Still high on Day Zero adrenaline, we made what seemed like an innocent decision: we sat in the very front row. Front. And. Center. Like eager little honor students ready to absorb it all. (Definitely not just to be as close to Wes as possible…HA)

We had no idea that this would be the only day we'd ever sit there — because after today, those seats were reserved exclusively for the pod winners. Meaning? The rest of the week, we were back row peasants with snacks and regrets. 😅

Day One Topic
How To Create Systems That Run Your Business For You

After breakfast, we headed into the first real lesson of the week, taught by Wes himself. And listen… I knew the man was smart, but seeing him teach live? Different beast. He broke down the importance of building systems and playbooks in your business — not just any systems, but the kind that let your business run without you.

Let me tell you something I didn’t see coming:
Wes Bergmann is a fan-freakin’ fantastic teacher. Like legendary.

We each had our Blox-branded notebooks (aka the only notebooks we’re allowed to use for pitches and consultations), and mine was already filling up with chaotic scribbles and underlines.

15 Minutes of Terror

So… we got hit with our first pitch challenge.
Here’s a rundown of what that looked like:

• You get 15 minutes to find your pod room (not as easy as it sounds) AND prepare a 3-minute pitch on the lesson you JUST learned, all while trying to make sure the chicken scratch you're putting in the notebook while walking is even remotely readable…
• When your name is called, you get up front, let the production crew mic you up, get a clapperboard in your face, tell the room who you are, and present your pitch to the room (hoping your brain doesn’t explode or fall out of your butt)

Once we found our pods, it was go time. Day One was an alphabetical mashup, so we were with all the kick-ass “J” folks like Jemma (our airport buddy now fab friend), Jess Poynter (a glowing, high-energy human I never knew I needed in my life), Joe Lewis (fun fact: I literally just wrapped his new brand + website via being a part of the BetaBlox design team) and the dynamic duo Jenn & Bonnie.

We each had 3 minutes to pitch. The gorgeous (and crazy empowering) Haley McClain Hill was our judge — pumping the energy of the room and quietly evaluating everything we said using a rubric to determine how well we understood the day's lesson and if we could actually apply it to our real businesses.

Jenn B from A Flick of The Wrist Splatter Paint Experience absolutely crushed it. Like, please teach me how to pitch-level crushed it. We declared her and Bonnie our top competition, but also decided we wanted to be besties and sit with them at dinner. It’s fine. It’s all fine.

It was stressful. It was fast.
But we pulled it off — and honestly, we felt pretty solid about it.

After everyone pitched, we each had a 15-minute consultation — think: more conversational, more “pop quiz energy,” but still totally judged. In hindsight, Haley (an award winning entrepreneur, 2x former NFL Cheerleader, and United States Air Force Veteran) was THE BEST energy anyone could ask for on Day One. The level of confidence, encouragement and empowerment she brought to THE most vulnerable day of the week was an incredible start to the experience and I can definitely say she set our group up with a powerful momentum.

In the consultation parts of the competition, we got to ask questions and get clarity, and I'm pretty sure I asked something like “should we have one master playbook or separate ones for each offer?”

(Mental note: I need to find the video and rewatch her answer — definitely planning to break it down in a future post for yall.)

Systems = Sexy (Who Knew?)

Between the pitching panic and the post-lunch crash, I wasn’t expecting to walk away actually excited about documenting my internal systems. But here we are. Wes has a way of making you feel like if you don’t build a playbook tonight, your business might spontaneously combust. Love that for my motivation.

BONUS ROUND: “The Roundtable”

Later that night, we got the mysterious invite text to join an intimate roundtable conversation.

I sat on the end of the couch, thinking I could maybe go last. Nope. They asked me to go first. DOH. And listen… I couldn’t even tell you what I said. My voice probably cracked, eyes welled up, and I just started talking. Or crying. Or both. Who knows.

Fingers crossed that it comes across as “vulnerable and inspiring” when it airs and not “please get this woman a tissue and a nap.”

Brand Clarity Takeaway:

Systems aren’t just boring SOPs in a dusty Google Drive.
They are the key to showing up with confidence — whether you’re pitching on national TV, onboarding a client, or finally taking a damn vacation.

The clearer your backend is, the more powerful your front end becomes.

Need a place to start? Build ONE playbook — just for your signature offer. You can expand later. But having something documented = power.

Clarity lives in documentation.

Coming up next:
Day Two — where the emotions peak and the pitches get even scarier. LET’S GO.