Stop Waiting for Permission: Host the Event that Puts You in Charge
Leaders don’t wait to be chosen. They build the room.
If you’ve been hesitating to host a retreat because of logistics, budget, or audience size, consider this your sign: the time to lead is now.
Your first retreat (or even a small event like a dinner or workshop) is one of the fastest ways to shift from waiting to leading. Done well, it positions you as the one who brings people together, sets the tone, and delivers value in real time.
Let’s break down what’s keeping many leaders stuck, the mindset shift that changes everything, and the practical steps to make your first event possible without burning out.
From Waiting to Leading: How Small Events Build Authority
Prefer to watch? The full breakdown is in the video below. Otherwise, let’s dive in.
The Permission Trap
It’s easy to get caught in the “someday” loop. Someday, when your audience is bigger. Someday, when the budget feels safer. Someday, when you’re invited to a bigger stage.
The problem with “someday” is that it keeps moving. There’s always another milestone to chase before you feel ready. The longer you wait, the more that story reinforces itself, that you’re not quite there yet.
Meanwhile, others are stepping forward. They’re shaping the conversation, leading rooms, and gaining visibility, even if they don’t have your level of expertise.
When you wait for permission, you put your growth in someone else’s hands. Their stage. Their approval. Their timeline. That’s a fragile way to build influence.
The alternative is creating your own stage, one that may be smaller and more intimate, but no less powerful.
Imagine this:
A private dinner with a handful of clients, where you guide the discussion and set the tone.
A workshop in a local studio with ten people, where everyone leaves with confidence and connection.
A weekend retreat with a small group of clients who already know and trust you.
None of these requires a massive budget or a huge team. But each one positions you as the person who brought people together, who led the room, who delivered transformation.
Leading your own event doesn’t mean closing the door on speaking at other people’s events. It means you no longer rely on those opportunities to be seen as a leader. You’ve already proven you can create the space, hold the room, and lead the conversation.
The respect you’re looking for doesn’t come later, once conditions are perfect. It starts the moment you lead the room you can hold right now.
The Mindset Shift
The leaders you admire didn’t wait to be invited. They built the spaces where people could gather. And you can do the same.
The mistake many make is thinking their first event has to look like the biggest version of success: a three-day resort retreat with dozens of guests and a full-scale production. That picture feels overwhelming, and so they stall.
The truth is simpler: it’s not about the size of the room. It’s about the intention behind it.
Start with what feels achievable right now:
A private dinner where you set the conversation.
A half-day workshop where you guide a small group.
A weekend retreat with ten trusted clients.
The point isn’t how many people show up. It’s that you chose to create the space. You led the room. And that act alone shifts how people see you, not as another voice online, but as someone who shapes real experiences.
Here’s the ripple effect: once you’ve hosted even one event, you’ve proven to yourself and your audience that you can hold that role. From there, it becomes easier to scale, to expand, and to grow your platform.
The shift is simple but powerful: stop waiting for permission. Build the room, even if it starts at a dinner table. That’s how leadership is built.
The Path Forward
Once you decide to host, the question becomes: how do you make it real without drowning in details?
The key is to break the process into stages:
Stage 1: Vision
Clarify your purpose. Why are you hosting?
To deepen relationships with existing clients?
To position yourself as a go-to leader?
To create an intimate teaching space that doesn’t work online?
Write this down. Your vision becomes the filter for every decision you make.
Stage 2: Structure
Map the guest journey from start to finish:
How are guests invited?
What happens once they say yes?
What does arrival feel like?
How does the agenda flow?
How do you close the event with intention?
Seeing the journey in sequence highlights where the gaps are and what needs support.
Stage 3: Support
This is where many first-time hosts get stuck, trying to do everything themselves. But you don’t need to manage registration pages, vendor check-ins, and reminder emails personally.
Your role is to design the vision and lead the room. Systems, team members, or a trusted partner can handle the backstage. That support frees you to show up as the calm, confident leader your guests expect.
When you approach an event through these stages, the overwhelm drops. What once felt like a vague, impossible project becomes a clear roadmap with defined roles
From Vision to Execution
Here’s where strategy meets execution.
You don’t need to juggle last-minute details or manage logistics while your guests are arriving. You should be fully present in the room: leading conversations, connecting with clients, and being remembered as the person who brought it all together.
That’s exactly why I created Elite Event Execution.
I take the logistics off your plate (timelines, registration setup, guest communications, speaker and vendor coordination, even day-of flow) so you can step fully into your role as host.
When you bring me on, you don’t just get an event that runs smoothly. You get the confidence of knowing everything behind the scenes is handled, so you can focus on what only you can do: leading the vision and holding the room.
If you’re ready to stop waiting for permission and finally host the event that positions you as the leader, click here to learn more about Elite Event Execution.
Final Thought
Leadership doesn’t come from waiting for the perfect stage or the perfect moment. It comes from choosing to create the room you can hold now, whether that’s a dinner, a workshop, or a weekend retreat.
Build the room. Lead the room. And let that be the moment your authority begins.
