“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” -Proverbs 15:22

Who do you go to for guidance? Who are your mentors or advisers?

I have mentors in different areas of my life. I have financial planners . I’ve hired a health coach and a personal fitness trainer. I talk to pastors regarding life advice. For business, I follow the top essential oil business owners.

It’s not just about having the right information. Mentors provide perspective, accountability, and encouragement. A mentor can also point out your flaws, while you may be blind to them while reading a book.

One of our mentors Allyse has one of the largest essential oil businesses. She guided us when we were starting our essential oil business. She now spends a lot of her time raising her family and volunteering at schools.

With the income generated from the essential oil business, she and her husband Patrick purchased 90 acres of land and a boutique hotel in the Czech Republic.
She invited a group to a business retreat at her hotel. It was an amazing deal. 500 USD covered room and board, food, and ground transportation for a week per person.

At the retreat, they covered how to run your business more efficiently so that you can take your business to the next level. Allyse also provided private consultation, where she customizes a plan for the entire year. We booked our flights to go to the Czech Republic because our mentors lived there now and that was the only way to get private consultation.

Czech Republic

Patrick and Allyse moved to the Czech Republic. They live in Prague with three of their children. Patrick’s family was originally from the Czech republic. Although Patrick was born and raised in Canada, he and his wife Allyse has a heart for the Czech people. There dream was to start a vocational school for young adults. Here they bring business owners from different industries to teach them business skills so the students have a better chance of success in life. Allyse also volunteers to teach English to students there.

Their dream came true, when they purchased a hotel is located in Načeradec. Their intent wasn’t to be hotel owners. They wanted a place to have a school and retreats and generate income to take care of the hotel expenses and staff. The hotel provided the best infrastructure for that.

The Boutique Hotel

The hotel was amazing. We had food everyday. It was in the nice country side. We rode on the ATVs. I shot clay pigeons. They had sauna. Cassy and I stayed in one of the apartments. Our schedule alternated between business training and excursions. The breaks between each business training day, really helped me retain my memory. I’ve gone to two-day intensives before, but this was way more effective. Everyone who attended were successful essential oil business owners. I learned a lot from them too.

Touring

Prague

In Prague, we visited the Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge. Prague is home to the third-oldest astronomical clock built in 1420. It is the oldest one still operating. At the end of the day, we took a vintage car tour. You can tell them to take you drop you off to your destination in the city and they will give you an amazing tour before doing so. We rode in retrofitted 1930’s Praga (Czeck automotive brand) convertibles.. Well worth it when you are traveling with a group of people. We even learned a few things about the city!

Food
Czech food is not your typical meat and potatoes. Unlike teh UNited States, the food is not as processed as in the US and it is amazing. We had Krupice, which was a Czech grain porridge. Párek v rohlíku is the Czech version of the hot dog. instead of a bun, they place the sausage in the bread. Smažený sýr is fried cheese.

The Czeck style of potatoes trip is thicker than a potato chip but thinner than a potato wedge. If you love desserts, Trdelnik a spit cake that can be filled with ice cream.

Castles
The Czech Republic has hundreds of castles.

We visited four castles. The only castles I’ve visited were Disney Castles or the castle in Japan. I had no idea how massive they were.
We visited the following castles
- Prague Castle, The castle was a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia
- Konopiste, Franz Ferdinand’s last residence. He had a collection of over 100,000 hunting trophies. You can see a lot of the antlers down the hall. It also has the third largest collection of armory and medieval weapons

- Castle Hluboká Castle, one of the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic
- Lednice Chateau, known for it’s beautiful word work and architecture

Each castle or chateau had very distinct personalities and styles. It was worth going to each one. Some were used as summer places while others were used as hunting lodges. If you got the Czech republic, you must see some of the castles. My favorite part was the history and the intricate details of the interior and exterior of each castle.
More fun!

We also visited Cesky Krumlov which is a small castle city. They had many local shops and restaurants.

Czech Republic is known for their Bohemian Crystal. They also have a lot of hand crafted wooden toys and decorations.

One thing I noticed was that many of the buildings in the Czech Republic are painted bright pastel colors like pink or yellow. I learned that this is an expression of freedom since many of the buildings were gray during the communist regime.

Tips
You will need money (in Czech Korunas) to use the restrooms. Some hotels and restaurants may have restrooms for you to use. Have money ready just in case.
Hot chocolate may not be as sweet as in the United States. Make sure before you order.
Some places have a no picture policy.

Traveling to Prague was a life changing experience.

Sometimes we have to take the leap. Getting a mentor may not be that easy. It may take time, work, and commitment. Sometimes it takes a financial investment. That’s a part of growth.
What areas of your life do you have a mentor or adviser in? If you are looking for essential oil business mentors, we'd be glad to connect you with the right ones.

To your success,
Holan