Dessert Before Dinner: Five Business Women, One Dinner Table, and Pudding First

I invited five local business women to my house, sat them at my dinner table and fed them dessert first.

That was the whole plan for my new marketing workshop in Motueka. It’s called Dessert Before Dinner. The first one was on Sunday 4th of October, and it went really well.

Nobody is more surprised than me. I’m an introvert who invited people into her own home. On purpose. With no escape route, because I live there.

Why I Started a Marketing Workshop in Motueka

Most of the business women I talk to aren’t short on effort. They’re tired.

They’re posting when they remember. They’re guessing what works. And they’re doing it alone, at 9pm, with a laptop on their knees.

They don’t need another networking event with name tags and an “interesting fact about yourself”. They need a small group, a bit of strategy, and enough spark to walk into the busy season ready.

So I skipped the conference room and pulled out my dining chairs instead. More on those chairs shortly.

Why Dessert Comes First

Because the sweet stuff shouldn’t have to wait until all the hard work is done.

Also, marketing chat is a lot less scary with pudding in front of you. That’s not science. That’s just me, a spoon, and a theory.

What We Cover Around the Table

It’s a small group, so the chat goes where the room needs it to go. However, a few things always make the menu:

• Building a content calendar with AI, so you stop staring at a blank screen
• Getting your branding right, so people know it’s you before they read a word
• Your own marketing questions, answered on the spot

The big one, though, is this. Posting consistently isn’t enough on its own. It needs a strategy behind it.

Every post has a job. It tells a story, it helps someone, or it sells. If you don’t know which job a post is doing, your audience won’t either.

And a strategy that works for the business next door won’t necessarily work for yours. Your goals are different. So are your customers. That’s why there are five seats at the table and not fifty.

Everyone who comes also gets early access to Grow Your Biz, my online home for short marketing courses.

Who Came to the First One

Huge thanks to the legends who were brave enough to come to the very first one:

• Christine-Jane Naturopath & Herbal Dispensary
• Terri from Hidden Valley Farm NZ
• Nicola from Momentoes Nelson & Marlborough
• Niki from 11b Sunnies
• Liana from Balanced Business

Five very different businesses, one table, and a whole afternoon of marketing chat. Go and give them a follow. It’s the same idea as the Motueka Ripple: local backing local.

What I Learned as the Host

Firstly, my dining chairs need work. Sorry about your bums, ladies.

Secondly, the introvert in me is knackered. The rest of me can’t wait to do it again.

And lastly, the bit I didn’t see coming. Simple is better. A table, something sweet and room to talk did more than any fancy setup could.

It also showed me how much business owners need to connect. I heard on the radio that loneliness is everywhere right now, and one global survey found nearly one in four adults feel lonely. If you run a business on your own, you’ll know that feeling well.

These women are go-getters, and the atmosphere was awesome. Even Freya, my dog, behaved like an angel.

A small room does something a Facebook group can’t. You say your marketing worry out loud, and four other women nod because they’ve got the same one.

Want a Seat at the Next Marketing Workshop in Motueka?

The first Dessert Before Dinner sold out, with a waiting list. So I’m running it every six weeks.

The details:

• Five seats only
• My dinner table, here in Motueka
• Dessert first, obviously
• $147 per person 
• Next date: Mid to late November
• Topic: Canva

If you’d like a seat, send me a message and I’ll pop you on the list.

Not ready for a group yet? Start with our $95 Mini Audit and we’ll show you where your marketing is at.

Carissa Founder, Snap Marketing Motueka, Nelson-Tasman