As the founder and CEO of the Indie Business Network, hosting an annual Caribbean retreat was not originally on my entrepreneurial bucket list. But after leading the organization and thousands of members for a decade, I wanted something different — not only for myself, but also for my members. So, in 2011, I hosted the fist Indie Cruise Retreat.
It wasn’t that IBN wasn’t enough. It was. It was everything I wanted it to be. But as full a reflection as IBN was of my organizational vision, it was not a full reflection of me personally.
On a personal level, I am so much more than the leader organizational network. Sure, I’m at the helm, but I am not the type of person to lead from “on high.”
I believe that business is not just about making money. It’s also about relationships and camaraderie, and I happen to enjoy building and nurturing both.
I’m relatable and down-to-earth, and I genuinely like getting to know people and enjoying their company on an intimate level. I was doing all of that through IBN, but I wanted something more tangible.
I was seeking a way to turn virtual relationships into personal friendships. Indie Cruise was the answer.
So Much More than a Cruise
Indie Cruise originally launched in 2011 as an actual cruise, aboard a real cruise ship. For various reasons, by 2006, I had transitioned the event to a single Caribbean destination location.
A cruise ship was great, and I love cruise vacations, but they can be somewhat confining. Our beach time was always limited, and we generally only saw sunrises and sunsets from the deck of a boat. (Both are so much more beautiful from the sand.) The food options were great, but somewhat narrowly defined, and while I never personally experienced it, someone inevitably dealt with sea sickness.
While I probably will host a cruise retreat again, for the last several Indie Cruise Retreats, I opted for flying in and staying at a luxurious resort.
It’s been an amazing 10 years!
Where We’ve Been
Since 2011, Indie Cruise has been honored to deliver an entrepreneurial experience like no other to dozens of women (and a few good men) via destinations and ports of call in 17 exotic locations. Let’s have a look back.
Indie Cruise 2011
Ports of Call: Key West and Isla Cozumel
Indie Cruise 2012
Ports of Call: Ocho Rios, Jamaica • Grand Cayman Island
Indie Cruise 2013
Ports of Call: Cozumel • Belize
Indie Cruise 2014
Ports of Call: Labadee, Haiti • Falmouth, Jamaica • Grand Cayman Island
Indie Cruise 2015
Ports of Call: St. Thomas • St. Maarten • Cocoa Cay
Indie Cruise 2016
Destination: Cancún, Yucatán, Mexico
Indie Cruise 2017
Destination: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Indie Cruise 2018
Destination: Ixtapa, Mexico
Indie Cruise 2019
Destination: Turks and Caicos, Caribbean
Indie Cruise 2020
Destination: Aruba, Dutch Caribbean
Bon Voyage Indie Cruise!
I have loved and cherished every single Indie Cruise moment. But, alas, it is time to release it as the past and make room for some amazing new things I have up my sleeve.
If you’d like, you may peruse our photo albums at this link.
I cannot wait to share what’s coming up next!