The Lou Lounge
A place of belonging in your work
The Lou Lounge is a 5-month, cohort-based program with a single purpose:
To help you build your circle of collaborators, co-conspirators and trusted advisors.
The Lou Lounge:
The friends you call when shit feels real.
Are you a Lou?
A Lou is an online business owner who’s been solo or led a team for years.
A Lou is a carer, a giver, a trusted friend, and possibly a mentor, but doesn’t have a place where they simply show up and receive support.
A Lou has weathered storms and has pivoted - probably more than once.
A Lou is deeply tired of working alone. They may have a close business friendship or two, but they’re lacking an inner circle of trusted people with whom they can be open about their struggles and wins.
A Lou might be in their thirties or their fifties - they’re not defined by age or gender, but by who they are as a person.
While a Lou plans to continue running their business for the long term, they know that they need deeper support for themselves to make that happen.
A Lou has dreams. They want to continue to evolve and grow but have reached the point where it’s clear they need people around them to support their emotional needs, not just their operational needs.
Jordan:
“I’m tired of feeling like I’m always in a mentor role.
I want relationships that are truly collaborative and mutually beneficial - that support MY growth.”
Alex:
“I’m craving connections that spark new ideas and big plans -
along with a little accountability to make things happen.”
Ash:
“I feel like I’m working in a silo.
I’m craving a place that feels like “home” in my work, where I see familiar, trusted faces and feel safe showing up even when I feel messy. ”
Casey:
“I want an introvert-friendly place to build relationships -
with actual friends who care about one another.”
“I want to create relationships that serve the version of myself that I'm becoming.”
Where Lous belong
The Lou Lounge is a facilitated, cohort-based program where you build trusted friendships in your work.
Each Lou Lounge cohort is 5 months long, focusing on both business and personal stuff as we build business relationships that will last far beyond this container.
The program includes:
-2 online, facilitated monthly groups (we usually meet on the first two Wednesdays of each month around 12pm Eastern)
-A dual focus on
Understanding and supporting each other’s work: expect creative collaborations and strong referral partnership potential
Building friendships with like-valued, experienced business owners who get it
-A Voxer group for ongoing support and camaraderie
-Collaborative coworking sessions with The Co-Pro Club
-Calm, warm guidance from Janna, your facilitator
-Conversation and questions with care and intention so that you always know what to share, and without the pressure to share more than you want to.
-Space to support the real needs of the Lous - whether that’s working through challenging client relations, shifting offers, collaboration and co-promotion to support growth, or just space to be real about your struggles.
Behind The Lou Lounge:
Janna Carlson grew up as the oldest of seven kids, raised in a far-right Christian cult, and has felt needed for as long as she can remember.
What she missed for most of her life? A sense of belonging, relationships where care-taking flows in both directions.
This has also translated to her work, where Janna has discovered the power of friendships that allow space for her to show up as herself - to cry and laugh when it all feels like too much, to share wisdom, to find support and cheerleading.
Janna discovered that she’s not alone in needing this kind of space, that isolation in our work is a shared challenge and keeps us from running businesses that feel sustainable and nourishing.
The Lou Lounge is the next evolution of Janna’s mission:
To create spaces where like-valued business owners build relationships that help them find easier success, camaraderie, and shared joy in their work.
The Co-Pro Club or The Lou Lounge?
The Co-Pro Club
is the right space for you if:
Your primary focus is developing referral partnerships
You want to develop a wider range of business relationships
You’d like to learn how to be a great referral partner
You’d prefer to be in a micro community over a small cohort
The Lou Lounge
is the right space for you if:
You’re craving trusted business friendships
You’re feeling isolated and exhausted by constant giving
You’re aware that your longevity in business may be partly dependent on finding support for yourself
You’d prefer to be known by just a few trusted people rather than meeting a wider range of folks
It’s difficult to make real friends in group spaces.
There’s a magic in our format that makes this easy.
Groups are facilitated with thoughtful questions.
Questions are usually business-related, but often with a personal undertone.
The nature of our discussion allows us to get to know each other on a deeper level.
We share, we laugh, we’ll probably also cry.
It’s a safe space and that’s the part we take very seriously.
You have room to share fully, without pressure to take up more airtime than feels comfortable to you.
The flow of our conversation is easy. We don’t rush through the pause, but our facilitator keeps things gently moving.
The burden of moving the conversation is NEVER on you.
This intentional approach allows you to relax, show up fully as yourself, and feel seen.
As a result, meaningful connections happen naturally.
FAQs
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We meet twice per month, on Wednesdays around 12pm Eastern, for around an hour. These are mostly held on the first two Wednesdays of the month.
We also stay in touch via Voxer, and you’ll probably want to have 1:1 conversations with the other Lous in your cohort. These might be coffee chats, walk-and-talks, or even meeting in person if it’s possible to do so.
Plan to spend somewhere between 3 and 4 hours each month investing in your Lou friendships.
Coworking sessions with The Co-Promotion Club are completely optional and are in addition to the 3-4 hour/mo time investment.
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Nope, The Lou Lounge is not gender specific.
It’s for experienced online business owners who want to prioritize building their inner circle of support and friendship. You can expect openness, emotional support, and connection that goes deeper than the surface.
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This is a program that offers long-term returns on your investment. You walk away with deep, intentional friendships that help you stay in business without burning out.
The financial ROI potential is also large, as your business friends will also be your loudest supporters. Expect thoughtful collaborations and cross-promotions, people who will support you through a launch while also telling their people about you, and deep referral partnership potential.
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Janna, facilitator of The Lou Lounge, takes care in matching cohorts. If this is your first time in a Co-Promotion Club space, she’ll ask to meet with you and get to know you a little before matching you with a cohort.
Then, if you truly feel that your cohort is not the right place for you after your first two groups, you’ll be able to chat with Janna to discuss options.
While the first $300 ($250 + $50 processing fee) of the enrollment fee is non-refundable, the remainder is eligible for a refund if that emerges as the best option.
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The Lou Lounge isn’t the right space for:
New or early-stage business owners
Those who don’t have current bandwidth for building relationships
Those who are not planning to remain self-employed for the foreseeable future
Those who are primarily concerned with the financial ROI (while financial ROI is highly likely, our primary focus is on building genuine friendships)
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Yes, you’re welcome to pay one time or in five monthly installments.
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Absolutely! They can mention you on their application and you’ll each receive a $50 credit toward your enrollment.
The Lou Lounge:
Spring 2026 cohort
Includes:
-2 online, facilitated groups each month (usually the first two Wednesdays of each month)
-A Voxer group for ongoing support and camaraderie
-Collaborative coworking sessions with The Co-Pro Club
Begins Wednesday, April 8th at 12pm Eastern // 9am Pacific
Cost: 1250 USD (or 250 USD/mo)
Limited to 6 participants
Early applications are open!
Applications open to the general public tomorrow, March 19.