Category: Top Articles

As seen on BigSpeak.com

Meet BigSpeak’s newest exclusive speaker and Hollywood icon Val Kilmer. After a lifetime of living in the spotlight as a stage actor and international film star, Kilmer now enters the arena as a keynote speaker.

Beginning his career as a stage actor at the age of 4, Kilmer became an international film star in the 1980s starting with Top Secret!, then the cult classic Real Genius, as well as the blockbuster films Top Gun, Willow, and The Saint. His professional career began when he was accepted into Juilliard’s drama department at 17, making him the youngest acceptance to date. While studying at The Juilliard School, he co-authored and starred in the play How It All Began, which was directed by Des McAnuff and performed at the Public Theatre at the New York Shakespeare Festival to national acclaim. He also appeared on Broadway in “The Slab Boys” with Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn. Subsequently, he joined The Colorado Shakespeare Festival starring in Hamlet in 1988.

Kilmer’s film credits include: Doc Holliday in the classic western Tombstone; Jim Morrison in  Oliver Stone’s rock ‘n roll biopic The Doors; the starring role and title character in The Saint; Bruce Wayne in the global smash Batman Forever; starring opposite Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in Heat; co-starring with Marlon Brando in The Island of Dr. Moreau; and starring opposite Michael Douglas the the thriller The Ghost and the Darkness. He also lent his voice to the first Dreamworks animated film The Prince of Egypt after being asked to play both Moses and God by his friends Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. In 2012, Kilmer was awarded an honorary doctorate of Fine Arts from William Woods University.

His art extends farther than acting. He has written, directed, and produced plays, released a CD and donated the profits to charity, and created enamel paint on metal art exhibits shown across the nation.

Kilmer is also a devout Christian Scientist and attributes his success as an actor to his faith. When he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 his faith helped him push through his battle.

Val Kilmer’s speaking includes…

An Evening with Val Kilmer: an in-depth look at the behind-the-scenes life of Hollywood icon Val Kilmer

Citizen Twain with Host Val Kilmer: an exclusive screening of Kilmer’s one-man-show where he plays Mark Twain, with an additional Q&A

Maintaining the Kilmer Brand Throughout the Years: how to brand yourself and your business while creating a legacy like Val Kilmers

Artist in More than Acting: a look at how Val Kilmer uses his creativity throughout his life and through different mediums, and how you can harness your creativity

The Healing of Cancer: Val Kilmer’s battle with cancer, prevention and awareness, and how to reclaim your life from it

Val Kilmer and Faith: the importance of faith and Val Kilmer’s personal journey with faith

---

The content writers at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau are Experts on the Experts. They hold doctoral, masters, and bachelors’ degrees in business, writing, literature, and education. Their business thought pieces are published regularly in leading business publications. Working in close association with the top business, entrepreneur, and motivational speakers, BigSpeak content writers are at the forefront of industry trends and research.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

For the third time in four years, Peter Guber and Joe Lacob’s Golden State Warriors celebrated their NBA Championship at the pregame ring ceremony. Rakuten kicked off the 2018-2019 season with an elaborate unveiling ceremony, in which the team and its management were awarded with their championship rings from the previous season.

The diamond-encrusted rings were designed by Jason of Beverly Hills who took into consideration the preferences of the owners, Peter Guber and Joe Lacob, the players, and the fans. It was all smiles last night as everyone flashed their impressive rings. After working with multiple Warriors players in the past on different pieces of jewelry, Jason of Beverly Hills was able to truly portray the team’s story in the ring.

The team also launched the Championship Ring Raffle, giving fans a chance to win a 2017-2018 ring, donating all the proceeds to the Warriors Community Foundation for education and youth development. The winner not only gets a certified NBA Championship ring, but they will be flown to the Bay Area for a two-night stay and suite tickets to a Warriors home game.

The Warriors went on last night to beat Oklahoma City Thunder by a slim eight points in the season opener. Even though the Warriors’ hands are getting heavy with Championship rings, it looks like they’re starting the season strong in the hopes they score another.

---

Jessica Welch is the Content Marketing Associate at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

By now most of us have heard of Netflix alumni Marc Randolph, Mitch Lowe, and Patty McCord for their roles in revolutionizing the movie industry. But Netflix would have never broken ground if it weren’t for the man who took the mail-ordered-movie service to the next level. Meet Gibson Biddle—the man behind Netflix’s streaming capabilities and our reason to Netflix-and-chill.

In 2005, Biddle took on the role of Vice President of Product Management for Netflix’s DVD rental-by-mail service. At the time, Netflix had around 2 million subscribers and a long list of complaints, starting with a class-action lawsuit due to inconsistency in delivery methods and distribution. Biddle, along with the rest of the Netflix team, fought the lawsuit but came out the other side financially hurting.

It was time for innovation…and fast. By 2007, Biddle not only helped Netflix out of financial difficulty but also created an entirely new industry with his addition of video streaming to the Netflix platform. He grew their subscriber base to over 120 million consumers.

During his time at Netflix, Biddle learned key lessons in ethics, innovation, leadership, customer care, and product management that he carried with him throughout his career. In 2010, Biddle took his talents to Chegg, Inc., the online textbook rental company, where he more than quadrupled their revenue as Chief Product Officer.

His dedication to building the online textbook rental platform (eTextbooks, homework help, scholarships, and college admission services for college and high school students) saved students a combined $500 million per year on education expenses.

Biddle currently serves as Board Observer and Executive-in-Residence for NerdWallet, a $100 million startup used to provide clarity for life’s financial decisions. And has also served as an Executive-in-Residence for a pay-by-mile insurance startup, MetroMile, giving the team valuable product leadership. In addition, Biddle has lent his expertise to product leaders at Reddit, Experticity, NatureBox, Life360, ClassDojo, Udemy, and SVAcademy.

Biddle now lectures at Stanford University, teaching entrepreneurship courses for engineering graduate programs, as well as sharing the lessons he learned from his time at Netflix through his business keynote speaking.

---

Jessica Welch is the Content Marketing Associate at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

Love the song playing overhead in the coffee shop but no one has any idea who it’s by or what it’s called? “Oh, just Shazam it.”

In 2018, we throw this term around as a verb, similar to how we say “Google it” when referring to searching the internet. The music-identifying app Shazam was the first of its kind and has fought long and hard for its place as the industry dominator. It’s not every day a new technology becomes synonymous with one company and when this happens it means someone did something very right.

It wasn’t always blaring success for Shazam. Co-Founder and Board Director, Chris Barton had the idea for identifying music on mobile phones before smartphones and the ease of iPhone apps existed. Barton created Shazam in 1999 at a time when you would have to call a 4-digit number, let the other end listen, and receive a text with the song name and artist. It’s easy for us to look back and see how Barton was leaps and bounds beyond his time, but in the early 2000s investors didn’t feel the same.

With the crashing markets, finding investors who were interested in B2C products was rare. There were also the doubters.  A lot of people didn’t see Shazam’s purpose. To this day Barton uses one of his rejections as inspiration—“I don’t see why anyone would ever use this.” But Barton had a vision worth pursuing and he knew it.

Barton launched the company in 2002 with 1 million songs in its database and a 15 second processing time to retrieve the song title and artist. While it was still in its infancy, Barton worked for the mobile department of Google and as the head of Dropbox’s mobile operator development.

It wasn’t until 2015 that Shazam became profitable and Barton left his other jobs. Today Shazam has over 500 million users worldwide and it takes only 2 seconds to identify songs from its database of over 30 million songs. Last year Apple Music bought Shazam after seeing the $300 million yearly revenue Shazam drives for music sales, much of which goes to Apple Music.

Barton now pursues his dream of advising passionate entrepreneurs through his business, leadership, and entrepreneur speaking, as well as serving on the board of advisors for FEM Inc., Eko Devices, and Zycada.

He inspires his audiences to follow their dreams with Shazam’s journey and the lessons he learned along the way. He shows both the emotions and logic behind building a company that has dominated an industry and become a household term.

---

Jessica Welch is the Content Marketing Associate at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

“What if you have a passion to change the world but don’t have access to that kind of personal wealth? We believe that we are not only transforming the nature of transportation, we are also defining the future of work in the 21st century.” — Dirk Ahlborn, keynote speaker and co-founder of Hyperlooop Transportation Technologies

 

It’s 2028 and you’re walking out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, buzzing about Taylor Swift’s third divorce when you realize you only have 45 minutes to meet your friend for pizza in Chicago. Where did the time go? However, you’re not worried. You can just walk over to the new hyperloop station and be in Chicago in less than a half-hour.

As you get to hyperloop central, there’s a long line of people waiting to board. But you don’t even break a sweat—with a capsule leaving every couple minutes, you’re seated in a comfy chair and moving in no time.

As the capsule accelerates up to speeds of 769 mph, slightly below the speed of sound, you check out the augmented windows to keep track of your journey and access the high-speed Internet. Before you can finish the Breaking Bad episode you were watching, you’re stepping out in windy Chicago, ready for some deep dish pizza.

The world of Hyperloop travel and the Quintero One

Welcome to a future made possible by the mind of Elon Musk and the entrepreneurship of Dirk Ahlborn—innovator, keynote speaker, and CEO and Co-Founder of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Inc. Since its founding, HyperloopTT has set up headquarters in Toulouse, France, employed more than 800 people worldwide, created the framework for ensuring the industry with Munich Re, reached three commercial agreements for Hyperloop technologies (in China, Ukraine, and Abu Dhabi), and has started development in China Spain, UAE, and France.

Now HyperloopTT has revealed the first-ever, full-scale, passenger-carrying Hyperloop capsule that travels up to 769 mph. They’ve named it the “Quintero One” 

You don’t have to look into a crystal ball to see safe, high-speed travel is in your future. Hyperloop is where airplane speed meets ground-level transportation. By using a network of low-pressure tubes, built on pylons or placed underground, Hyperloop will be able to transport thousands of people hourly between cities in maglev capsules, cutting travel times down from hours to minutes. Your days of complaining about air traffic delays are numbered.

Unlike other public train transportation systems, Ahlborn says Hyperloop will be profitable because of its low energy cost and minimal environmental impact. Solar panels on the outside of the tubes will provide the electricity needed to propel the capsules in a frictionless tube environment. Due to its innovative and high-tech design, the system will be silent, emission-free, and almost completely automated, saving on labor and environmental costs.

While it will take years to perfect and build the hyperloop tracks to transport people between cities, by using crowdsourcing, Ahlborn envisions the challenges of hyperloop travel will be overcome much more quickly. And with the interest of multiple countries, there is no shortage of funding for the project. However, with much work to do, we probably won’t see the first hyperloop stations in major cities until the late 2020s.

Dirk Ahlborn’s innovative projects and keynotes

Hyperloop is just the latest of Ahlborn’s world-changing projects. A serial entrepreneur, he has been instrumental in the development of several startup companies, including Advanced Turbine Designs, Inc., a developer of natural-gas-fueled gas turbine generators for combined heat and power and the web portal JumpStarter, that uses crowdsourcing from idea to funding to create smarter and more successful companies. The building of the Hyperloop is one of Jumpstarter’s first and most well-known projects. HyperloopTT uses the crowdsourcing of Jumpstarter to bring the brightest minds and the best investors together. The aerodynamic design for the Quintero One was contributed by PriestmanGoode design consultancy.

In addition to changing how we travel, Ahlborn is also an engaging keynote speaker, who gives exciting talks on innovation, disruption, crowdsourcing, and entrepreneurship.

---

Kyle Crocco is the Content Marketing Coordinator at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, and the lead singer of Duh Professors. He regularly publishes business book reviews and thought articles on Medium, Business 2 Community, and Born 2 Invest.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

By now you’ve heard about Nike’s ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick and you most definitely have an opinion about it. BigSpeak exclusive speaker and celebrity branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev says that’s exactly the point. It doesn’t matter how you feel about it. In today’s world of branding and advertising, the best thing a company can do is get people talking.

Right now Nike is at the forefront of everyone’s mind and Kaepernick, who seemed to have been slowly fading into the background, has reappeared on the scene. Sehdev explains when it comes to personal branding and company branding consumers’ desires have changed. They value honesty, transparency, and authenticity. Taking a stand—any stand—makes your audience feel like you are being real with them about your company’s values. They want to feel connected to what they are buying into on a deeper level.

In his interview with Forbes, Sehdev is credited with inspiring the ad’s tagline “Believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything.” In his bestselling book The Kim Kardashian Principle and throughout his marketing keynote speeches, he claims that the most important part of branding is to “sacrifice everything if you believe in something.”

To hear his full talk about branding in the age of the Kardashians click here.

Whether or not he agrees with the ad, Sehdev believes it will help boost both Nike’s business and Kaepernick’s personal brand. He says over the years he’s watched the evolution of branding enough to know that this ad has helped keep Kaepernick relevant, as well as appealed to the authenticity consumers crave.

To get people talking about your company, check out BigSpeak’s Marketing and Branding Keynote Speakers.

---

Jessica Welch is the Content Marketing Associate at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

“I didn’t know what it was gonna take to get here and all I can say is that had I known that I was gonna be up here one day, I sure would have saved all my rookie cards.”

— Dave Winfield, Hall of Fame Induction Speech

If you know baseball, you know Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. Besides an impressive MLB career spanning 22 years, more than 3,000 hits, and over 450 home runs, Winfield holds the distinction of the only athlete ever drafted into four professional sports leagues—NBA, ABA, NFL, and MLB—and the first active athlete to create a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation.

After years of working as an analyst for Fox Sports and ESPN, Winfield now splits his time between working for the MLB Players Association, delivering well-received motivational keynotes, and moderating talks like the one he did with baseball legend Derek Jeter on Sept. 25 in Santa Barbara.

Though Winfield and Jeter played in different eras of the game, they were no strangers. The two first met when Jeter was a rookie. Winfield recalled speaking at a rookie career development seminar and how Jeter peppered him with questions over the course of the event. A relationship was formed and they kept in contact throughout Jeter’s career.

Over the course of a half-hour moderated talk at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara Hotel, Winfield deftly guided Jeter through questions about sports, business, and community service; success and leadership, and brands for companies and individuals.

The two found common ground on giving a voice to players. Winfield gives voice to baseball players as a member of the MLB Players Association while Derek Jeter gives players a voice through his new media service, The Players’ Tribune, where players can connect directly to fans in their own words.

The two giants of baseball also connected on what it takes to succeed in the sport. They both agreed you need to be surrounded by a good team. Jeter was fortunate to have a supportive family as well as meeting other successful athletes, like Michael Jordan, to guide him through the process of being in the national spotlight.

Not only did they agree it was important to have a good team, but to do well, you must also be quiet and listen. When you listen you learn a lot more.

After the moderated talk, Winfield took a few moments to share that he is now working with the MLB Players Association on post-career opportunities for players.

If you’re interested in booking Winfield for a motivational talk, leadership keynote, or moderated session, and learning more about his past or current endeavors contact BigSpeak Speakers Bureau.

---

Kyle Crocco is the Content Marketing Coordinator at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, and the lead singer of Duh Professors. He regularly publishes business book reviews and thought articles on Medium, Business 2 Community, and Born 2 Invest.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

You take a seat in the audience. The lights go down. The speaker bounds out on stage to a burst of applause. The presentation is smooth, polished, funny — but something is off. You’re not laughing, and the material feels stale. This is a big name, a New York Times bestselling author. Yet, somehow, you’re not feeling it.

Then it hits you. You’ve seen this exact presentation before on YouTube. The only difference between this keynote and the speech the presenter gave at the last conference you attended is the company name and logo on the PowerPoint deck. If you feel had, imagine how the rest of the audience feels. Wonder what those “smile sheets” will reveal in the post-session surveys?

Don’t panic. There’s a cure for keynote déjà vu: moderated sessions.

This format is also great for showcasing big-name celebrities. While your typical celebrity gives a great performance on film — after 14 takes, great lighting and a bunch of editing — they usually don’t knock it out of the park with a keynote. Part of it is their performance, and part of it is your expectations of perfection. BUT…imagine, if you will, a magic potion that makes it all better.

A.K.A. the fireside chat
I have to admit that when I first started in the speaker industry, I wasn’t a big fan of the moderated session. I thought, why do you want to sit in on someone else’s conversation when you can see a speaker bang out the three points you need to know to “shift paradigms for a pivotal game changer”? (Gag!).

But after seeing hundreds of keynotes, I now understand moderated sessions not only liven up a conference, but they can also be more powerful than the classic three-point presentation. Unlike your standard keynote, moderated sessions are customizable, smooth, conversational and intimate, no matter how large the crowd.

Intimate setting
Take your typical keynote: In the middle of the stage sits a lectern and a huge screen. During the talk, the speaker either stands behind the lectern or paces back and forth across the stage, clicker in hand, gesturing to the screen. There is a clear separation between the role of speaker and audience and, usually, no interaction.

Moderated sessions on the other hand have a cozy feel. Instead of a lectern, there are two comfortable chairs facing each other as if the speaker and the moderator were in a living room together. The intimate feel puts the audience at ease, makes the speakers relaxed and produces a much deeper and personal experience.

Role of the moderator
Another big difference of moderated sessions is the control the moderator has. The person running things onstage can be someone from inside the organization or another expert in the field, as long as he or she has insight into the industry and the speaker.

Having the right moderator changes the dynamic. The best moderator is someone energetic, funny and quick-witted. It’s their job to control the pace of the session, to give enough time for answers and steer the conversation in whatever direction best engages the audience to keep everyone involved. They are a friend, storyteller and emcee rolled into one.

The key is in the questions
But the biggest difference in terms of the experience are the questions. In your standard keynote, you get great ideas packed into a short time frame. Questions, if any, come at the Q&A and are usually rushed, as the speaker has other obligations.

A moderated session, on the other hand, allows the questioner to unpack those ideas and go much deeper than would be the case in your standard canned speech. The questions moderators ask can yield details and stories relevant to the audience. The conversational nature also allows for surprise insights or an exclusive story not delivered in a standard session.

The moderator can ask very specific questions about current events, the industry, the company and even how ideas relates to the exact attendees sitting in the audience. Audiences come away feeling they have learned something relevant and unique.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

written by Chris Taylor

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

So said Helen Keller, and a few adventurous souls have taken those words to heart. Rather than sitting at a desk or punching a timecard, you will find them cycling around the world, climbing a Himalayan peak or performing another feat of human endurance.

But of course, a career does not start atop Everest. Every big life begins in places that are laughably small. For the latest in Reuters’ First Jobs series, a few legendary adventurers share stories of the first steps on their epic journeys.

Robyn Benincasa

Two-time Adventure Racing world champion; Founder, Project Athena

First job: Chuck E. Cheese

I used to live right down the street from Chuck E. Cheese (a restaurant and arcade chain aimed at families) in Tempe, Arizona. On my first day they gave me a few options, like working the skee-ball area or giving out tickets, and I said: Not so much. Then they said, ‘Well, you could be Chuck E. Cheese,’ and I said yes. (Chuck E. Cheese is the chain’s mouse mascot.)

There were a few drawbacks to that. One is that you are not allowed to say any words or make any sounds, which is difficult when you have little kids hanging off you all day long. There are some evil children in the world.

Also, many times they had me walk on the street corner in order to attract people in. Keep in mind this was in the Phoenix area, so it was 100 degrees, and I was inside a big furry costume. It was excellent heat training for my later adventures.

I used to use a whole can of Lysol before putting that costume head on. God knows how many years of sweat were collected in there. The final drawback was that the only break area was a little place under the stairs, and the other employee who used it was a 40-year-old clown. He didn’t say much, but he looked at me a lot. So I spent way too much time under the stairs with the creepy clown guy.

Alastair Humphreys

Four-year bicycle journey around the world; National Geographic Adventurer of the Year

First job: Street advertising

The summer after I left school, I needed to earn enough money for a plane ticket to Africa, to escape from the claustrophobically boring countryside. I worked on minimum wage for Ye Olde Mill Shop in Skipton (Britain). I had to stand on the street wearing a sandwich board and holding a sign pointing toward the shop. Time dragged, my feet ached something chronic, and on one particularly hot day I almost fainted and had to be revived by the local greengrocer.

But I made it. I earned enough money for that plane ticket to Africa. And stepping out for the very first time into the bright sunshine, heat and smells of that new continent was made all the more thrilling for those hours, days and weeks in the sandwich board. A new life was about to begin.

Bear Grylls

Former British Army survival instructor; Host, multiple TV shows including Man vs Wild and Running Wild

First job: Martial arts instructor

The first job I ever had was straight after leaving school. I realized that if I wanted to explore the world, then step one was to save some funds. My ambition was to travel to northern India to climb and get to see the mighty Himalayas close up.

I initially tried being a waiter, but quickly found I wasn’t good at that at all. It would have taken me forever to save enough money. The restaurant definitely did not draw high rollers who tipped well.

I figured that working for myself would be smarter, more fun and get me to the mountains faster. But the only skills I had were climbing and martial arts. I figured there could be a market teaching effective self-defense skills to busy professionals.

I dropped leaflets on 100 streets in the area of London that my sister lived in (where I could sleep on her sofa) and hired the local hall. Within a month I had saved enough for the airfare, and after three months I was good to go. My journey in life had begun.

(The writer is a Reuters contributor. The opinions expressed are his own.)

Editing by Beth Pinsker and Cynthia Osterman

 

As seen on BigSpeak.com

After a four month investigation, the European Union has cleared the sale of Chris Barton’s music-identifying app, Shazam, to Apple, giving Apple Music the competitive edge it needs to compete with Spotify. With a growing distrust of American tech companies, Apple’s acquisition was stalled by the EU in order to ensure the sale did not restrict competition.

Apple has yet to announce how much they are paying for Shazam, but with the recent spike in Spotify’s popularity, they are in need of a saving grace like Shazam. While the music identifying software alone is enough to secure Apple’s future as an innovator, the massive amounts of data that comes with it are the real appeal.

Shazam has over 100 million monthly active users and more than 500 million mobile device users. With individual data on each user, Apple’s opportunities to enrich the customer experience are endless.

---

The content writers at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau are Experts on the Experts. They hold doctoral, masters, and bachelors’ degrees in business, writing, literature, and education. Their business thought pieces are published regularly in leading business publications. Working in close association with the top business, entrepreneur, and motivational speakers, BigSpeak content writers are at the forefront of industry trends and research.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

Business keynote speaker Tiffani Bova has spent years turning company leaders into Einsteins of innovation by boosting their growth IQ. She works as Salesforce’s lead Growth Expert, introducing companies to inventive business models that allow them to grow bigger, but more importantly better. Prior to her time at Salesforce she served as Gartner’s Distinguished Analyst and Research Fellow for ten years. Her latest book Growth IQ was a top pick for Inc. Magazine’s summer reads and provides insights from her research and work developing companies of all sizes into sustainable giants.

Bova simplifies the chaos of an exploding business by helping leaders learn to make the right series of choices at the right time. In her time at Salesforce, she has realized there are essentially only ten growth patterns that all companies fall into. But with her help, you can choose your growth plan and map out your route to success. Bova takes the guessing game out of growth and guides your company through the confusion.

She researched twenty-one companies whose growth made them number one in its industry, including Netflix, Kylie Jenner, Red Bull, Amazon, and Marvel; and nine companies who missed a rung on the ladder to the top and found themselves back at the bottom. Her unique insights will boost your Growth IQ and empower you to choose a growth path of your own that will make you the next Netflix of your industry.

Bova is a regular contributor to Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Marketing Matters on Wharton Business Radio – SiriusXM and Huffington Post in addition to a variety of industry-leading podcasts. Her own podcast “What’s Next! with Tiffani Bova” has featured guests from Guy Kawasaki to Dan Pink, became one of the top 100 business and marketing podcasts on iTunes in 2017, and won top Sales and Marketing Podcast by Top Sales Magazine. She was also recently recognized as one of Inc. Magazine’s 37 Sales Experts You Need to Follow on Twitter, a LinkedIn Top Sales Influencer, a Brand Quarterly Magazine Top 50 Marketing Thought Leader, and one of the most Powerful and Influential Women in California according to the National Diversity Council.

Tiffani speaks on…

Building Your Growth IQ: Get Smarter About Building Your Company’s Future: Why do so many of the most promising businesses fail to achieve consistent, sustainable growth? It’s because they try the same strategy as everyone else. There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy—a winning strategy for one business may spell doom for another. In this eye-opening talk, customer growth and innovation expert Tiffani Bova draws on her expertise as a consultant and practitioner to devise a new framework for business leaders looking to pursue growth. Audiences will come away with knowledge of the ten simple—but easily misunderstood—growth paths, how to get a handle on their particular business context, and the right combination and sequence of growth paths to take them into the future.

But Do They Love It? The Customer Experience Imperative: How can you grow your sales beyond your initial client bases? One of the best ways is to provide a positive customer experience. But with the proliferation of technology and devices, the customer is now smarter and more powerful than ever. Macro trends such as social, mobile, cloud, big data, and IoT are forging a new era of engagement where the consumers are more disruptive than the technology itself. So how will you help your customers—and your own firm—connect? In this engaging talk, Tiffani Bova, will address how companies of all sizes can create new business practices that leverage technology to strengthen customer relationships and accelerate sales and growth. Attendees will hear actionable takeaways on how to create a customer-centric business and long-lasting brand loyalty.

The Future of Sales: Creating New Buying Experience

Innovation + Culture Is the New Winning Combination

 

As seen on BigSpeak.com

In her early 20s, Kim Perell was broke and jobless. By 30, she was a multimillionaire and running a $100 million dollar, global company. Now, Kim wants to teach all aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners her method for success in her new book, The Execution Factor: That One Skill That Drives Success.

Kim Perell is an award-winning entrepreneur, executive, angel investor, and CEO of a global marketing technology company, Amobee. Laid off from her first job at an internet startup, Kim began her journey as an entrepreneur from her kitchen, becoming a multi-millionaire by the time she was 30, and selling her last company for $235 million in 2014.

Kim has been named one of AdAge’s Marketing Technology Trailblazers, Business Insider’s Most Powerful Women in Mobile Advertising, is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and has been profiled by CNN Money, The New York Times, and Forbes. Kim’s passion is to help young entrepreneurs achieve success. She is an early stage angel investor in over 70 startups, 14 of which have successfully been acquired by some of the largest Fortune 500 companies.

Perell attributes her success to her ability to execute and believes that execution is a skill that can be learned. With The Execution Factor, she is outlining the five traits required to master the skill of execution and become a successful entrepreneur: vision, passion, action, resilience and relationships.

Designed to help entrepreneurs and business owners achieve their goals—rather than simply dream about achieving them—The Execution Factor is Kim’s first book.