As part of a broader Miami retreat, Von Oben Solutions gathered its organization for a yacht celebration on January 9-11 designed to recognize growth, reinforce connection, and honor the people behind a year of exceptional progress.
The yacht gathering brought together 75 attendees from across the organization for an evening that balanced reflection with celebration. Set against Miami’s skyline and open waters, the event marked a pause after a year defined by expansion, adaptability, and collective effort.
A Moment to Acknowledge What Was Built
The yacht gathering was not framed as a reward detached from effort, but as a recognition of what sustained performance requires over time. The past year, the organization experienced more than 230% revenue growth and expanded its nationwide office presence by over 200%. Those milestones did not come from isolated wins, but from daily discipline and shared accountability.
Bringing the whole organization together created space to acknowledge that reality. It allowed team members to step back from roles and responsibilities and recognize the collective contribution that made the year possible.
An Evening Designed With Intention
Guests boarded the Venetian Lady yacht for a welcome and cocktail hour, creating a relaxed setting for connection and conversation before the evening formally began. Opening announcements followed, setting the tone for the night with gratitude and recognition rather than formality.
From there, the awards ceremony became the centerpiece of the gathering. Recognition was kept intentional and concise, with award recipients offering brief acknowledgements that highlighted effort and support rather than individual praise.
Dinner service and a champagne toast created a natural transition from recognition to reflection, allowing the group to collectively mark the year’s achievements before the evening opened into unstructured time for conversation and connection.
Recognition That Reflected Values
Awards were designed to recognize behaviors and standards that advanced the organization. Recognition centered on growth, consistency, mentorship, and leadership.
Breakout Rookie of the Year recipient, Ben Hudson, reflected on the mindset that shaped his journey, saying, “There’s no real room for pride or ego in the beginning. Ego is part of it. That’s how we got this far, but you can’t be arrogant. You’ve got to be humble and [really] ask for help and be honest with the problems that you’re having. It’s the only way you can actually grow.”
That humility-driven approach echoed across the evening. The Rising Star recipient, Juan Claros, shared how the year reshaped his perspective, noting, “This business changed my life. And I’m willing to give my 100% to change all the people that really have in the business and have faith in myself. And I want to share the opportunity with more people.”
Growth Through Discomfort and Resilience
The evening also made space to recognize the less visible aspects of growth. Progress often requires discomfort, recalibration, and the willingness to rebuild.
Most Improved recipient, Blake Welle, spoke to that experience, sharing, “Getting uncomfortable again, joining a new program with business to business sales, made me have to relearn the entire network, reprove who I was, rebuild my reputation. And it’s not that I learned something new, it’s just I was just so much better than I was the first time I did that with the retail divisions.”
His reflection underscored a broader truth reinforced throughout the gathering: improvement is rarely linear, and growth often comes from revisiting fundamentals with greater awareness.
Leadership, Mentorship, and Shared Support
As the evening progressed, conversation shifted naturally toward leadership and the role of support systems in sustaining performance.
Captain on Deck recipient, Sarah Theimer, captured that sentiment: “I think that the secret to success is just great, never give up, keep getting back up when things don’t go the way you want and just create a lot of resilience and appreciation for everybody around you. You’ll never do it by yourself, just find the mentors and friends in this industry that will have your back and just keep going always.”
Her words emphasized a theme woven throughout the event: growth is strongest when it is shared, guided, and supported by trust.
Space for Connection Beyond the Schedule
Following dinner and the formal program, the evening opened into free-flowing time with music, conversation, and movement across the yacht. Without agendas or structured sessions, relationships deepened organically.
These moments reinforced what structured meetings often cannot: familiarity, ease, and mutual understanding. Teams connected across roles, experiences, and regions, strengthening the foundation that supports collaboration long after the event ends.
A Celebration That Looked Forward
While the yacht gathering centered on recognition, it also carried a forward-looking tone. The champagne toast served as a collective acknowledgment of what had been achieved and a shared commitment to what comes next.
Rather than closing a chapter, the evening marked continuity. It reinforced the organization’s standards, values, and expectations that will guide it as it continues to grow.
As the yacht returned and guests disembarked, the takeaway was not the setting alone, but the meaning it held. The gathering created a shared memory anchored in gratitude, accountability, and belief in the collective.
For those in attendance, the night served as a reminder that growth is built together, sustained through resilience, and worth acknowledging when milestones are reached.
About Von Oben Solutions
Von Oben Solutions is a team-focused organization that supports B2B growth while prioritizing leadership development, recognition, and a culture built on shared performance standards.
For more information, visit: https://www.vonobensolutions.com/