Host one good event. 🥳 It’s not a big deal (but it kinda is).
🎉 One Good Event Challenge
Coming Fall 2025
hosted by Amber Karnes
cohort limited to 12 people
😩 Tired of selling all the time?
🔥 Ready to promote your work in a fun, authentic way that gets the right people in the room with you?
🎉 Want to create some buzz and feel fresh energy around your work from your community?
💩 Sick of wasting your time creating content for social media that gets ignored by the algorithm again?
📣 Then it’s time to host an event!
Let me help you plan one good event for your community to connect with the people who care about your work.
I’m talking about low-cost, low-lift events that make a big impact
🧶 Craft supply swap 🪩 silent disco dance party ☕️ Zoom coffee break 🚀 launch party 🚲 community bike ride 💻 a live online class about something you love 🎨 community art project 🏞️ explore a city park together ✂️ afternoon collage & snack session 👩🏻🏫 skillshare 🏆 community contest 📽️ pecha kucha 🧑🏻🍳 cooking class 🍕 potluck dinner ❤️ donation drive 🤝 buy nothing day trade-fest 🧑🔧 fix-it fair 🌊 beach cleanup 🏚️ fix a neighbor’s house together 🎤 open mic night 💖 sharing circles 🧩 game night ✅ scavenger hunt 📕 book swap 🍿 movie night 🥗 meal prep swap 🏘️ open house or studio tour 🧵 crafternoon 💃 community “speed dating” 😎 & much more
The One Good Event Challenge is a 3-month live cohort for creators, artists, and small business owners who want to promote their work in an unforced, un-salesy way.
If you’re sick of selling all the time and have been craving softer, more authentic methods to share your work, you belong here.
Together, we’ll plan and host one low-lift, low-cost event: a real-life way to build community and loyalty with the people who care about your work.
This is a small-group, peer mentorship space where we will support one another, share ideas, and normalize the weird and wonderful experience of putting stuff into the world that didn’t exist before!
✅ In July, we’ll choose the right kind of event for your style and goals, gather what you need, and start planning.
✅ In August, we’ll build a simple, intentional marketing plan that doesn’t require an algorithm to work.
✅ In September, you’ll start inviting people and getting the word out.
✅ Then you’ll host a fall or holiday event: a gathering that creates connection, builds loyalty, and brings your work to life.
Enrollment opens Fall 2025. Join the hotlist to be the first to know!
🪩 Why should you host an event?
🗣️ Events get people talking.
It’s that you had to be there type of feeling.
It’s the FOMO of OMG I am not going to miss the next one.
It’s that limited-edition specialness of a thing that never happened before (and won’t happen the same way again).
It’s the feeling of belonging that people associate with your work when you create something ephemeral and real, and invite them to be part of your world.
People will probably forget your downloadable freebie from your website, or that reel you posted on Instagram. But they won’t forget the experience they had with you.
🥰 Events make people feel…
A sense of belonging, connection, and friendship: something we are all looking for these days
You can be the hub: Help people meet each other and connect around your work
Joy, fun, and excitement – a memory they won’t forget
Don’t underestimate how meaningful this can be in our increasingly dangerous & complicated world
The feeling of being part of something special: co-creating an ephemeral experience together
Cement this in your people’s minds: they matter, they belong, they were part of your work and your community
🎈 Events are an authentic way to share your work
Events are effective forms of marketing that don’t feel like marketing. If you’re tired of selling, try inviting people into your world instead, and watch how promoting your work can be fun and feel natural.
Events are an easy way in, to help folks see what it’s like to work with you and be part of the universe you’re creating.
Events create loyalty, excitement, and pride because the people there are part of creating something real.
When people contribute and participate, they become invested in your work and want to share it with their friends.
Events deepen existing relationships and foster new ones (yes, between you and your customers, but also between the members of your community).
When people make friends and connections through your work, they’ll come back again and again.
During the challenge, we meet in 3 distinct containers:
All meetings take place on Zoom. Asynchronous discussion happens in my Mighty Networks app.
💻 Workshops
Amber teaches about an event planning topic along with Q&A, discussion, and in-class assignments to reinforce what we’re learning.
Workshops are recorded and you have access for 1 year after the cohort ends.
👯♀️ Peer Mentor Circles
Peer mentor circles are a combination of show & tell, Q&A, and real-time feedback from other creators and business owners planning their own events. Think of this as your brain-trust full of people who really get it.
Peer mentor circles are not recorded.
🎯 Coworking
Supercharge your focus with peer accountability and body doubling. During these (mostly) silent work sessions, we’ll have dedicated time to work on our events. These sessions usually start with a short Q&A.
Coworking sessions are not recorded.
Bonuses!
- 1:1 Debrief with me: When you host your event, you can schedule a 1:1 debrief call with me. We’ll recap your event, discuss what you learned or anything you’d like to change for the future, and identify possible next steps.
- Buddy system: I’ll pair you up with a peer mentor in case you want to meet outside class for additional accountability or inspiration
- amberhouse: my virtual space for connection outside of sessions (share resources, ask questions, start your own study group)
- 25% off 1:1 Office Hours with me (booked during the cohort)
📆 Schedule
We meet on a 2-hour live call once per week
Week 1: Opening session | meet the community, choosing your event
Week 2: Planning your event workshop
Week 3: Peer mentor session
Week 4: No meeting (take the night off or join a peer-led coworking session)
Week 5: Planning your community outreach workshop
Week 6: Peer mentor session
Week 7: Coworking
Week 8: Inviting people to your event workshop
Week 9: Peer mentor session
Week 10: Coworking
Week 11: Tying up loose ends – Q&A, peer mentoring
Week 12: Closing session | celebrating our wins & next steps
You’ll schedule a 1:1 Debrief call with me after you host your event.
🫵 Who this is for
This cohort is peer mentorship for small business owners, artists, and solo workers.
You probably invented your job, and no one else does what you do. That makes it hard to know who to turn to for advice. Self-employed folks are the best peer mentors for one another because our businesses are all one-of-one.
This community is perfect for online entrepreneurs, yoga teachers, massage therapists, energy workers, fitness instructors, personal trainers, artists, writers, community builders, therapists, and educators of all kinds.
😎 Group vibes
- We’re ready to experiment and iterate
- We are curious thinkers who are willing to try something different
- We’re remembering our personal power and learning to find hope around things like marketing and sharing our work
- We know that everything is figure-out-able
- We normalize making mistakes and learning from failure
- We’re creating a community of practice that contributes to one another’s growth and success
- We are open to participating in brainstorming, sharing about our work, giving feedback, and receiving feedback
- We stay in a space of curiosity, not judgment, of one another and ourselves
💖 What makes this community different
Our weirdness is our superpower
Most of the people who resonate with my work don’t fit society’s mold. Being different feels hard sometimes. We need people who help us take courage and remember who we are in those hard moments. If you’re tired of trying to fit in and ready to join a community that 100% supports you showing up in all your strangeness, welcome. You belong here, ya weirdo!
It’s all figure-out-able
Nobody is self-made. Not really. We need each other: to teach what we know and learn what we don’t, to share our successes and failures, to say each other’s names in the right rooms, and to support one another. In this community we are learning and building skills, but we also are practicing the ability to ask for help and stay grounded through the messy stuff.
Curiosity & jokes
Self-judgment and impostor syndrome can keep us stuck, especially when it comes to sharing about our work. In this community, we cultivate a curious mind when judgment pops up and we are learning to ask the right questions to get ourselves unstuck. We also hold things lightly, especially mistakes and “failure”. Expect to commiserate and laugh together about the weird and exhilarating pickle of being a small business owner.
What students are saying
“My biggest takeaway from this experience is that people genuinely wanted to hear what I had to say. I had an old client return to 1:1 work with me and someone who attended a previous event booked 1:1 work with me. If I put myself out there, people will show up.”
“I feel more strategic, more aligned, and actually excited to connect with the people who’ve stuck with me. I’ve gently let go of those who weren’t the right fit, and what’s left is a community I care deeply about. I genuinely want to help them.
“Instead of dreading marketing because I didn’t understand it, I now have a clearer sense of who I’m talking to and what I want to say — and I’m saying it better, with more heart.”
“Amber, I really love your ability to see people and ask the right questions so that you can proceed with a plan of action. You seek to understand first and then be understood. This adds an element of synergy to your work with other people. I love seeing how intentional you are with your offerings & your knack for building community. ”
“During this cohort, I sent out several newsletters to both clients and other providers in my field. Doing this was scary for me, to put out into the universe that I have something other people should hear.
“It challenged my inner critic that says no one wants another email, or that other people are already “in the room” so there isn’t room for me.
“I got feedback from folks that they enjoyed reading and appreciated receiving my newsletter and are interested in my offers.”
🤔 Frequently Asked Questions
I hate selling and marketing. How is this any different?
Let me change your perspective on marketing: try hosting an event! It’s a powerful way to gather people around your work in a more genuine, soft, authentic way.
It’s a way to make it about them and invite instead of sell. It feels different. Trust me.
I'm an introvert, so I'm not sure about hosting an event.
There are event styles out there that work for everyone, and an event doesn’t have to be huge to be compelling (just getting a few friends together for a Zoom call or a coffee date can create momentum).
Events don’t need to be some giant party where you’re the center of attention. In fact, centering your community is more effective, most of the time!
I don't have a big budget for events.
That’s okay. Some of my favorite events have been free to produce! I’ve run dozens of events with zero budget, getting things like food, supplies, or a venue donated.
This is the perfect time to ask your friends, family, and community for support. People that care about your work want to see you succeed. Asking friends or customers who are invested in your business to help you produce your event will make it even more valuable. Not only will the event be a success, you’ll get people to be part of creating it, which creates more pride, loyalty and care around your work.
You can do this! Let’s figure it out together.
I don't have time to host an event with everything else I'm doing.
That may be true, and I don’t want you to say yes if it’s not the right time. But I also suggest an experiment one could do: participate in this cohort and plan your event during some of the hours each week that you’d normally dedicate to marketing.
Instead of creating yet another social media post that gets flushed by the algorithm, what if you dedicated a few hours a week to this instead? At the end of your efforts, you could have a few dozen (or hundred) people talking about you, wanting to bring their friends into your world, and ready to say yes to your next big thing.
Can I join if I'm not a "business owner"?
Yes you can. This club is ideal for:
- Solo business owners
- Artists, writers, thinkers
- Educators, teachers, and mentors of all kinds
- Community-builders
- People with interesting projects
You definitely do not need a traditional business structure to join us, but most people who join will be entrepreneurs or business owners. If you have questions about whether it’s the right fit for you, reach out at hello [at] amberkarnes.com.
What if I don't want to quit using social media?
The Algorithm Pity Party and Social Media Dropouts programs I run have earned me a bit of a reputation as the anti-social-media-girl. Oops. 😅
Hey listen, if you’re getting good results from being on social media, and you enjoy it, by all means stay there! You can totally still join any of my programs. The truth is, I’m not totally off social media either.
The point is not total abstinence from the platforms, but rather to normalize the idea that we don’t NEED social media to be successful. I have heard from many, many people who are sick of wasting time creating social media content that never translates into dollars for their business. If social media is working for you, great! Keep using it! But if you want to use social media less or learn how to share about your work in ways that don’t depend on the whims of the algorithm, please join us.
Will you run this program again? Can I join next time?
Part of this phase in my life is figuring out the way I want to work in the world. That involves experiments, some of which will be repeated, and some that won’t.
Some of my favorite experiences in life are one-offs. I ran my 200-hour Body Positive Yoga Teacher Training in 2019 thinking I’d be doing two per year. That training was one-of-one, and will never happen again. This type of thing happens when you own a business, as many of you well know.
I don’t say this to create any false sense of scarcity. I just want to be honest about where I’m at!
What if I can't attend live? Will the calls be recorded?
This is not a pre-recorded online course. This cohort is intended to be participatory, and I strongly suggest you attend the peer mentor sessions and workshops live, if possible. Our coworking sessions are mostly silent, focused time but often begin with about 20-30 minutes of Q&A.
The workshops, opening session, and closing session are recorded and you have access for one year after the end of this cohort. Peer mentor circles and co-working are not recorded.
If you have to miss a lot of sessions but still want to join, email me and let’s talk! I want to make sure you get the most out of your investment.
Another option is to purchase the workshop recordings only for $150USD. This purchase is for 3 recorded workshop sessions only, plus access to our private threaded discussion forum. The purchase does not include access to any live sessions. Recordings will be available 24 hours after the live session.
I prefer to learn this 1:1. Can I get coaching from you instead?
Sure! I also offer this One Good Event Challenge as a 1:1 opportunity. The material is the same, we go through a 3 month planning process together, and you get me all to yourself during the time we’d normally use for peer mentor sessions or group discussions. This option costs $2,000 USD. Email me if you’re interested!
If you prefer, you could book an Office Hours session with me instead ($150 USD). We can brainstorm an event, talk marketing strategy, or you can pick my brain with any questions you may have.
What is the refund policy?
There are no refunds for this program. If you have any questions at all, please email me. We can book a quick call to discuss if this program is a good fit for you.
Meet Amber, your scout leader, big sister & coach 😜
Hi, I’m Amber Karnes. I’m a multi-disciplinary artist and community builder. Here’s why I think you should learn about this topic with me:
⚡️ I’ve been a solo business owner and freelancer for over 20 years, and full-time self-employed since 2017.
🔥 I’ve launched a ton of online projects and in person communities. Community building is my life’s work.
🎪 I have 25+ years of experience as an event planner I’ve hosted retreats, conferences, craft shows, festivals, concerts, workshop tours, band tours, and countless skillshares and classes
🎸 I’ve built in-person communities from hardcore punk shows to artist networks to a youth-led custom bike sticker shop for wheelie kids
🧘♀️ I am the creator of Body Positive Yoga and other successful projects in yoga-land such as Yoga For All training and Accessible Yoga School
🤝 I know old school marketing too, from flyers to referrals to in-person networking
🌍 My work today is helping solo business owners with marketing strategy and leading adventure retreats for daring women
I have worked with hundreds of teachers, leaders, and small business owners who started out “hating” marketing and watched them light up after just a few minutes of talking about their work. When I do a little digging, it turns out that folks don’t hate marketing after all, they just usually need the right type of coaching to get unstuck, find the resources they need, or change the way they’re thinking about marketing work.
I do not use social media as a primary marketing strategy in my business, and I deleted the apps from my phone in summer 2024. I feel better off social media. I was an internet geek before the platforms existed and I have run lots of successful projects, communities, and businesses that didn’t include social media as a primary marketing strategy. Those strategies still work today, and they can work for you.
Events are one of the most powerful tools I have ever used to build community and create excitement around a project. I love event planning and teaching people how to host their own events. I hope you’ll join me, I am stoked about this experience.
As a teacher and leader, I like to share from my own experiences. I don’t teach stuff that I haven’t done myself (and failed at many times LOL). I know that there is a wealth of knowledge and lived experience in every room full of students. I believe lived experience beats fancy credentials pretty much every time.
I am especially good at keeping folks in a grounded yet positive place through the messy, uncomfortable process of learning and growing. It’s hard to feel “bad at stuff” (like marketing, selling, or talking about your work), but learning in community provides a supportive place where we can remember that failure only applies if we quit.
Otherwise, failure is just part of getting better at something, and doing that together as a community is powerful. Community is a mirror that shows you the person you are becoming, even before you get there.
💖 What They’re Saying
The coworking sessions were so helpful to actually help me commit to myself to get the work done, helping my scattered ideas take shape into something concrete. I really appreciated the community support and working with other business owners that are adjacent to my field without being in my same direct line of work. This gave an opportunity for different perspectives and felt really fresh.
As a small business owner who typically works alone, it was such a breath of fresh air to come together in this way and work parallel to others. The accountability was immensely helpful.
Kathy K., Registered Dietitian
Amber Karnes is an absolute gem of a mentor—kind-hearted, knowledgeable, and truly invested in helping her clients succeed.
Real magic happened during the co-working sessions. I’d never experienced anything like them before. Her expertise and insight were invaluable, and the open nature of the sessions allowed me to tackle not just the immediate tasks at hand, but to gain a broader understanding of how to move my entire business forward.
Sadie W., Yoga teacher & studio owner
Being a solopreneur can be lonely and frequently tugs on my imposter syndrome. Office hours with Amber helped me focus on what’s important in my business and reminded me of what I’m good at.
Amber shared several perspective-shifts that have me feeling more energized and self-trusting. I asked for support around general marketing strategy and Amber validated my instincts and shared ideas from her extensive experience doing similar work that I am certain will be helpful as I explore new platforms and types of content creation.
Ellen L., Trauma therapist
Your workshop was high value and over delivered. I especially enjoyed the personal antidotes and practical tips that demystified the process and provided tools to sidestep obstacles.
Angie A.
Amber shows up authentically, which helps create a space in which every participant can also show up as themselves–messiness and all. She challenges traditional business and marketing advice to acknowledge what might work more organically for each individual.
Lindsay
You rock. You have so much knowledge in the field, and I appreciate you sharing this information.
This workshop was extremely informative and helpful!
Chelsea
I’ve been a successful employee for decades, and it’s a big jump now to be my own boss. There is a lot I am trying that is not in my comfort zone, so by the end of the webinar, I found a smile on my face feeling I wasn’t alone in trying new things out even when I’m scared.
Leila
Amber’s clear vision and creative thinking brings projects roaring into life. Community building is a special skill that, with Amber, comes from her heart and a passion for the ways we can see and be seen in the world with compassion.
Scarlett
Thank you so much for your time, expertise and in particular, your energy. You are an absolute delight to listen to and learn from. So heart-felt thanks to you.
Kathleen