October 26-27, 2026 | Cary, NC
Solo Together Summit
A conference for self-employed folks gathering to learn, connect, and grow meaningful solo businesses together.
What is the Solo Together Summit?
This summit is for the entrepreneurs and founders who are the decision-makers, operators, and bosses of our own solo* businesses.
Because going solo is hard.
We leap into self-employment because we want more. I wanted more. More autonomy, agency, and freedom of time and energy. More life and work on my own terms.
Choosing self-employment means navigating vulnerability and often uncharted territory on a daily - even hourly - basis. There is no map. Just bravery, ambitions, and a mountain of work on a path we are building ourselves.
We move from making big audacious potentially life-and-career-altering decisions to dealing with the tiny details required to deliver work, run operations, and build a business that works for our life, brain, and bank account.
We’re smart people with skills, expertise, and excellent search skills. And yet, we also ask ourselves - how do I do this thing? How do I make this work?
The Solo Together Summit is how.
Because we build more together.
This summit helps you build your strategic capacity and operational skills on the business side of self-employment with actionable, interactive programming.
And it anchors the vulnerable emotional rollercoaster side by building meaningful connections and real conversations with fellow humans.
The entire container - the general sessions, the workshops, the venues, the experiential details - are intentionally designed for us to build our solo businesses together.
The Solo Together Summit is for those who took the leap into self-employment and who want more on our own terms.
The purpose is simple: Build Solo. Build Connections. Build Together.
Are you ready for more?
*Whether you’re a soloist or a duo or trio of founders the business skills and connections are portable. Join us.
Build Solo
✨
Build Connections
✨
Build Together
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Build Solo ✨ Build Connections ✨ Build Together ✨
What’s included?
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The together part of the Solo Together Summit is all about the collective energy you get from the real conversation with other humans at a gathering.
All the general sessions on both days are designed to be interactive to help you connect with yourself, your business and the cool people in the room.
From the welcome session to the final closing on day two, each general session includes guided moments for you to reflect, integrate, and share with another human.
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Super short talks to spark creativity and immediate conversation with the people sitting next to you.
Cultivating connections is a built-in activity, not crammed into the mass exodus after sitting in an hour long keynote.
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Multiple moment sprinkled throughout the summit make intentional space for networking and building connections in a structured yet dynamic way, so you don’t have to walk up to a stranger to start a conversation.
Yet, you’ll walk away with new connections, collaborators, and maybe client or two.
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Hands-on workshops taught by fantastic speakers on the skills that move a solo business forward: biz basics, positioning, sales, systems, content, relationship building, money, mindset, and more.
This is not passively listening to a panel of people talk. You’ll work on your business in the room.
Choose your own adventure across the 15 75-minute interactive workshops, or follow a single track to deep dive into one theme.
Tracks: 🚀 Foundations, 🎯 Positioning, ⚙️Operations, and 🤩 Clients
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Both days feature a Wise Trios general session you will not want to miss.
This facilitated peer advising sessions gives you a moment to share a challenge you have and get practical help, insights, and wisdom from peers.
Hearing ideas and inspiration from the stage can be nice, but you know what’s better? Getting custom feedback from people you can have a conversation with and who might just be your new biz bestie.
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The digital resource hub will have slides, worksheets, and materials from the workshops as well as bonus items from the presenters.
It won't be quite the same as being in the room but you'll have access to the hub until early December so you'll have time to download the resources - even for the workshops you couldn't attend.
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The purpose of the pop-up participant directory two-fold.
The first reason is to help you cultivate meaningful connections by putting faces to names to conversations before, during, and after.
You’ll be able to explore and get a feel for the people in the room before you’re actually in the room. And then connect with people after without having to pause in the moment to connect on LinkedIn
The second is to give everyone attending the summit a billboard to showcase your work. You’ll create an optional profile (separate from registration) with your details.
Pop-up means it will be available until early December giving you plenty of time to connect outside of this container.
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Check out the marketplace to grab a book or other item from a contributing sponsor or presenter.
Interested in selling a book or showcasing your work, reach out about sponsorships.
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Everyone gets a printed Solo Together Summit program with details and dedicated workbook pages for the interactive general session activities.
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Show up and win cool items in the raffle. There will also be other goodies including stickers, snacks, and more.
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Lunch, snacks, and beverages (coffee, tea, water, ice tea) will be provided on both days.
Share any dietary preferences and restrictions when you register so you can be taken care of.
Ready to join in at the summit?
Solo Together Summit
Show up to learn, grow, connect, and build a powerful solo business.
October 26-27, 2026 in Cary, NC
General Admission $395
About the Organizer
Hi, I'm Rachel Thompson, Founder & CEO of Daring Studios and founder of the Solo Together Summit.
My vision for the Solo Together Summit is a gathering centered around the people in the room, not the people on the stage.
I want these two-days be interactive, actionable, and designed to help you have multiple meaningful conversations that shift those strangers into partners, clients, and biz friends.
I want to create the type of event I love to attend. The one where I'm so entirely engaged in the programming and getting so much value from the conversations that I absolutely am not available for that last minute client call.
I'm a Certified Professional Facilitator and I've spent 15+ years leading workshops, retreats, and gatherings for solo operators and creatives. Recently that includes the 3-day Ampersand Gathering in 2026, and as a part of the organizing team of the 2026 Raleigh-Durham Startup Week.
You’re invited to join me.
Let’s do this.
Best,
Rachel
Testimonials from similar events
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"I liked that the event leaned into the motto follow your energy. It provided the freedom to make decisions that felt right."
— Ampersand Gathering Participant
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"This ranks in my top three conferences ever. Having creatives in the room was a huge value add. An amazing gathering of minds, spirits, and energies. It felt like such a treat to be the receiver of an intentionally-curated space, given that so many of us do this for others professionally."
— Ampersand Gathering Participant
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“An anti-conference, expertly designed to be an event you actually WANT to go to”
— Ampersand Gathering Participant
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“I absolutely appreciated that the day was not packed with mini-workshop after mini-workshop. There was abundant time between segments to network, meet connect, chill out, process info etc. This allows the elements of networking and learning (time to process) to happen. Brilliant!”
— Ampersand Gathering Participant
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“The people and the community are incredible. You put an incredible amount of effort into the event, and it felt pretty flawless! I appreciated the uninterrupted time given to let connections and creativity emerge. I loved the 90-min workshop time.”
— Ampersand Gathering Participant
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“Everything was well organized and thoughtful. The timing was great, especially having consistent breaks!!“
— Ampersand Gathering Participant
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Reach out.
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This summit is centered around the people in the room, not the people on the stage. Every session is interactive and built for solo operators. You'll work on your business in the room with peers in your region, not passively listen to a panel or keynote.
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Self-employed folks in the NC Triangle area (or those willing to travel here): freelancers, solopreneurs, small business owners, service-based businesses, content creators, creatives, artists, and founders running companies of one. Side-hustlers through established full-time operators are all welcome.
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General admission is $395.
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Ticket Includes:
- Access to two full days of the Solo Together Summit including general sessions and workshops.
- Lunch, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages both days.
- Profile on the digital pop-up participant directory.
- Printed program and workbook
- Access to the digital resource hub.Parking, lodging, and travel costs are NOT included.
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There are 3-5 volunteer spots available.
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Nope, you just need to be willing to travel to Cary, NC for the Solo Together Summit.
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Tickets are non-refundable, but are transferable. You will be able to transfer your ticket to another person until October 12, 2026.