overcomplicate it. Even simple, streamlined events can have a huge impact.
Our story proves that you don’t have to start perfect—you just have to start. And who knows? That scrappy experiment might just turn into a thriving business.
Ready to plan your own summit? Subscribe to the Virtual Summit Secrets Podcast for step-by-step strategies, tools, and stories to help you host a profitable, high-impact event.