2023 Small Giants Summit Agenda
Pre-Summit: Tuesday, May 2
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Small Giants Leadership Academy Learning Session Diana Wong |
8:30 AM - 3:00 PM *This session is for current Small Giants Leadership Academy members only TechTown Detroit
The Small Giants Leadership Academy Class of 2023 will be coming together for the first time in person with Diana Wong for a compelling session about leadership development. Diana will guide our Leadership Academy cohorts through an energetic day of exercises to allow people of different learning types and social comfort levels equal participation, with the goal of incorporating fun into the experience. She will also speak to the group about creating a psychologically safe culture and climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our participants will walk away with stronger bonds, as well as tools to facilitate engaging and inclusive working sessions with their own teams. |
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Opening Reception |
6:00 PM - 9:00PM *This is our first event with all Summit attendees. We can't wait to see you! Westin Book Cadillac Italian Garden Room
Set the foundation for your Small Giants Summit experience by getting to know fellow attendees, while enjoying heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks! |
Day 1: Wednesday, May 3
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Breakfast |
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Fuel up for the day with breakfast and coffee and get settled before we kick things off. |
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Welcome from the Small Giants Community Team |
9:00 AM - 9:15 AM One Campus Martius
We’ll set the stage for the day and introduce you to the Small Giants Community Team. |
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It's Not About the Bag |
Keynote 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM One Campus Martius
Sometimes, a mid-life crisis can be a good thing. Especially when it comes early (we’re not calling 35 mid-life!) and results in a successful, inspiring, and colorful company. Conni transitioned herself from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, and has built a successful, purpose-driven company. Consuela is more than a company that sells beautiful handbags - in fact, they have a whole program devoted to their mantra “It’s Not About the Bag”. By working with female artisans in Mexico, and creating a program that empowers women who are impacting the world through their kindness, strength, and love, Conni and her team are proving that joy is an incredibly powerful tool. But, how do you harness that magic, that powerful purpose-driven culture, while trying to scale? In addition to detailing the Consuela story, Conni will reflect on how to scale intentionally, and at a pace that feels productive, not destructive. She’ll share tools and ideas that have helped her scale the business (including hiring leadership and seeking guidance from outside the company) while keeping the soul intact. |
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Break |
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM One Campus Martius
Stretch your legs out on the beautiful balcony, chat with your new friends, or sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session (see bottom of agenda for more details). |
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Developing a Mindset of Success |
Interactive Session 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM One Campus Martius
Have you ever had a vision for yourself, but found that excuses and roadblocks were stopping you from reaching your full potential? Most of us have. The challenge is that those excuses are limiting beliefs, which get in your way and leave you feeling stuck and frustrated. In this interactive workshop, Marty and Sarah will explain how limiting beliefs manifest and cause you to work against yourself. They will then go on to share how those limiting beliefs can be transformed into empowering beliefs, which provide you with more confidence, performance, and fulfillment in work and life. You’ll learn how to shift your mindset to create the future you want for yourself and your business. |
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Transforming Lives by Transforming Work |
Long Story Short 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM One Campus Martius
Like plenty of Small Giants leaders, Sam didn’t set out intending to be a business owner just for the sake of it. But how many Small Giants do you know whose Plan A was to become a rabbi? As a side project grew into a 20-person CRM consulting business, OpenTent, Sam realized that instead of being a rabbi he could build community and generate positive impact in another way: by creating a healthy, nourishing, transformative workplace. Sam started intentionally applying the tools of religious community building - rituals, texts, holidays, and meaningful relationships - to creating a robust workplace congregation. In the past year, Sam went through three key transitions: taking a two-month sabbatical from the company he founded, becoming a parent, and buying out his partner to become the sole owner of his business. Join Sam as he walks us through all three moments, and how each one shaped his approach to building community at work. |
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Lunch |
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM One Campus Martius
Take a break and make some new connections over a delicious lunch. You can also take this time to sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session. |
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For Founders & CEOs |
If you are a Founder or CEO, this is your Day 1 afternoon schedule! |
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How to View - and Run - Your Company Like a Financial Asset |
Presentation 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM One Campus Martius - Founders & CEOs
After joining his family business, helping to lead it through a turnaround, and learning valuable lessons in its (not so smooth) sale, Ryan is committed to helping other leaders to not repeat his own mistakes. Using his Intentional Growth™ Framework and his five guiding principles, Ryan hopes to show leaders how to view and run their company like a financial asset so they can grow the value of the business with an end in mind. By separating ownership + leadership roles, learning how companies are valued, and understanding the options available to them for eventually transitioning out of their role and equity, leaders can set themselves on a purposeful long-term path that allows them to turn their vision into reality. |
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Break |
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
One Campus Martius Stretch your legs out on the beautiful balcony, chat with your new friends, or sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session. |
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Acquire Your Greatness |
Panel 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM One Campus Martius - Founders & CEOs
Acquisitions can be an effective way to grow your business - in size, expertise, and reach - while keeping it privately held. However, merging two independent companies comes with its challenges, and requires intensive consideration and communication to be executed successfully. During this panel, moderated by Loren Feldman, we’ll hear from two owners about their motivations and processes of leading their teams through acquisitions. Delcie will discuss how he uses intentional acquisitions as a growth strategy for his IT business, as well as how he factors in his Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to the integration process. While Delcie is looking at acquisitions as a way to scale his business, Camille has a different perspective. In her search for strategies to thoughtfully exit her agency, she found the best solution was to secure a strategic buyer. She’ll talk honestly about the process of fusing the two companies while still maintaining some autonomy, what has worked over the course of this transition, as well as the challenges they’re working through. Both will talk about how to find the right partnership, cultural integration, and the potential pressure points to prepare for when undergoing such a visible transition. |
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Find Your Footing, Trust Your Gut |
Long Story Short 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM One Campus Martius - Founders & CEOs
What’s it like to be pushed into a CEO role after the former CEO left unexpectedly? What about if that person is your brother? Elizabeth can tell you about it! Imposter syndrome is a very real plight for many leaders, and Elizabeth felt it deeply, especially being the head of an IT company full of highly skilled developers, designers, and specialists. She’s had to lead the company through growth and changes, all while refining her own leadership identity. Now in her 8th year as CEO of Smiley Technologies, she’s learned that she does have value as a leader, and can use her own strengths to help her team feel fulfilled. Elizabeth sees the importance of each leader finding their footing, and having something that keeps them grounded, in order to be successful. For her, it’s not only leading a purpose-driven organization, but also her family. Elizabeth transitions every day when she leaves work and returns home. Having a child with a disability, along with her Paralympian husband who’s an eternal optimist, has taught her the importance of being grounded. |
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For Emerging Leaders |
If you are an emerging leader, this is your Day 1 afternoon schedule! |
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Panel 1:00 PM - 2:00PM One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders
We see transitions across organizations all the time - lateral, upward, across teams, but what happens when you move all the way from a project engineer or IT manager to the CEO position? It sounds like a dream scenario, but every good journey comes with its fair share of bumps in the road. In this panel moderated by Sarah Grace Mohr of MACKEY Advisors, David and Matt will share with us their unique stories as homegrown CEOs. Both went through thoughtful, well-planned processes with their predecessors. But each had their own relationship with their former CEOs, and their reasons for wanting to step into this new role. The two will share with good humor and authenticity their transitions through their companies, how the communications were handled across the teams, and what they’ve learned about themselves as leaders along the way. |
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Break |
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
One Campus Martius
Stretch your legs out on the beautiful balcony, chat with your new friends, or sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session. |
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Don't "Grow Broke" |
Interactive Session 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders
Tracy aims to help as many leaders as possible to build successful businesses by strengthening their financial fluency. She knows it can be an intimidating aspect of the business world, because she’s been there, once as a seat-of-her-pants entrepreneur, and now as a financially-focused business leader. Transitions in leadership can be a delicate time for an organization’s financial health. While bringing a new generation of talent to the top can help breathe new life into the organization, you don’t want to take too many risks all at once and “grow broke”. During her interactive session, Tracy will talk about the perspectives and processes that are important for an emerging leader to comprehend when transitioning into their new responsibilities. |
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Blooming a Culture of Transparency |
Long Story Short 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders
When you think of the word “transparency” in regards to business, what comes to mind? Financial transparency? Open book management? While these are incredibly helpful and important, there are ways to build a culture of transparency that go beyond the balance sheet. Steven will speak about his experience as the co-founder and CEO of a business that grew from a group of college friends to a 100-employee, multi-state organization, and how he’s sustained a culture of transparent conversations and processes. He’ll share concepts that Flowers for Dreams has implemented, including department-switching as a mode of officer training, biannual town halls to share sensitive information, using milestones as recruitment efforts, employee-selected charities to receive their profits, and listening sessions with the CEO and every staff member. |
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That's it for Day 1! Feel free to relax + freshen up before our evening event. |
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Evening Reception |
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House
The Detroit Bus Company will be shuttling us from our hotels to a truly special spot, the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. You'll be able to enjoy a fantastic meal, explore some historical exhibition rooms, and continue your conversations with like-hearted leaders. If the weather cooperates, you can even explore the beautiful grounds of the estate! |
Day 2: Thursday, May 4
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Breakfast |
8:00 AM - 8:55 AM One Campus Martius
Fuel up for the day with breakfast and coffee and get settled before we kick things off. |
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Opening Remarks |
8:55 AM - 9:00 AM One Campus Martius
We'll set the tone for the final day of the Small Giants Community Summit. |
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Succession Success |
Opening Panel 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM One Campus Martius
Nobody can (or should!) be CEO forever, but that doesn’t mean that an organization’s strong culture should leave with its leader. Most Small Giants founders value legacy, and want to know that their impact will live on. But how to best approach such a delicate transition? Leaders from two organizations will join us for a panel moderated by Loren Feldman to discuss their succession experiences. Rob Dube, co-founder of imageOne, and Josh Britton, current CEO, will discuss how their organization went from two co-founders down to one person running the company, and why they selected someone from outside of the organization for the role. Kyle Smith, CEO of Reell, and Shari Erdman, President, have worked together for over 15 years. They’re currently in a two-year process in which Kyle and Shari will become co-CEO’s, and eventually, Shari will take over as the sole CEO. These two pairs will share their logic behind their processes, the communication with their employees, what the future holds for them all after the changing of the guard, and the honest challenges they’ve faced amidst the experience. |
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Break |
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM One Campus Martius
Stretch your legs out on the beautiful balcony, chat with your new friends, or sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session. |
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Seek Them, Celebrate Them |
Interactive Session 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM One Campus Martius
There’s always work to be done to make our environments more inclusive. What are you being intentional about when considering inclusive practices within your organization? Are you mindful of both the privileges and obstacles that various members of your team come to the table with, and are you inviting a diverse crowd? Shannon and Jen will come together with their unique yet complimentary areas of expertise to detail the different ways we all can make our spaces more inclusive. Shannon will share inspiration and strategies to aid in attracting, retaining, and advancing women and women of color as top talent, vendors, and suppliers. The entrance may be open for them to walk into a company, but the exit door is open even wider. Jen will speak to her efforts with ClearVision Optical in creating an environment through their benefits and offerings that is supportive of diversity through multiple talent pools, with varied abilities and backgrounds. Both women acknowledge that pursuing a perfectly inclusive culture can feel insurmountable, but that leaders should focus on intentionality and what progress they can impact. You’ll walk away from this interactive session with new perspectives on how to view inclusion and representation, and a list of practical tools for how you can bring action to your efforts to seek, support, and celebrate a diverse team. |
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When Justice is Right at Home in Business |
Long Story Short 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM One Campus Martius
By the time she attended college, lisa had lived in 23 different spaces in six states and 12 different towns. Her deeply personal story is about a child left behind and how that beginning, coupled with an intuitive knack for entrepreneurship, evolved into an intense desire to build security for herself and others. lisa’s mission is to make homeownership, and security, a reality for all. She's built a successful family of companies on the premise that good business gets more business and that people have to come before profit. She believes that, in a world where people will increasingly depend on companies to contribute to stronger and more sustainable communities, business leaders must self-elect to meet this moment. lisa’s story will inspire you to ask how you are uniquely positioned to enact positive change, even if “justice” hasn't been a guiding principle of your business before. Learn how to make your organization justice-oriented using lisa’s three principles: servant leadership, a lean start-up model, and brand differentiation. |
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Lunch |
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM One Campus Martius
Take a break and make some new connections over a delicious lunch. You can also take this time to sign up for a 1-1 speed coaching session. |
| For Founders & CEOs | If you are a Founder or CEO, this is your Day 2 afternoon schedule! |
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What's Your Type? |
Interactive Session 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM One Campus Martius - Founders & CEOs
No two leaders are identical. The ways in which everyone approaches risk, finances, and decision-making all vary. However, reflecting on certain indicators to gain clarity on the type of leader you are can be eye-opening. By using his personal story, research, and the EntreTypes assessment, Ami will take us through his mission of freeing individuals from imposter syndrome and better understanding themselves. He'll also share how leaders can use the results to run their business in an authentic and profitable manner and make financial decisions with confidence. |
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Think Tanks |
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM One Campus Martius - Founders & CEOs
We'll allow attendees the space to share a challenge they've been facing, and break it down in a supportive, problem-solving discussion. This discussion is not only meant to help individual leaders with their challenge, but also allow everyone in the room the space to think about how they may be approaching their own business obstacles. |
| For Emerging Leaders |
If you are an emerging leader, this is your Day 2 afternoon schedule! |
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The Connectivity of an Employee's Journey |
Interactive Session 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders
When hiring, most of us are focused on finding the right talent. But are you doing enough to not only attract those crucial additions, but keep them around? When considering hiring best practices, it’s important to understand the connectivity of each step of an employee’s journey. Elnian will explain how setting a candidate’s expectations properly for their long term trajectory at your organization creates for a more streamlined recruiting, hiring, and onboarding process. She’ll detail how to write an effective job description, how to manage expectations and accountability both for the new hire and their manager, and how to hire for behaviors rather than attitude. When done right, all of this results in the expectations of each employee being met, and therefore them feeling more connected to the organization. This will be a conversational workshop filled with real-life examples and tested ZingTrain practices. |
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Beyond the Logo: Marketing Your Authentic Brand |
Interactive Session 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM One Campus Martius - Emerging Leaders
When it comes to marketing and branding, many companies create internal documents touting their culture to employees (ie the classic ‘mission, vision, values’ poster), and then separately produce external messaging of what they think the outside world wants to see and hear. In reality, these are two content streams that should have little to no divergence at all. And all marketing efforts, be it internal or external, should emphasize who you are as an organization rather than what you sell. Casey and Melissa, members of the Phire Group team, will guide us through the company's proven process of practical ways to bring these two worlds together and create one cohesive brand that spotlights your culture authentically. |
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Now, we will all come back together to wrap up our final day! |
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Meditation + Wrap-Up |
3:00 PM - 3:15 PM One Campus Martius
We'll all return to the main room and close out our time together so we leave feeling reflective and refreshed. |
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Happy Trails! |
We'll all say goodbye to our Small Giants friends and pack our bags, as well as our newfound information and inspiration, to take back to our organizations! |
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Throughout the Summit |
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Mary DeYoung |
Speed Coaching Sessions Throughout the Summit, we'll have several coaches available for 30-minute, 1-1 speed coaching sessions on the topics of team building, strategic planning, growth and scaling, financial literacy, transparency, predictive index assessments, and open book management. You'll be able to tackle your challenges and opportunities with these experts. Check them out here. Coaches include: Mary DeYoung, Dave Haviland, Ami Kassar, Jenna Spencer, and Kevin Walter. Sign-ups are now closed! |
For questions, please email hello@smallgiants.org.