You're not meant to do this alone.

Running your own business can be exhilarating.

It can also be isolating.

You spend your days making decisions, solving problems, and holding the vision for something that didn’t exist before you built it. Most of the time, the people around you care, but they don’t fully understand what it takes.

That’s why this exists.

When women who run their own businesses gather together, something changes.

You say the thing you’ve been holding in your head, hear how others are navigating similar decisions, and realize you’re not the only one thinking the way you do.

Conversations deepen. Guards drop.
‍
Things that typically stay unsaid finally have somewhere to land.

Not rushed.

Not performative.

Not transactional.

Instead, you're in honest conversation with women who understand what it means to build something of their own while still carrying the rest of life with them.

You belong in this room.

yes, please!

A different kind of gathering

Here, you’ll be in a room with about fifteen women who are also building their own work.

You won’t be sitting silently in rows.
You’ll be in conversation, sharing what you’re working through, and hearing how others are thinking about their next steps.

Here, there’s space to think out loud, speak honestly, and stay with something long enough to actually move it forward.

You’ll leave knowing there are women who understand what you’re building, and are rooting for you.

Your Strong Start (to Summer)

June 1 - 2, 2026

Fitler Club | 24 South 24th Street | Philadelphia, PA 19103

Monday Evening

From 6:00-8:00 PM, we’ll gather for a relaxed welcome with beverages and substantial hors d’oeuvres. This is our time to ease in and meet one another.

Tuesday

From 8:30 AM–5:00 PM, we’ll move between whole-group activities and smaller facilitated conversations.

Breakfast will be available in the morning, and lunch will be served mid-day.

I'm in!

Food & Drinks Included

This part is fully taken care of.

I’ve attended events where I ended up spending more on food than the admission ticket, was handed a stale sandwich, or needed to find something in a city I didn’t know well.

This gathering is different. Here, you pay one price. You can count on good food throughout, and your mental energy gets to stay on what matters to you.

Welcome Gathering

Wine, beer, and good apps to ease into our gathering

Breakfast

A healthy start to our day with protein and warmth

Lunch

A satisfying meal that'll keep us energized

Meet YOUR hOST

Hi, I'm Melanie!

I design spaces where women solopreneurs can be fully themselves and make real progress on what matters to them.

Before this, I spent over 20 years in education as a professor, district leader, and teacher. I then built an EdTech platform and founded two nonprofits.

Teaching, traveling, and leading taught me to pay close attention to the energy of a room, what opens people up, what helps ideas deepen, and what makes time together matter.

That attention lives inside every SoloprenHER gathering.

Photo of Melanie facilitating a group conversation.

WITH RICHELLE FREDSON

Richelle is a book coach and creative development coach who helps people clarify their ideas and bring them to life.

She’s worked with New York Times bestselling authors like Gabrielle Bernstein, Vanessa Marin, Shadé Zahrai and Kris Carr, as well as many founders across industries.

Richelle uses her deep expertise and sharp instincts to support creatives.

She hosts the Forbes-featured podcast, Bound + Determined. Her first book, DO THE THING, will be released by Hachette in April 2027.

This gathering will resonate if…

You approach your work with care and integrity.

You believe business and life are intertwined.

You value meaningful conversation over surface-level networking.

You’ve been feeling lonely as a solopreneur.

You crave a community of good-hearted women who get it.

You believe in lifting others as you rise.

This is my kind of room!

Registration Closes May 8th

june 1-2, 2026 in philadelphia

$545

This is an intentionally small group, connecting in a space designed for real conversations.

You’ll be alongside women who also feel drawn to be here.

All food and beverages are included.

reserve MY seat

Your Strong Start

(to Summer)

An intimate, in-person gathering for women who are thoughtfully building their businesses and ready to stop holding it all on their own

Philadelphia • June 1–2, 2026

You'll name the idea that’s felt too big or unclear, work through it with other women solopreneurs, and leave knowing what to do next