Business Growth and Leadership

A couple of decades ago, companies helped managers transition into leaders by following this proven leadership methodology using paper based planner: Understand your values, define your long-term objectives and focus on your daily tasks so that they would align to your individual growth. With the smartphone revolution, point apps emerged and the paper based planners died along with the leadership methodology that supported it. Zain Ali, CEO of Aezee (A to Z), has created the first integrated app designed to allow companies to bring back leadership development for the next generation and also leverages technology to automate the functions that were manual and mundane in paper based planners. Aezee allow users to define Goals, focus on improving their Values based on best practices, take Notes with pictures and emails before leaving the meeting, manage Daily Tasks with priority, gain productivity with List and eCards. Bring out the leader in you by leveraging the Aezee methodology.

How can Women Entrepreneurs build a successful business and realize their vision. Sonu Ratra, Co-Founder of Akraya shares insights into how the company has built a winning culture, a Best Places to Work winner and the preferred Staffing partner for large enterprise customers.The Staffing Industry is constantly evolving and staffing companies that want to survive must continue to evaluate how they operate and move with changing times. Ratra shares her advice on why it is critical to invest time and effort in organizations that support diverse businesses such as WBENC, NMSDC and USPAACC. Ratra believes that with success comes even bigger responsibilities to your people, community and environment. She talks about the company’s strong sense of social responsibility through several programs, the most recent one being ‘Women Back to Work’.

R. Shawn McBride owns two business: McBride For Business, LLC and The R. Shawn McBride Law Firm, PLLC. After spending 10 years of the early part of his career working for large law firms he began his entrepreneurial journey in 2012. What's unique about Shawn and his business is not only is he an entrepreneur – he helps other entrepreneurs in their journey. He has built a successful career through empowering himself by using The 3 Laws of Empowerment to create a life he loves. He learned the 3 Laws of Empowerment by working with countless business owners and his own journey and now a portion of his business is devoted to speaking and teaching these lessons. Shawn's book, Business Blunders!, was written to address common issue he saw when clients came to him after they had gotten into unfortunate situations.

R. Shawn McBride owns two business: McBride For Business, LLC and The R. Shawn McBride Law Firm, PLLC. After spending 10 years of the early part of his career working for large law firms he began his entrepreneurial journey in 2012. What's unique about Shawn and his business is not only is he an entrepreneur – he helps other entrepreneurs in their journey. He has built a successful career through empowering himself by using The 3 Laws of Empowerment to create a life he loves. He learned the 3 Laws of Empowerment by working with countless business owners and his own journey and now a portion of his business is devoted to speaking and teaching these lessons. Shawn's book, Business Blunders!, was written to address common issue he saw when clients came to him after they had gotten into unfortunate situations.

THE LONELY ENTREPRENEUR , Michael Dermer reveals how the constant chaos, adrenaline rush, and burden of being an entrepreneur causes many and diverse entrepreneurs to develop damaging ‘perspectives ’on the business and personal issues that come with the territory. He shares the insights and methodology that not only saved his own company, but have made the difference between success and failure for hundreds of struggling startups and entrepreneurs. “It’s how we manage the struggle of being the entrepreneur,” he attests, based on his harrowing experience as an industry pioneer who watched the business he built for 10 years almost get destroyed in 10 days by the 2008 financial crisis. Michael learned how to thrive in this struggle by combining the blood, sweat, and tears with new perspectives—even when success was shattered like whiplash.

John Todd made a major change in his life at the age of 53. He decided to leave the corporate world and become a small business owner! He assembled a team and searched the Dallas Fort Worth market for a small business that had a sound yet interesting business model. After looking at telecom, printing, dry cleaning businesses and the sort, he found a residential remodeling company. The model felt right, the financials made sense and most importantly, the company created a level of excitement that John was looking for. Now, 12 years later he's the Dallas Builders Association’s Remodeler of the Year -for the 5th time- and an Honored Life Director. Mission accomplished. John will discuss the steps he took to retool Elite Remodeling from a discount provider to a full service value added provider. Because of his commitment to education, technology and processes the built the foundation for growth and the company’s ability to endure the ups and downs of the construction market.

John Todd made a major change in his life at the age of 53. He decided to leave the corporate world and become a small business owner! He assembled a team and searched the Dallas Fort Worth market for a small business that had a sound yet interesting business model. After looking at telecom, printing, dry cleaning businesses and the sort, he found a residential remodeling company. The model felt right, the financials made sense and most importantly, the company created a level of excitement that John was looking for. Now, 12 years later he's the Dallas Builders Association’s Remodeler of the Year -for the 5th time- and an Honored Life Director. Mission accomplished. John will discuss the steps he took to retool Elite Remodeling from a discount provider to a full service value added provider. Because of his commitment to education, technology and processes the built the foundation for growth and the company’s ability to endure the ups and downs of the construction market.

You had an idea, you were advised by friends to write a short business plan which you shared with a few of them and then took the plunge not knowing how things would work out and to your surprise or not, they did! Now what? Most entrepreneurs have choices and a lot of it depends on your personality and the stage of your life when you started the company. We will explore three common choices that most entrepreneurs have in front of them and one of them is to grow the company. Zain Ali, Managing Partner at Sunbonn and Professor at University of Texas Dallas will share his experience as a consultant and business owner on the five essentials that are required to grow the company from startup or to turn a company around.

Three key factors play essential roles in building a social business from the ground up: brand, impact and an innovative product. Brittany Underwood, Founder and CEO of Akola, has built a social business through a nonprofit framework. Akola exists to empower women to become agents of transformation in their communities and operates both domestically and internationally. From raw materials to assembly to distribution, Brittany shares how she has managed to create a social brand that has a measurable impact in every level of the supply chain and what she has learned along the way. Akola's programs have been instrumental in reshaping the lives of over 500 women and their children in Uganda and the US. Most recently, Akola launched a partnership with luxury retailer Neiman Marcus to launch the first full impact brand in this luxury space.This partnership has provided work, training and employment opportunity to over 100 women who are hand making jewelry.

Three key factors play essential roles in building a social business from the ground up: brand, impact and an innovative product. Brittany Underwood, Founder and CEO of Akola, has built a social business through a nonprofit framework. Akola exists to empower women to become agents of transformation in their communities and operates both domestically and internationally. From raw materials to assembly to distribution, Brittany shares how she has managed to create a social brand that has a measurable impact in every level of the supply chain and what she has learned along the way. Akola's programs have been instrumental in reshaping the lives of over 500 women and their children in Uganda and the US. Most recently, Akola launched a partnership with luxury retailer Neiman Marcus to launch the first full impact brand in this luxury space.This partnership has provided work, training and employment opportunity to over 100 women who are hand making jewelry.