I Went to SOBCon 2012 and All I Got Was…
May 7, 2012 4 Comments
Inspired. Again.
Encouraged. Again.
Deeper relationships. Again.
New perspective. Again.
Validated. Again.
A chance to brainstorm and dream and hug and laugh and figure stuff out with a bunch of smart, pay-it-forward entrepreneurs who don’t mind talking about things like purpose and failure and love.
If you were there, what did you get? Add your thoughts in the comments!
A few top-of-mind moments that impacted me most:
>>Tim Sanders (@SandersSays) talking about purpose in a way that helped me re-write my own mission statement (“My purpose is to help people and companies discover their identity and purpose, and to create new opportunities for people to thrive optimally in supportive networks.”)
>>Laura Fitton (@Pistachio) speaking so transparently about her near-death business experience with OneForty.
>>Steve Farber (@SteveFarber) recounting how making a personal contact opened up a whole new pinball effect of new opportunities in an unanticipated direction.
>>Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) just being there so soon after a serious operation.
>>Les McKeown (@LesMcKeown) speaking. Doesn’t matter what he says. I want to download his accent (actually, his presentation was great fun!)
Some of the great folks I got to meet, or go much deeper with, this year included Phil Gerbyshak (he of the multi-colored glasses frames), Liz Marshall, Jeff Shuey, Sarah Robinson, Brian Moran (imagine what it was like with the latter four plus Carol Roth and me at one table – trouble!), Jesse Petersen, Xan Pearson, Kyle Akerman, Nick Kellet, Jane Boyd, Patrick Prothe (finally IRL – where’s my pager?), Aaron Biebert, Christian Gurney, and more that I can’t recall at the moment because of advancing age.
And, as always, it was wonderful to hang out with “old” pals like Sean McGinnis, Lisa Diomede, Anthony Iannarino, Cate Colgan, Becky McCray, Sheila Scarborough, Shashi Bellamkonda, Amber Cleveland, Molly Cantrell-Kraig, Marla Schulman, Justin Levy, Jeannie Walters, Darrell DeRochier, and many others – what a great crew.
This was my third SOBCon gathering in Chicago, and each time, it’s been like walking into a gold mine of great people full of energy and good will. Collaborations and friendships that have begun “in the room” at SOBCon endure, and grow, to this day. How did LeadershipChat begin? Through meeting Lisa Petrilli (@LisaPetrilli) two years ago at SOBCon.
Special thanks to Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie and Liz Strauss for putting on this labor of love each year. The Portland version is coming up later this year for those inclined to spend a few wonderful days of retreat in the great Northwest.
SOBCon is not merely a conference. It’s like family. If you’ve not had a chance to go – put it on your calendar!
(Ha! Just looked back on my blog from 2010 and realized I used the same title to review that year’s SOBCon! Here’s a few thoughts from 2011 as well).
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So glad we finally got a chance to go deep! I learned a lot and know where my work needs to go to take it to the next level, and I owe much of that to your insights.
And to the SOBCon experience – I say wow! I’ve been there every year and this year was my favorite. My business will be even stronger thanks to all you mentioned. Amazing!
Always a pleasure, Steve! I agree with what Phil says – this year was my favorite. I seemed to be in the right place to hear messages that will push me forward. Hope our paths cross again IRL soon!
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