"Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together."
– James Cash Penney
To borrow one of the trendier words in the industry, in all transparency, this post is about encouraging you to join us for our next networking and growth conference: Q4Live, June 5-7, in San Diego. As much as we may think you should attend, it’s fair to say our event isn’t right for everyone.
So, is this a conference for you?
The big picture
Our theme for the year and this event is “Growth.”
But it’s much more than growth for the sake of growth. The type of growth we're focused on is intentional growth that leads to intentional results.
As I’ve spent the past few months thinking about our theme and what it means to me, another word has co-existed with these thoughts—potential.
Think about that word for a moment. How does it make you feel? If you’re like me, you find it exciting. My world of possibilities expands when I think of potential, and a sense of optimism overtakes me.
Growth is about closing the gap between where you (as a person, leader, teammate, business, whatever) are today and what you envision when you close your eyes and think of your potential.
Q4Live brings our attendees’ ideas, stories, and conversations together to help close our respective gaps.
Now, I’m not one to focus on the negative, but I've also spent time thinking about the other side of that growth coin—unrecognized potential. That thought is even more depressing than the idea that recognized potential is uplifting.
I recently read a story that painted the picture of unrecognized potential in the most eye-opening way. The author said her father had spent his entire life wanting to be a musician. However, he never acted on that dream or pursued his musical potential. The author wrote, "My dad died with the music still inside him."
This conference is about ensuring we let our music out.
"Tell me more," you say…
Q4Live is three days of the conversations and interactions you’ve come to expect from us based on what you read weekly in this blog and daily online. If you follow us (or have for any length of time), you know how passionately we write about the industry, challenges we observe, things that frustrate us, accomplishments worth celebrating, how to be more successful, and about this industry journey we’re all on together.
We attend many conferences throughout the year and find growth in every one of them. However, we set our event and agenda up differently from any other. Yes, we have Friendors (solution providers) at the event, but we don’t relegate them to an exhibit hall to punch “vendor bingo cards.” They attend and participate as an integral part of our growth discussions.
Even with an intentionally intimate event (no more than 100 attendees), guess which type of event our Friendors tell us gives them the best ROI? Yep. They love that, even though there MAY be fewer people to meet, the deeper, more intense conversations they have at Q4Live prove significantly more valuable and productive.
Of course, in addition to Friendor attendees, we also have agency attendees, some of whom are members of Q4intelligence and some who attend as guests. Regardless of which category an attendee falls into, we ask everyone to leave their labels at the door. The only thing we want them to bring into the room is their perspective, experiences, and curiosity about how they can leave the event/room having grown in some way and having helped others to do the same.
You may have left presentations at other events feeling defeated and could never measure up to what you just heard from the stage. As we see it, achieving growth potential is a team effort and is at the core of the tone we set for the event. You will undoubtedly hear countless success stories over the three days, but honest discussions of the struggles endured will accompany them.
Our goal is to illuminate paths, expose obstacles to growth, and help one another grow faster, more predictably, and reach our individual and collective potential.
Let’s talk specifics
A few of the GROWTH opportunities you’ll find in the Q4Live agenda:
Yours truly (Kevin Trokey) will kick off the conference with a session to set the table for the rest of the event. I’ll dive deeper into how to close the gap that stands between you and the potential you.
We’ll have four Q4i Growth Platform Impact Stories spread throughout the agenda. The speakers will share how they and their organizations have grown in four critical areas: Marketing, Sales, Service, and Leadership.
Marketing: Taylor Lindsey | Partner, Employee Benefit Consultants
Hear the story behind EBC's brand and learn how they engage with local markets.
Sales: Zack Feller | Vice President, Keystone
Understand the impact of accountability and get back to the basics of sales and management.
Hear how they work cohesively as a team, manage client service, and use software products to communicate and stay on task to deliver an exceptional experience.
Leadership: Joel Daniels | Founder, Revolution Benefits Group
The path of leadership is rarely straight. Hear how continual learning, personal development, and growth matter to leadership and the path you pave.
And wait...there's more!
We’ll have a half dozen iTalks Growth Stories spread throughout the conference. Our speakers will share actionable ideas and stories of growth they have experienced in their businesses or life. Our iTalk speakers include:
Mike Staebler of Staebler Group will share with us his take on The Small Group Dilemma. Everyone has small groups, and we love the people but struggle with the workload. What to do about it? Mike will share his struggles, thoughts, and actions he's taken.
Josh Butler of Butler Benefits & Consulting is exemplary at helping his clients solve complex business challenges, and he's going to share what it looks like to Do More Than Just Sell Insurance. He believes in doing more for clients and impacting them in meaningful ways, which he has learned is also a great way to differentiate yourself.
Rhett Bray of Beacon Path is going to enlighten us with tales of What to Do When It All Goes up in Flames. He knows from experience what clients can expect if a tragedy strikes and now understands just how important his work is when talking to a business owner about his/her insurance needs.
And get ready for more...
Heidi Rasmussen of freshbenies will present a session titled "Leveling Up Your Growth.” Heidi will share three important actions she’s taken for continued growth in her life and business. She’ll explore the importance of constant learning, driving change, and leading people well. She promises you’ll leave her session with real-life tips and tricks to level up your growth.
Multiple Friendors will present case studies of how advisors have used their solutions to drive growth in their businesses by impacting their clients' businesses.
And I can’t even begin to explain the growth that will take place in the hallways, over meals, and during our social time.
A final nudge and disclaimer
The type of growth that closes the gap between where you are now and the potential that resides within you doesn't just happen. It must be pursued intentionally. We believe a significant part of that journey can be to join us at Q4Live with a group of like-minded professionals looking to "let the music out."
Visit our event page to learn more and get registered today.
And the disclaimer – Please read before taking a trip with us:
Q4Live is a powerful experience. Before taking it, consult with your team. Side effects are common and may include challenged thinking, increased heart rate, uncontrollable laughter, a sense of community, collaboration, optimism, clarity of vision, confidence, vulnerability, an abundance of new ideas, and fatigue by the end of the event.
So, what are you waiting for?! Get registered and let the #GROWTH begin!
