The Essential Conference for Company Builders
Agenda
Day 1
Registration opens
Conference Pass Plus
Pre-Conference Activities
All sessions runs concurrent. Lunch is included.
GrowCo Field Trips
NOLA Brewery Tour and Crawfish Boil
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.
Melba’s Old School Poboys Networking Lunch & Learn
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.
Inc.Edu Courses
How to Double Your Profit and Engagement in 90 Days
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.
Session Leader: Steve Baker, vice president, The Great Game of Business
Get Road Map Ready: Scale Your Business in 6 Months or Less
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.
Session Leader: Les McKeown, president and CEO, Predictable Success; author, Predictable Success, The Synergist, and Do Lead; and columnist, Inc.com
Inc. Marketplace open
GrowCo Networking Meetup
Inc. Office Hours in the
Consulting Corner
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.
Big Easy Welcome Reception
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.
Crescent City Connection: Networking Pub Crawl
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!
Day 2
Registration opens
Inc. Marketplace Opens
Join fellow attendees and conference sponsors in the Inc. Marketplace for coffee, tea, and conversation.
Coffee Hour
Join fellow attendees and conference sponsors in the Inc. Marketplace for coffee, tea, and conversation.
Inc. Office Hours in the Consulting Corner
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.
Workshop Breakfast:
What’s Your Morning Routine?
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: James Ledbetter, editor, Inc. and Inc.com; and author, One Nation Under Gold
Welcome
Remarks by Eric Schurenberg, CEO, Mansueto Ventures
Keynote Sessions
Thrive Among Giants: How Boxed.com Grew to $100 Million
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
21st-Century Brand Strategies: All-Star Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets
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.
Speakers: Emily Heyward, co-founder and chief strategist, Red Antler; Jessica Iclisoy, founder and CEO, California Baby; and Jeff Raider, co-founder, Harry’s
Break
Keynote Sessions
Fast and Furious Growth—How to Scale Strategically and Lead Confidently
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
Networking Lunch
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.
Inc. Office Hours in the
Consulting Corner
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.
Meet the Speaker Book Signing
Books are free while supplies last
Real-Time Problem Solving Breakout Sessions
All breakout sessions run concurrently and the format is workshop (W) or panel (P). Each session’s content focus is denoted by the following: KS = Kick-Start Growth (Launch); KG = Keep Growing (Build/Lead); GS = Grow Smarter (Lead/Innovate/Tech); and GP = Grow Profits (Money/Innovate). Some sessions may fall under multiple pillars.
Break
Keynote Sessions
How to Blow Out the Competition: A Conversation With Drybar Founder Alli Webb
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.
Happy Hour
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.
Meet the Speaker Book Signings
Books are free while supplies last
Drybar Touch Up Salon Station
Inc. Marketplace Closes
GrowCo Party Second-Line Parade
It’s time to dance in the streets! Grab a drink to go as you spill out of the Sheraton 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 official GrowCo Party. We’ll give away colorful beads and handkerchiefs to a lucky few. You definitely won’t want to miss this.
GrowCo Party
Come hang out and revel in the Big Easy. Join the Inc. team as well as fellow GrowCo attendees and speakers in a lively yet casual setting that’s just a short walk from the conference. Enjoy tasty bites, great music, fun games, and refreshing cocktails during the official 2018 GrowCo party. Let the good times roll! Or as the locals say it, Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Day 3
Registration opens
Inc. Marketplace open
Coffee Hour
Join fellow attendees and conference sponsors in the Inc. Marketplace for coffee, tea, and conversation.
Inc. Office Hours in the
Consulting Corner
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 your appointment.
Networking Breakfast with Norm Brodsky
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.
Welcome
Remarks by Eric Schurenberg, CEO, Mansueto Ventures
Break
Keynote Sessions
Social Platforms: Why Your Business Can’t Survive Wthout it
Closing Main Stage Keynote
Networking Lunch
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.
Inc. Office Hours in the
Consulting Corner
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.
Meet the Speaker Book Signings
Inc. Marketplace closes
Real-Time Problem Solving Breakout Sessions
All breakout sessions run concurrently and the format is workshop (W) or panel (P). Each session’s content focus is denoted by the following: KS = Kick-Start Growth (Launch); KG = Keep Growing (Build/Lead); GS = Grow Smarter (Lead/Innovate/Tech); and GP = Grow Profits (Money/Innovate). Some sessions may fall under multiple pillars.
