How to Make the Most of a Female Founder Conference

Show Up, Connect, and Actually Leave with Results

Entreprenista Founders Weekend is hands down my favourite female founder conference of the year. I went to my first event in 2024 and I was so psyched to see all my biz besties again in 2026. Funny enough, before going I almost thought that this wouldn't be a weekend to even think about sales and I was completely proven wrong.

I'm going to share some of my top tips for attending women's business conferences, as well as some of my highlights from attending Entreprenista Founders Weekend. 

Entreprenista event with a large group outdoors by palm trees and pavilion, posing around a big white 'E'.

Photo Credit: Entreprenista

Before You Go

Weeks before I even get ready to head an event for entrepreneurs, I get really intentional about the things that I want as a result of attending to make the experience successful. 

Personally, I’m someone who likes to reverse-engineer an outcome. Especially if I'm investing in an event ticket, a flight, a hotel room, and eating out for days on end, I want to make sure that the event is going to be more than just fun, and also provide a long-term ROI from attending.

Before you even grab your suitcase to start packing, use these three tips to prep before an event: 

  1. Define What a Win Looks Like 

What specific outcome(s) would make attending this event a win? Get clear about what tangible developments you’d like to have happen as a result of attending, plus also, leave room for magic 🪄. 

A lot of times, events will share a list of the attendees in advance or, in the case of Founders Weekend, we got access to a private Founders Weekend Attendees room inside the community. Take a look at who's attending and see who might be an aligned fit to connect with, based on their profile. 

The event schedule of main sessions, workshops, and breakouts is often shared in advance, so you can map out what the event may look for you.

Entreprenista event with four people chatting near decorated tables in a bright conference setting.

Photo Credit: Entreprenista

  1. Update Your Social Profiles Before You Walk In the Door. 

We live in the age of creeping, and you want to make sure that people find the most up-to-date information both about you and your business. 

Make sure your bios are updated on LinkedIn, Instagram and any other social media profiles, plus the place I see 404 the most is social links on website footers, so double-check those too. Is your link-in-bio pointing toward the right URL? (Oy and please don’t have 20+ links in there!) 

Here’s a pro tip for event days: in the morning, post an Instagram story so that when you meet people at the event, there’s immediate content for them to plug into.

  1. Make Connecting Frictionless. 

I love having QR codes inside of Instagram and LinkedIn for easy scanning, but honestly, I’m less than graceful trying to thumb through the apps while maintaining a conversation, plus carrying notebooks, plus holding swag. 

I find it easier to use my NFC keychain from Ace Smart Accessories that my friend Lia Foster-Ujimoto makes. It’s a physical keychain (I just dangle it off my finger!) that I can just tap to the back of a phone, similar to how you’d pay for something with your phone. 

Hand holding purple 'LET’S CONNECT' keychain at a workspace with laptop and planner.

Photo Credit: ACE Smart Accessories

The cool thing is that you can change the destination URL that the keychain taps to. If I know I'm going to a room full of investors, I'm going to change that device to tap to my data room. If I'm going to a room where people might purchase the journal, I'm going to change that link to tap to the purchase page on my website. If I want people to opt in with my email list, I'm going to change the URL to tap to download my free preview of the Female Founders Journal. Depending on the room I'm in, I have something easy that I can grab and point people to the right resource without feeling distracted.

While You're There

Once you arrive at the event, you want to make sure that you're getting the most out of your time being there, being intentional, having fun, and capturing the magic while still being present in the moment. 

Two people at Entreprenista event posing in front of pink backdrop, one holding an 'ENTREPRENISTA' sign.

Co-founders of The Entreprenista League, Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer

Photo Credit: Entreprenista

These tips served me well while attending Founders Weekend this year:

  1. If You're Product-Based, Bring Your Product. 

It's so funny to see the differences between AI tools. I was doing my weekly briefing using Claude a few days before leaving for the event. I told it off-the-bat: "Thursday and Friday I'm going to be at Entreprenista Founders Weekend and I won’t have time to work, so consider those days a write-off.” Claude totally shot back, noting, "Are you joking? You’re in a room full of female founders. That is your BEST time to make sales." 

Whereas I know if I went to ChatGPT, it would be like, "Girrrrrrl, you're right. Those days won’t be a time to make sales, they’re a total write-off." Thanks to Claude calling me out, my husband and I both brought copies of the Female Founders Journal in our suitcases and wouldn't you know, we sold every single one on site. I'm definitely glad I had copies of my product with me!

  1. Find Pockets to Disconnect and Recharge. 

I'm an extroverted introvert. I love being around people, but I also know that I need a few seconds to regroup so that I can be my happiest when connecting with everybody else. 

When we first arrived at the PGA National, we found out that our room was on the main floor. (I say ‘we’ because my husband comes with me to these events. He doesn't actually attend the conference, obviously, but he gets to chill by the pool for a few days.) I was a little disappointed to find out that our hotel room was on the same floor as the event, but this actually ended up being perfect because any time I wanted to take a second for a breather, I didn't have to wait for an elevator. I could just take a short three-minute stroll, sit down in my room for a few seconds, and then go back to the event.

  1. Wear Something That Makes You Feel Like Your Best You. 

I'm so grateful to Toronto Designers Market for dressing me in a few outfits for this weekend, as well as some dresses that I picked up from Evernew. I’m SO happy the shoes that I was wearing were completely comfortable. Oh, and shout out to Landa Handbags, I got gifted with their Palto City Bag as a speaker at the Pink Skirt Project last year and I used it all week long, perfect complement to my ‘fits! 

All my clothes made me feel like a million bucks. I enjoyed getting compliments, stepping out of wearing all neutrals, and finally breaking in a new outfit from Maje that I got as a gift last year and had been saving specifically for this event. I got to feel like my best, future self and show up as her now, so wearing things that make you feel great is an absolute must!

After You Leave

It's one thing to be at a conference, super-hyped up, energized, and around everyone, but it's so easy for things to go back to as they were once you get home. I love to make the most of things while I'm still on that post-energy high, so here's what I do as soon as an event is wrapped:

  1. Do Follow-Ups at the Airport.

While I'm at the airport I sit and do my follow-ups, send LinkedIn connections and messages, set up connection calls, and send emails when I'm still fresh and top-of-mind for other attendees.

  1. Pick One Action Item. Just ONE.

If I’ve invested time, money, and energy to be at the event, I need to let it be more than an experience; it gets to create lasting transformation in my business. It's easy to leave overwhelmed with a huge to-do list, but personally I start with the ONE thing I want to take action on in my business and set a deadline by when I’m going to complete it. That way I can tangibly note an outcome that I’ve had as a result of having attended an event.  

  1. Nurture New Relationships. 

I was literally getting into an Uber while popping onto another attendee’s Calendly link since we hadn’t spent time with one another on site. Even at the airport I was bumping into and connecting with women from the weekend. Keep the connections rolling even after you’ve left the event’s official doors.

My Entreprenista Founders Weekend 2026 Highlights 

If you know me at all, you know that I HATE crying. Have been that way since high school. Even on my wedding day I put brakes on the tears. But I was full-on waterworks over the course of a few days. 

From hearing the inspirational stories of self-made women millionaires and billionaires, to seeing the support for female founders in the room, right down to having to say goodbye to my girlies after a fun few days, here are some of my top Founders Weekend highlights:

  • Being a panelist on the Founders’ Favourite Tools panel: One of the sessions that I attended and enjoyed back in 2024 was the Founders' Favourite Tools, where panelists shared the favourite tools that they're using to run their businesses. It was an honour to be invited to share mine this year! (You can read up on some of my favourite tools on this blog post.) It was especially fun to be on the panel alongside my Pop Academy colleague, Danielle Ruess from Eonian Skincare. 

Four speakers with microphones seated for Entreprenista panel discussion.

Photo Credit: Entreprenista

  • Dancing on stage. There's just no way dudes have as much fun as we do at women's business conferences! Tracy Litt was the emcee this year and she opened the event with Bon Jovi and closed it out with ‘Nsync. I was quick to jump on stage and totally have a party with my friends. 

"Tracy Litt speaking on stage at Entreprenista event with bold 'ENTREPRENISTA' backdrop.

Emcee, Tracy Litt 

Photo Credit: Entreprenista

  • Bumping into speakers like Jessica Zweig, Kim Perell, and Kendra Bracken-Ferguson in the hallway. The speakers aren't gatekept here and there’s a high likelihood you’ll bump into them while walking through the hallway! It was a joy to see Jessica Zweig again (As if she remembers me from the last event, so cool!), I got to connect with Kim Perell, whose book I'm excited to read and now I’m literally going to pitch her (eeeee!) and I got to see Kendra Bracken-Ferguson again after the 2024 event, and she invited me to be on her podcast! That just doesn’t happen when you’re NOT in the room.

  • Having breakfast with the Entreprenista team on the last morning. One of my highlights of going to events is having deeper conversations with people at meals where we can go beyond superficial. A little moment that I really enjoyed was having breakfast at the Entreprenista team’s table where their staff were doing their thing. (In hindsight, sorry guys, if I interrupted you from what you needed to be doing! I just wanted to hang out and have some facetime LOL!) These women put SO much work into making sure that we have a good time that I wanted to chill with them behind the scenes. 

Two people at Entreprenista event posing with bright pink packets in front of floral pink backdrop.

Photo Credit: Entreprenista

All in all, Entreprenista Founders Weekend 2026 was a massive win. I am SO grateful for the learnings, the connections, the friendships, and the experiences created over four days. This event is exclusive to Entreprenista members, so definitely join the community here so you can get access to the next event in 2028. 

What are your top tips for attending events with other entrepreneurs? I'd love to hear your perspective. Leave me a comment here. 

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