Events

Check here often: New Inc. Masters sessions are added all the time. Can't make a given time? We'll post a recording.

Inc. Masters Office Hours
Thursday, June 30 12:00 PM ET

Join Inc. director of community Morgan Brady for a biweekly opportunity to dig into Inc. Masters benefits, review Inc. Masters publishing guidelines, learn about what’s coming up on the calendar, and get support to fully leverage your Masters experience.

This is a casual event on Zoom. Drop in any time from 12 to 1 pm ET on the day of the scheduled Office Hours to connect with Morgan and the Inc. team. You are welcome to include a representative from your team who is helping to manage your membership, but we ask that you, the Masters member, also be in attendance.

Inc. Masters Office Hours
Thursday, July 14 12:00 PM ET

Join Inc. director of community Morgan Brady for a biweekly opportunity to dig into Inc. Masters benefits, review Inc. Masters publishing guidelines, learn about what’s coming up on the calendar, and get support to fully leverage your Masters experience.

This is a casual event on Zoom. Drop in any time from 12 to 1 pm ET on the day of the scheduled Office Hours to connect with Morgan and the Inc. team. You are welcome to include a representative from your team who is helping to manage your membership, but we ask that you, the Masters member, also be in attendance.

Discovering Your Brand Purpose with Scott O. 
Wednesday, July 27 2:00 PM ET

Once a quarter, Inc. Masters members will get the exclusive opportunity to join Inc. editor-in-chief Scott O. in a real-time conversation with a fellow Inc. 5000 founder on how they discovered their brand’s purpose and why it matters.

One of the elements that can determine how lucky an entrepreneur gets is knowing their brand purpose. This is something that Scott O. is very passionate about. The piece he wrote for Fast Company that landed him the job at Inc. was, after all, about this very subject.

“I think we get very confused about what brand purpose is,” he says. “Brand purpose is not corporate social responsibility or ESG. It’s deeper than that, and it’s the reason someone wants to do business with you rather than someone else--regardless of prices or process. It’s the North Star that guides you into the future. When you realize what your real brand purpose is, suddenly all unnecessary things fall away. And all of these useful guardrails pop up ... You learn how and where your business can grow and in a world that is changing so rapidly—with tech, with consumer behavior, with external crises, with new and disruptive competition. It's an incredibly valuable piece of knowledge.”

Inc. Masters Office Hours
Thursday, July 28 12:00 PM ET

Join Inc. director of community Morgan Brady for a biweekly opportunity to dig into Inc. Masters benefits, review Inc. Masters publishing guidelines, learn about what’s coming up on the calendar, and get support to fully leverage your Masters experience.

This is a casual event on Zoom. Drop in any time from 12 to 1 pm ET on the day of the scheduled Office Hours to connect with Morgan and the Inc. team. You are welcome to include a representative from your team who is helping to manage your membership, but we ask that you, the Masters member, also be in attendance.

Connect with an Inc. Contributor
Wednesday, August 3 2:00 PM ET

Once a quarter, Inc. Masters members will get the exclusive opportunity to connect live with a top Inc.com columnist. From best-selling authors, to world-renowned business minds and keynote speakers, Inc. columnists are a core part of Inc.’s mission in supporting the American entrepreneur. The Inc. columnist roster includes both leading entrepreneurs and innovators, as well as experts in a wide range of subjects, from leadership and hiring to marketing and finance.

In workshops or fireside chats, Inc. Masters members will have the chance to connect directly Inc. columnists to learn, build networks and discover new ways to uplevel their lives and business.

Inc. Masters Office Hours
Thursday, August 18 12:00 PM ET

Join Inc. director of community Morgan Brady for a biweekly opportunity to dig into Inc. Masters benefits, review Inc. Masters publishing guidelines, learn about what’s coming up on the calendar, and get support to fully leverage your Masters experience.

This is a casual event on Zoom. Drop in any time from 12 to 1 pm ET on the day of the scheduled Office Hours to connect with Morgan and the Inc. team. You are welcome to include a representative from your team who is helping to manage your membership, but we ask that you, the Masters member, also be in attendance.

Discovering Your Brand Purpose with Scott O. 
Wednesday, August 24 2:00 PM ET

Once a quarter, Inc. Masters members will get the exclusive opportunity to join Inc. editor-in-chief Scott O. in a real-time conversation with a fellow Inc. 5000 founder on how they discovered their brand’s purpose and why it matters.

One of the elements that can determine how lucky an entrepreneur gets is knowing their brand purpose. This is something that Scott O. is very passionate about. The piece he wrote for Fast Company that landed him the job at Inc. was, after all, about this very subject.

“I think we get very confused about what brand purpose is,” he says. “Brand purpose is not corporate social responsibility or ESG. It’s deeper than that, and it’s the reason someone wants to do business with you rather than someone else--regardless of prices or process. It’s the North Star that guides you into the future. When you realize what your real brand purpose is, suddenly all unnecessary things fall away. And all of these useful guardrails pop up ... You learn how and where your business can grow and in a world that is changing so rapidly—with tech, with consumer behavior, with external crises, with new and disruptive competition. It's an incredibly valuable piece of knowledge.”

Discovering Your Brand Purpose with Scott O. 
Wednesday, September 28 2:00 PM ET

Once a quarter, Inc. Masters members will get the exclusive opportunity to join Inc. editor-in-chief Scott O. in a real-time conversation with a fellow Inc. 5000 founder on how they discovered their brand’s purpose and why it matters.

One of the elements that can determine how lucky an entrepreneur gets is knowing their brand purpose. This is something that Scott O. is very passionate about. The piece he wrote for Fast Company that landed him the job at Inc. was, after all, about this very subject.

“I think we get very confused about what brand purpose is,” he says. “Brand purpose is not corporate social responsibility or ESG. It’s deeper than that, and it’s the reason someone wants to do business with you rather than someone else--regardless of prices or process. It’s the North Star that guides you into the future. When you realize what your real brand purpose is, suddenly all unnecessary things fall away. And all of these useful guardrails pop up ... You learn how and where your business can grow and in a world that is changing so rapidly—with tech, with consumer behavior, with external crises, with new and disruptive competition. It's an incredibly valuable piece of knowledge.”

Inc. 5000 Conference and Gala
October 19-21, 2022 | Phoenix, Arizona

The most prestigious event in entrepreneurship is back live – join us for the largest celebration of Inc. 5000 honorees ever.

Hosted at the AAA 4-Diamond award-winning JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, this beautiful location includes an on-site spa, championship golf at Wildfire Golf Club, 17 pickleball courts, five pools, and a lazy river. It is the perfect setting to celebrate your success.

SEMINAR: Negotiating During a Crisis: Ask the Right Questions

Tactics to finding common ground between what you want and what your clients, vendors, or colleagues need during a crisis; negotiating delayed payments or gaps in service with a client by showing a plan for recovery; how you may need to alter your tactics when negotiating by phone or video; how to focus on the underlying problem rather than reaching for a short-term solution; and dealing with the two emotions known to kill negotiations: fear and guilt.

Alexandra Carter is a Columbia Law School professor, a negotiation trainer for the United Nations, and author of Ask for More: 10 Questions to Negotiate Anything.

SEMINAR: Using Emotional Intelligence to Navigate the New COVID-19 World

In this session, Justin shares real-life examples that teach you how to use emotional intelligence to manage the anxieties, fears, and real-life problems that business owners face today.

Justin Bariso is one of Inc.com’s top columnists, a leading voice in the field of emotional intelligence, and author of the best-selling book EQ Applied.

SEMINAR: How Emotion AI is Humanizing Our Technology During and After Covid-19

This is a discussion about how emotion AI can humanize our technology and how we can connect with one another, even during a global pandemic.

Rana el Kaliouby is the pioneer of emotion AI, co-founder and CEO of Affectiva, and author of Girl Decoded.
Eric Schurenberg is the CEO of Inc. and Fast Company.

SEMINAR: Leading With Integrity in a Crisis

In a crisis, leaders are under a microscope and the importance of integrity is amplified. This session is about the challenges of leading with integrity in trying times like 2020, and includes practical advice to help you through your own ethical dilemmas.

Robert Chesnut is chief ethics officer at Airbnb, and author of Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution.

SEMINAR: What’s Your Leadership Style Under Pressure?

This session is about unexpected disruption and career change. In the midst of any calamity, there are vital leadership lessons for us all. Embracing these lessons will prepare you and those you lead to navigate the current dangers more effectively and, by doing so, foster the skills you need to operate more effectively when the immediate peril is past.  

Maggie Craddock, president and CEO at Workplace Relationships, is a veteran executive coach known for her work with Fortune 500 CEOs and senior management.

SEMINAR: Innovating Through Chaos

This session is about how to successfully navigate times of rapid change and uncertainty. Filter through the noise to identify key trends, build a culture of innovation within your team, and turn chaos into opportunity.

Jeremy Gutsche is a New York Times bestselling author, sought-after keynote speaker, and the founder and CEO of Trend Hunter⁠, a trend-spotting platform and innovation consultancy.

SEMINAR: Digital Leadership During Turbulent Times

In today's turbulent times, executives lean more on social media and digital platforms to maintain a sense of normalcy, but also provide leadership through these tough times. During this session, Dr. Breen walks you through an actionable insights-focused plan on how to use social media to stay connected and top of mind, build and maintain an online presence, professionalism on channels like LinkedIn and Twitter, how often you should post, and how to build and engage a targeted audience.

Dr. Bant Breen is founder and chairman of Qnary, an award-winning executive reputation management and talent branding company. 

SEMINAR: Leading in a Crisis: Start with Yourself

Are you leading not to lose or are you leading to win? That will be determined by the quality of your questions and mental programming. This session is about how to take charge of yourself no matter the circumstance. 

Laura Noel from Stretch Into Success is a powerhouse speaker who will make you question your beliefs, shift your perspective, and emerge a better leader.

SEMINAR: The Art Of Selling Your Business

If you’re like a lot of business owners, you think about what your company might be worth one day. You’re probably not quite ready to sell, but you’d like to understand the moves you can make now to maximize your attractiveness to an acquirer down the road. This session answers some of the most vexing questions facing any founder including how to know what your business is worth, how to navigate the bidding and selling process, and more.

John Warrillow is the author of The Art Of Selling Your Business: Winning Strategies And Secret Hacks For Exiting On Top. His company, The Value Builder System™, also offers a free assessment to determine the value of your business from the prospective of a potential acquirer. Learn more and get your score here: https://valuebuildersystem.com/score

SEMINAR: How to Write Proposals to Close 6-Figure Deals

“Send me a proposal” are the sweetest words you can hear from a prospect. That is, until it’s time to create it. What do you put in it? How should it be delivered? Why do so many proposals suck? Value-based, customized, and premium doesn't mean we also need to make our proposals confusing, long, and convoluted. Don't make it harder for the prospect to say “yes.” Use this six-slide formula to close deals from $4,000 to $40 million.

Kim Orlesky is a sales coach and president of KO Advantage Group.

SEMINAR: How Empathy and Sales Help You Sell More Faster

The client says "no" even though "logically, it makes sense." Why? Because people buy with emotions and justify with logic—even in business-to-business settings. If you're a premium service-based company, and you're not bringing the emotional charge into the conversation, you've increased the chances of a delayed sales cycle. In this seminar, you’ll learn how to naturally bring emotions into the sales conversation and sell more faster.

Kim Orlesky is a sales coach, speaker, and CEO of KO Advantage Group 

SEMINAR: You Can Reframe Effective Organizational Change

In this fast-paced session, Michael reframes how you think about organizational change. Challenging assumptions—that people resist change, for example—he outlines how well-intentioned leaders unwittingly undermine organizational change, and how you can succeed by managing the psychology of change.

Michael Canic is the author of Ruthless Inconsistency: How Committed Leaders Execute Strategy, Implement Change, and Build Organizations That Win. He is also the president of consultancy Making Strategy Happen.

SEMINAR: How to Foster Growth Agility Without Chaos or Bureaucracy

This session covers the light, pragmatic, proven approach used by the most successful executives and management teams to coordinate work efficiently while staying completely flexible. You’ll find no platitudes about collaboration or teamwork here, just concrete guidance to help your company iterate--that is, to take the best step possible in the moment, learn from it, then adjust in small and large ways in time for the next step.

Ed Muzio is a bestselling author and long-time management systems consultant.

SEMINAR: Take Your Business From Survival to Stability

BIGGBY COFFEE went from one store in East Lansing, Michigan to a franchise with more than 250 locations across the Midwest. Along the way, it had its share of setbacks: From receiving a cease and desist letter from the Michigan Attorney General, to employee midnight move-outs. In this seminar, you’ll learn the personal side of what it takes entrepreneurs to be successful, and tools to help your business thrive.

Michael McFall is the co-founder and co-CEO of BIGGBY COFFEE, the third-largest U.S. coffee franchise, and author of Grind, an Inc. Original book about taking your business from concept to cash flow positive.  

SEMINAR: How to Attract and Retain Top Talent in a Digital World

During this session, you’ll learn how to cultivate your people, avoid commonly overlooked workplace stumbling blocks, and make the changes necessary to attract and retain key talent.

Jonathan Keyser is the founder of Keyser, a fast-growing tenant-only commercial real estate brokerage in Scottsdale, Arizona, and No.4,673 on this year's Inc. 5000 list. Jonathan is also the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller You Don’t Have to be Ruthless to Win.

SEMINAR: How to Eliminate Stress and Cultivate Extreme Resiliance

Most people are dead wrong about stress. What they think causes them stress is not what causes them stress. The way to eliminate stress is to think differently about what causes it and how to eliminate it. As you do this, you also cultivate extreme resilience. While resilience is your ability to bounce back from adversity, extreme resilience helps you bounce back so fast that an external observer may not even know that you encountered an obstacle. Come away from this session with tools to help you overcome stress and cultivate extreme resilience as you lead your company forward in 2021 and beyond.

Srikumar Rao is a TED Speaker, best-selling author, and coach for entrepreneurs looking to have an outsized impact on the world.

SEMINAR: The Art of Preventing Stupid (in Business)

You can learn how to do better business risk management: Efficiently and systematically deal with threats, and eliminate distractions and problems that compromise your performance. Build your Business Immune System™ (BIS), and discover you’ll have fewer diverting problems, more effective and confident management, and increased profitability.

Matthew Neill Davis is the author of The Art of Preventing Stupid: How to Build a Stronger Business Strategy Through Better Risk Management, and founder and managing partner of Davis Law, which helps ambitious business owners become rock star entrepreneurs.

SEMINAR: How Empathy and Sales Help You Sell More Faster

The client says "no" even though "logically, it makes sense." Why? Because people buy with emotions and justify with logic—even in business-to-business settings. If you're a premium service-based company, and you're not bringing the emotional charge into the conversation, you've increased the chances of a delayed sales cycle. In this seminar, you’ll learn how to naturally bring emotions into the sales conversation and sell more faster.

Kim Orlesky is a sales coach, speaker, and CEO of KO Advantage Group

FORUM Q&A: How to Be Undaunted

Hint Water founder and CEO Kara Goldin will jampack this live Forum Q&A with advice for fast-growth entrepreneurs as outlined in her new book, Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters, which includes ignoring the skeptics, not letting a bad economy push you to make bad deals, and how to have a plan in place before it’s time to raise money, among other things.

Kara Goldin is the founder and CEO of Hint Water

WORKSHOP: Build Your Business Growth Plan (January 28, 2021)

This timely, interactive workshop includes a live digital workbook and will walk you through exercises to reset your goals, business plans, and assumptions. Growth plans are no long a luxury - they're a requirement. Ami will assess your specific business needs to help you reboot your business and formalize a growth plan.

Ami Cassar is the founder and CEO of Multifunding

SEMINAR: Supercharging Your Productivity

Join us for an interactive session to renew your sense of focus and energy, learn actionable and easy-to-adopt techniques to achieve your daily goals, and ultimately supercharge your productivity. The first part of this session will be dedicated to learning these techniques, and the second will be dedicated to speaker Q&A.

Suchit Tuli is the co-founder and CEO of Quantime, where he and his team are building the first self-scheduling calendar. He has worked and consulted on product, operations and go-to-market strategies for several companies, with experience as an early-stage investor at Bowery Capital and MetaProp VC. Suchit received his MBA from Columbia Business School.

SEMINAR: Find Out How Your Business is Really Doing

If you find yourself presiding over an arms race of ever-rosier outlooks, ever-more-closely-managed presentations of current status, and ever-less-informative discussions about the real results you need your teams working on, this webinar is for you. In it, award-winning author and repeat Inc.com presenter Ed Muzio will show you what you can do with your staff, today, to get it functioning better as soon as next week. You’ll get yourself out of the business of guessing what people mean, and get your team sharply focused on the real results you owe your board, investors, and/or shareholders.

Ed Muzio is a bestselling author and long-time management systems consultant.

Inc. Founders House, Live in Austin, TX
Friday, March 11–Monday, March 14, 2022

Inc. Founders House is back and popping up in Austin, offering a one-of-a-kind, founders-only hub for the extraordinary people starting, running, and growing businesses. Located just two blocks from the Austin Convention Center, the Founders House is the place for founders to take refuge, refuel, recharge, and connect.

Curated exclusively for entrepreneurs of all stripes, conversations at Founders House are inspirational, informative, and always honest—whether they take place on the stage or across the bar.

Every day at the Inc. Founders House, you'll find:

  • Star entrepreneurs
  • Guest bartenders
  • Snacks, apps, and cocktails
  • Invite-only happy hours

WORKSHOP: Build Your Business Growth Plan (April 28, 2021)

This timely, interactive workshop includes a live digital workbook and will walk you through exercises to reset your goals, business plans, and assumptions. Growth plans are no long a luxury - they're a requirement. Ami will assess your specific business needs to help you reboot your business and formalize a growth plan.

Ami Cassar is the founder and CEO of Multifunding

Inc. 5000 Celebration and Networking Event in Columbus
November 3, 2021

Join Inc., your fellow Inc. 5000 honorees, and your team for a live, in-person celebration and networking event on November 3 at the beautiful Edison 777 in Columbus. We've waited all year to get together and celebrate your amazing accomplishment. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity!

When: Wednesday, November 3, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Edison 777, 777 North 4th Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Cost: Complimentary but registration is required


What's included:
Welcome remarks and greeting from Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk and other Inc. staff
Networking and connections with your fellow Inc. 5000 honorees
Complimentary cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres
Inc. 5000 plaque for honorees (one per company)

Inc. 5000 Live Networking and Celebration in Austin, presented by Vari
Thursday, November 18, 2021

You're invited to a live, in-person celebration and networking event celebrating the 2021 Inc. 5000 honorees on November 18 at the beautiful Austin Proper Hotel in the heart of downtown Austin. We've waited all year to get together and celebrate your amazing accomplishment of making an Inc. 5000 list. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity!

When: Thursday, November 18, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. CT
Where: Austin Proper Hotel in downtown Austin
Cost: Complimentary but registration is required


What's included:

  • Welcome remarks from Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk followed by a special panel discussion on how to reimagine company culture for the better
  • Networking and making connections with your fellow Inc. 5000 honorees
  • Complimentary cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres
  • Inc. 5000 plaque for honorees (one per company, 2021 honorees only)

How to Be in the LinkedIn 1 Percent and Why It Matters with Inc. Master Jennifer Rotner
Wednesday, March 2, 2022

We’ve all seen people who are killing it on social media, who are getting their message out, nurturing connections, garnering attention, and building their reputations. When you think about certain industries, you immediately think of certain people. Why? Because they cultivate their audience. They leverage their own experience—their own thought leadership—to share their story. And they use platforms like LinkedIn to share authentic content. They are the 1 percent.

You can do this too. If you’re reading this, you’re part of Inc. Masters, and that means you’re already an industry leader. You have knowledge and insights people are eager to read. LinkedIn, which is having an incredible growth moment, is the ideal platform for sharing those ideas.

There’s something called the 1 Percent Rule on social media: 90 percent of users are lurkers, 9 percent are contributors, and only 1 percent are creators. On LinkedIn, this means that of the platform’s 800 million users, 57 million companies, and 65 million decision-makers, only 1 percent are posting regularly. Only 1 percent are taking advantage of this megaphone, a megaphone you can aim directly at your target audience.

Clearly, there is an almost-untapped opportunity on LinkedIn. In this one-hour seminar, Inc. editor in chief Scott O. will talk with Jennifer Rotner of Elite Creative to explain exactly how you can get into that 1 percent.

We will:

• break down exactly how to become a thought leader,
• look at the type of content LinkedIn’s algorithm loves most,
• show how easy it is to stand out, and
• leave you with a concrete plan for moving forward.

FEATURED SPEAKER: Jennifer Rotner is the founder and CEO of Elite Creative—the combined companies of Elite Editing and Elite Authors. Elite Creative is a woman-owned, full-service content and publishing services firm that offers content writing, editing, and creative support for companies of all sizes—from small businesses and nonprofit organizations to Fortune 50 companies—as well as for independent authors at every stage of the publishing journey. Under her leadership and despite the intense pressures of the past two years, Elite grew to become one of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in 2021.
 
Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her husband, son, and 12 chickens.

Inc. Masters Baja (May 2-7, 2022)

An all-inclusive experience designed just for the inner circle of Inc. 5000 winners. Inc. Masters Baja was hosted by Inc. editor-in-chief Scott O. and bestselling author and iconic boutique hotelier Chip Conley in a 5-day, 5-night immersive program that fosters connections and collaboration between like-minded founders and CEOs.

The Secret to Reaching Your Biggest Goals with Minda Zetlin (June 8, 2022)

This interactive workshop invites attendees to visualize their ideal futures, and then teaches them how to break down those goals into manageable steps they can start taking right now. Bring a pen and paper and get ready to explore what you want your own future to look like.

Minda Zetlin's newest book is Career Self-Care: Find Your Happiness, Success, and Fulfillment at Work, from New World Library. More than a million people a month read her column, The Laid-Back Leader, on Inc.com. She also writes for Insider and CNBC.com. Find her on LinkedIn, Twitter, and at www.mindazetlin.com.