Inc. 500 Conference Wrap Up

Inc. Magazine was kind sufficiency to bring me to the Inc. 500 Conference this assemblage and desired me to blog most the sessions I attended. First of all, I hit to feature that it was amazing and exciting fun. There were close to 1,700 attendees at this conference and at $995 a pop, that makes me conceive entrepreneurs are disagreeable to thrive!Things I heard at the show?"Get around entrepreneurs and intend your battery recharged at the Inc. Conference.""I can't believe how many grouping are at this show! It's a enthusiastic networking event.""I went to this show last assemblage thinking I might not intend much discover of it. What I got was an idea for an whole new playing model."Pretty modify in my opinion. Being Strategic I was fortunate sufficiency to see Erika Andersen who is the CEO of Proteus International. Her company helps another companies conceive most ways to grow finished being strategic. By the size of the room and the attendance of this conference (130 people and full) it sure seems like entrepreneurs are craving aggregation for how to grow in this economy. She was kind sufficiency to hand discover a model for thinking strategically and we all walked finished it for our own businesses. What a great template that any playing crapper place to impact now. I've shared it here.Small Beginnings, Big DreamsSpeaking of inspiration, I got to listen to Jill Blashack Strahan, CEO of Tastefully Simple, speak on the main stage at the Inc. 500 Conference. Today Tastefully Simple is a $140 million company that sells easy-to-prepare matter for busy people. Jill’s news is interesting and inspirational. It actually started with the modification of her brother when she was just 26, which was a major wake up call and ultimately what motivated her to start her business. The saying “Life is Short” became very real to her and she definite that it was time to DO something. She has three major points she lives by: Just Start, Know Where You’re Going, Don’t Stop. Check discover my Inc. post on this enthusiastic conference here. Wow. Now I was full of inspiration and got to speech to a bunch of entrepreneurs between sessions. The energy in the place was exciting and it appeared that diminutive playing is where it's at. Mutual Support for Mutual SuccessI also listened to Keith Ferrazzi, CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a research company that spends time understanding how building relationships crapper make companies grow. His interesting saucer was that relationships are critical to growth and success not only in life but in business. Every entrepreneur who thinks they aren't in sales is crazy. We're all in sales, selling our dream. And in sales discussions, there is a person at the another end of the relation that needs to buy our message. He went on to feature that employees who hit friends at impact hit a 30% higher level of engagement, and 20% more productivity. Completely a surprise! They hit even more fecundity if the friend is a boss.  It’s not just a playing relation according to Keith, it's a personal relation in business. Good point. How to Get Your Message RightLast week I was at the Inc. 500 Conference and caught a conference with Michael Sheehan, CEO of Sheehan Associates. His company helps businesses, people, and government officials craft messaging. At this conference he was discussing how hard it has become to get your message right and intend it understood by your audience in a world where we all hit aggregation overload. Michael stressed that your message isn’t your brand. I’ll admit, at first I was a bit potty by this. But he went on to give a couple of enthusiastic examples, digit of which was Nike. When Nike got bad advise for working with overseas companies that employed young children that were barely paid, “Just Do It” was not their answer. With Coca Cola and the health debate, the “Coke Side of Life” isn’t their answer to immatureness obesity. So he stresses that there is a concentration on branding but not necessarily messaging. Check discover the rest of the news here.Should You Stay Small or Go Big?After that I was at Doug Tatum's session. He's the author of No Man’s Land, What to Do When Your Company is likewise Big to be Small but likewise Small to be Big. What a enthusiastic session. He talked most the "chasm" that companies start into when they're over 25 employees but disagreeable to intend to 100 employees. According to Doug there are 4 "M's" to watch discover for, market, management, model and money. He outlines all of the things to watch discover for in your playing if you're disagreeable to grow past the diminutive giant phase. These things really hit home with me. I posted my notes here.The GalaInc. puts on a enthusiastic gala at the end of the conference. They go all out. We had enthusiastic speeches from top entrepreneurs from the Inc. 500/5000 list. They were truly inspirational. There was not a dry eye in the house when Alison Schubak, CEO of Invisibib, was wheeled onto the stage in her wheelchair, and told her news most after becoming unfit from a automobile accident, she invented a transparent, washable bib for adults with disabilities and launched a company to sell it. She was titled Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. Magazine and deserves every bit of it.We were lucky sufficiency to sit next to #4 on Inc.'s itemize Alden Mills, CEO of Power Pushup who grew his company by leaps and bounds! What a enthusiastic guy. And his in-laws were with him. Unlucky for his father-in-law, the Washington Huskies got stomped by businessman and the team he hates, the Oregon Ducks stomped Cal that weekend. Bummer. But Alden (Ex Navy Seal) has something really going for his company. Congrats Alden!The another company at our table happened to be a VerticalResponse customer...bonus! Doug Parker, CEO of RMCN Credit Services (Repair My Credit Now), discover of McKinney TX, was a wonderful tablemate. These guys hit it going on. I love what they do on their most us page, scanning in all of the enthusiastic things that their customers feature most them. Great job guys!I hit to feature I didn't expect such a wonderful turn discover to this show in this economy, but it was clear to me that diminutive playing and entrepreneurs are thriving and wanting to see and network more than ever. As Doug Tatum place it, we're responsible for over 65% of the employment in the US. We're strong, we persevere, and we'll intend us finished these tough times.