Agenda - GrowCo Conference

Exclusive to Conference Pass Plus registrants. All sessions runs concurrent. Lunch is included.

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Experience a behind-the-scenes tour of the NOLA Brewing Company’s facilities, sample some of its famous craft beers like Hopitoulas, Nola Brown, and Rebirth Pale Ale, and enjoy an authentic New Orleans crawfish boil with all the fixin’s (think: corn, sausage, garlic, onion, potato, and a whole lotta spice!). You’ll learn about how NOLA Brewing was born and the impact it has had in the Big Easy as well as why it’s always important to know your company’s story to take its branding and business to the next level.

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Experience authentic New Orleans cuisine and get an inside look at Melba’s Old School Poboys. Ranked the No. 1 fastest-company in New Orleans on the 2016 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America (No. 123 overall!) and named one of the “24 Best Restaurants in Unexpected Places” by GQ last year, Melba’s is seeing exponential growth and continues to be a symbol of New Orleans’s resilience, pride, and entrepreneurial spirit post-Katrina. During this networking lunch and learn, enjoy Melba’s delicious food and meet the man behind the vision along with his dedicated staff. Founder and CEO Scott Wolfe will describe how Melba’s came to be, why he’s committed to helping to revitalize the city, and what it really takes to become one of the fastest-growing companies in America.

Exclusive to Conference Pass Plus registrants.

Sessions run concurrently. A lunch and all course materials, including a complimentary book, are included.

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It’s money. It’s people. It’s both. There is no quicker way to produce rapid financial results and lasting cultural change. In this interactive course, learn the fundamentals of Jack Stack’s best-selling book, The Great Game of Business, and how to implement them in your own businesses. The ultimate goal is to create a “business of business people” who think, act, and feel like owners. Learn to develop your own 90-Day Incentive Plan to focus your people on a common goal, encourage them to work together, and build a winning team. You’ll receive a complimentary copy of The Great Game of Business. Space is limited.

Session Leader: Steve Baker, vice president, The Great Game of Business

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Business strategist and best-selling author Les McKeown defines scaling as “the ability to grow your company to whatever size your industry will allow, in whichever geographical footprint you choose to engage.” During this highly intensive, hands-on workshop, Les will walk you through the precise diagnostic process he uses with his global clients to build a specific, customized road map to take your business to scalability. Learn the step-by-step proven methodology that will bring sustained growth and profitability to your organization. And create a roadmap to take your business from break-neck growth to profitable scalability and to overcome once and for all the complexity in your growing business. Space is limited.

Session Leader: Les McKeown, president and CEO, Predictable Success; author, Predictable Success, The Synergist, and Do Lead; and columnist, Inc.com

Host: Norm Brodsky, founder, CitiStorage; partner, Black Gold Suites; co-author, Street Smarts; and columnist, Inc.

During this fun and casual gathering, grab a bite, enjoy a cocktail, and mingle with colleagues and hundreds of your peers. Also, be sure to meet and interact with our conference sponsors throughout the evening. Make the most of your time here by enjoying the official kickoff to Inc.’s Grow Your Company Conference.

We have assembled a team of experts in various areas – money, scaling, and hiring, among others – to offer one-on-one advice and answers to your business challenges. Visit the Inc. Marketplace to book an appointment.

Join fellow attendees and conference sponsors in the Inc. Marketplace for coffee, tea, and conversation.

Exclusively for Conference Pass Plus registrants.

Start the day with a hearty breakfast as you network with other entrepreneurs you’ll be learning alongside. During this exclusive morning meet up, Benjamin Spall, author of My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired, will show you how to develop a daily habit that moves you forward. Whether you want to boost your productivity or implement a fitness or meditation routine, this workshop will help you craft the right method to start your day. This session includes Q&A and a book signing with the author. Each attendee will receive a complimentary book.

Session Leader: Benjamin Spall, co-author, My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired
Introduction: Jon Fine, executive director – editorial, Inc.

Remarks by Eric Schurenberg, CEO, Mansueto Ventures

Most find out the hard way that scaling a business is different from merely growing it. To properly scale, it requires a fundamental shift in thinking, behaviors, and skills from even the most successful business leader. But how do you grow alongside your business while simultaneously taking it to the next level? In this highly interactive session, business strategist and best-selling author Les McKeown will outline the five key transitions every business leader must make if he or she genuinely wants to scale a business, and not just grow it.

Speaker: Les McKeown, president and CEO, Predictable Success; author, Predictable Success, The Synergist, and Do Lead; and columnist, Inc.com

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Speaker: Jeff Raider, co-founder, Harry’s; and CEO, Harry’s Labs
Interviewer: Jon Fine, executive director – editorial, Inc.

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Speaker: Marne Levine, COO, Instagram
Interviewer: Allison Fass, VP of digital growth, Inc. and Fast Company

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Speaker: Daymond John, founder and CEO, FUBU; presidential ambassador, Global Entrepreneurship; CEO, The Shark Group; and co-star of ABC’s Shark Tank

Grab a meal and enjoy a recess with your fellow conference attendees. Exchange information and ideas as you discuss what it means to start, run, or grow a business.

Speakers: Darnell Holloway, director – business outreach, Yelp; and Bill Tancer, author, Everyone’s A Critic
Moderator: James Ledbetter, editor in chief, Inc. and Inc.com; and author, One Nation Under Gold

Speakers: Andrea Chen, co-founder and executive director, Propeller; Lauren Haydel, founder, Fleurty Girl; and Scott Wolfe, founder, president and CEO, Melba’s Old School Poboys
Moderator: Will Yakowicz, staff writer, Inc.

Preparing for the worst-case scenario is not the first thing on most entrepreneurs’ to-do lists. Yet having a solid contingency plan can help ensure a company’s sustainability as it helps set the business apart from the mainstream. In this workshop, learn best practices for contingency planning, discover a proactive process that ensures long-term growth and wards against failure, and find out how planning for the worst can actually be your best source of innovation and business growth. Also, you will be given a unique tool to identify, capture, rank, and prioritize innovative products, services, and business ideas.

Session Leader: Steve Baker, vice president, the Great Game of Business
Introduction: Emily Canal, staff writer, Inc.

In an extension of his earlier keynote, Predictable Success founder and CEO Les McKeown will explain the precise structure and skill set that define a highly scalable team. In this practical workshop, find out how to identify what your team should be focused on and how they should interact with one another. And determine how to effectively and efficiently make consistently high-quality, scalability-focused decisions. Whether or not you already have an A-Team, in this session you’ll learn not what but rather whom you need to take your business to the next level.

Session Leader: Les McKeown, president and CEO, Predictable Success; author, Predictable Success, The Synergist, and Do Lead; and columnist, Inc.com
Introduction: Burt Helm, senior contributing writer, Inc.

Session Leader: Isadora Ferraz Coelho, North America Regional Lead, Blueprint
Introduction: Jon Fine, executive director – editorial, Inc.

It’s time to relax and unwind. Grab a drink and network with Inc. editors and your fellow conference attendees as you discuss the day’s highlights.

It’s time to dance in the streets! Grab a drink to go as you spill out of the Marriott hotel onto the streets of New Orleans to dance to the joyful sounds of an authentic second-line band. The band will ceremoniously lead our group in style to the location of the first bar on the GrowCo Bar Crawl. We’ll give away colorful beads and handkerchiefs to a lucky few. You definitely won’t want to miss this.

What better way to network and explore the city of New Orleans than with cocktails and conversation? Some of NOLA’s best bars are opening their doors just for us to mix and mingle during our exclusive GrowCo Pub Crawl. Network with Inc. editors and other attendees as you hang in and around the French Quarter. Plus, you can start and stop at any designated location you like!

Join fellow attendees and conference sponsors in the Inc. Marketplace for coffee, tea, and conversation.

Exclusively for Conference Pass Plus registrants.

Start the day with a hearty breakfast as you interact with other entrepreneurs you’ll be learning alongside. During this exclusive morning meetup, you’ll get insight from beloved Inc. columnist, best-selling author, and serial entrepreneur Norm Brodsky.

Host: Norm Brodsky, founder, CitiStorage; partner, Black Gold Suites; co-author, Street Smarts; and columnist, Inc.

James Ledbetter, editor in chief, Inc. and Inc.com; and author, One Nation Under Gold

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Chieh Huang and his co-founders launched bulk grocery e-commerce Boxed in 2013 from his parents’ garage in New Jersey. The risk paid off when Boxed grew from $40,000 in sales to more than $100 million in just three years. Chieh will share how he raised $132 million in venture capital, why he feels responsible for each of the company’s 400 employees, and what it really takes to compete with Amazon. Learn how to think (and work) outside the box to build a company that thrives.

Speaker: Chieh Huang, co-founder and CEO, Boxed

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What does it take to build a brand that people will love today as well as tomorrow? Founders from some of today’s most popular and admired businesses as well as industry experts discuss the power of brand identity and connecting with your customers. Using their respective marketing prowess and entrepreneurial insights, this brand-savvy all-star panel will share best practices that have allowed them to stand out from the crowd. They will discuss the importance of storytelling, how technology is disrupting the marketing industry, and why the customer experience is more crucial than ever before.

Speaker: Emily Heyward, co-founder and chief strategist, Red Antler

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Speaker: Cal Henderson, co-founder and CTO, Slack
Interviewer: James Ledbetter, editor in chief, Inc. and Inc.com; and author, One Nation Under Gold

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When it comes to the business of blowouts, Drybar founder Alli Webb isn’t just a big player – she created the industry. Her first brick-and-mortar location opened in 2010 in Los Angeles. Now the former solo stylist has nearly 100 salons nationwide and a line of products sold online and around the world. Alli will describe past and present growing pains and successes that can help you. Learn how she grew Drybar from $1 million to $70 million in five years, why she hired a “professional” CEO to replace her brother, how she became a better leader, and how Drybar continues to differentiate itself by keeping a laser sharp focus.

Speaker: Alli Webb, founder, Drybar; and author, The Drybar Guide to Good Hair for All
Interviewer: Burt Helm, senior contributing writer, Inc.

Grab a meal and enjoy a recess with your fellow conference attendees. Exchange contact information and sharp observations as you discuss what it means to start, run, or grow a business.

Norm Brodsky has seen and done it all. Relying on decades of business experience, know how, and street smarts, Brodsky is here at GrowCo to help YOU. He will share pivotal moments in his entrepreneurial journey that include stories of setback and success as well as lessons he’s learned along the way. No problem is too big and no issue is too small for him to tackle in this open forum.

Session leader: Norm Brodsky, founder, CitiStorage; partner, Black Gold Suites; co-author, Street Smarts; and columnist, Inc.
Introduction: Jon Fine, executive director – editorial, Inc.

Speakers: Rachel Blumenthal, founder and CEO, Rockets of Awesome; Bayard Winthrop, founder, president and CEO, American Giant; and Daniella Yacobovsky, founder, BaubleBar
Moderator: Tom Foster, editor at large, Inc.

Today social media is do or die for most entrepreneurs. During this workshop, determine the right digital strategy for your needs and your budget. Learn how to recognize trends and to better utilize social media and distribute content. Learn best practices, how to engage media and other influencers, how to allocate your budgets, and how strategic social media investment can guarantee a boost to your bottom line. Walk away from this interactive workshop with tactics to help you effectively use social media so that you spend your money and time wisely.

Speaker: Spectacular Blue Smith, founder and CEO, Adwizar
Session Leader: Shama Hyder, founder and CEO, The Marketing Zen Group; and author, The Zen of Social Media Marketing
Introduction: Emily Canal, staff writer, Inc.

After years of discussing growth challenges with entrepreneurs, Ami Kassar is ready to use his insight and resources help you. In this interactive session, you will be challenged to think about what you will do with your next million dollars. Learn what goes into building positive leverage, how to look for opportunities for business owners to grow, and how to determine the best ways to invest it in your business and/or yourself. And find out how finding and spending money wisely changes as your company transitions into the various entrepreneurial lifecycles. This is your chance to discover how you really feel about your business and its prospect for growth.

Speakers: Lisa Bradley and Cameron Cruse, founders, R. Riveter
Session Leader: Ami Kassar, founder and chief executive, MultiFunding; author, The Growth Dilemma; and columnist, Inc.com
Introduction: Burt Helm, senior contributing writer, Inc.

Speakers: Tom Gimbel, founder and CEO, LaSalle Network; Andrew Paradise, founder and CEO, Skillz; Nina Vaca, founder and CEO, Pinnacle Group
Moderator: James Ledbetter, editor, Inc. and Inc.com; and author, Unwarranted Influence

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