I love going to conferences because I walk away with so much inspiration. I was so fortunate to attend the 2015 GrowCo Conference, Inc. Magazine put on in Nashville, TN at The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum and Nashville's newest hotel, Omni Nashville. Thank you The UPS Store for sponsoring me to attend this event and thank you to my local chapter EO Nashville for being a part of this awesome conference. Having the opportunity to learn from some of the top entrepreneurs in the world makes me so excited to help others. At the conference, there was a #ViaStories video booth to capture the WHY and passion behind each attendee. Here is my quick story-explaining how I love event and wedding planning, but also have become the “paperless, productivity and profitability expert”!
I was able to network with hundreds of top-tier business owners, who are like minded entrepreneurs. The speaker line-up was amazing, and I was able to learn something from each session. The speakers shared valuable insight to how they started their companies, what they have learned and how to be better. The focus was strategy and how to keep moving up. Tapping into all the experience was priceless. A few of the speakers included:
Marcus Lemonis @marcuslemonis
Chairman and CEO, Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises; Star of the CNBC Television show The Profit
Jessica Alba @jessicaalba @Honest
Founder, The Honest Company
Daymond John
Founder and CEO, FUBU; Star of ABC Television show Shark Tank
Joe Gebbia
CPO and Co-Founder, Airbnb
David Chang @davidchang @momofuku
Chef/Owner, MomoFuku
Johnny Earle @JohnnyCupcakes Founder and CEO, Johnny Cupcakes
Thank you to the sponsors who helped to bring this event to life. Thank you for your support and understanding the needs of business owners.
Spark Business from Capital One
Entrepreneurs Organization – Nashville
National Association of Women Business Owners – Nashville
The UPS Store really hit home by creating an artist story board out each speakers experience. Here are a few samples of his work. I loved watching him work his magic!
Warner Music really showed Nashville off well by having acts in-between speakers. The attendees loved that personal touch! Dan & Shay and Dean Alexander were among the favorites!
Dan + Shay
One of my favorite blogs I will share is the top 15 takeaways by Spark Business Team:
-“Remember, you are the brand. What are the two to five words that you stand for? If you don’t declare those words, others will do it for you.” – Daymond John, ABC’s Shark Tank
-“You’re never too old or too young to job shadow another company and learn from their successes and failures.” – Johnny Earle, Johnny Cupcakes
-“The customer experience is the heart of your company.” – Jessica Alba, The Honest Company
-“You’ve got to know that you’re out against failure all the time, but the prize is so great it’s worth going after.” – Jay Rogers, Local Motors
-“If you’re disrupting an industry, you can’t follow a playbook.” – Kara Golden, Hint Water
-“It’s important to give yourself runway to fail.” – Mariam Naficy, Minted
-“The way you know you’re growing too fast is a decrease in customer satisfaction…Complaints show cracks in the customer experience” – Brian S. Lee, The Honest Company
-“Rejection is really just an invitation to keep going.” – Joe Gebbia, Airbnb
-“People are going to be negative. You have to use that negativity to prove those guys wrong.” – Johnny Earle, Johnny Cupcakes
-“The best type of customer research you can ever do is observing your customers in their own environment.” – Joe Gebbia, Airbnb
-“Openly sharing ideas allows you to stand on the shoulders of giants” – Jay Rogers, Local Motors
-“Real innovation has to merge with craftsmanship and failure.” – David Chang, Momofuku Restaurant Group
-“Trying to launch? Focus on one thing. Get something out there, and get it out fast.” Scott Duffy, Best-Selling Author of Launch!
-“If you’re going to put in the effort, dream big and go big.” – Brian S. Lee, The Honest Company
-“Business owners need to create a culture that supports people taking risks.” – Bre Pettis, Formerly of MakerBot
With more than 4,400 locations, The UPS Store network comprises the nation’s largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers. Each store’s innovative approach to helping the everyday entrepreneur includes 3D printing services, business consulting and opportunities for mentoring and sharing best practices among SBO customers. The UPS Store continues to problem solve with quality solutions and improved efficiency for its customers each day. The UPS Store is the neighborhood ally for anyone looking to start or sustain their dream venture. Thank you again to The UPS Store for sponsoring me at this wonderful event!
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