PJ Jonas is a business owner, goat-wrangler, entrepreneur, and mother. After getting goats to provide healthy milk for her eight children, she decided to put some excess milk into a batch of handmade soap. That decision was the beginning of Goat Milk Stuff, a growing goat milk products business that has been featured on The Today Show, The Doctors, The Huckabee Show, and in O, the Oprah Magazine. This is a great story of how a business was started in her kitchen and grew into a million dollar business that now employs her entire family as well as other employees.
Bix and Joe Bickson are Future Hackers…they have reimagined management for today’s and more importantly, tomorrow’s world.
Bix Bickson lived in Berkeley in the 60s, built a community in the Canadian woods for 10 years in the 70s, was an est trainer in the 80s, became an organizational consultant in the 90s. He has consulted major corporations, institutions, non-profit organizations, and individuals throughout the world. His clients include executives and their teams at Starbucks, Escada, Microsoft, Guinness, Ford Motors, and much, much more. He was joined by his son, Joe, two years ago with the energy, passion, and commitment of a millennial bringing his Dad and their clients into the digital economy. They are regarded as authorities on the ability to tap the collective creativity of groups, how to inspire others toward action, how to accelerate significant measurable change across large, complex projects.
Future hacking is the management discipline that provides leaders with the essential tools required to push past what is in the way of creating and fulfilling the future. Bix and Joe have led many turnarounds of organizations ranging in size from 100 to over 10,000, with revenues of a few million dollars to over a billion.
Kevin Harrington has been a successful entrepreneur for over 40 years. He is an original member of the cast of ABC’s hit, Emmy Award-winning TV show, “Shark Tank.” Also known as the “Inventor of the Infomercial” and pioneer of the “As Seen On TV” label, he co-founded the Electronic Retailers Association (ERA) and the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). Kevin has launched over 20 businesses now worth over $100 million in sales, been involved in more than a dozen public companies, and launched over 500 products generating more than $5 billion in sales worldwide with iconic brands and celebrities such as Jack Lalanne, Tony Little, George Foreman, and the new I-Grow hair restoration product on QVC.
Kevin got his start as a young entrepreneur in the early 80’s when he launched Quantum International with $25,000. Entrepreneur Magazine has called him, “one of the top entrepreneurs of our time.” As a business thought leader he is often featured and quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, CNBC, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, Fortune, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, The View, Squawk Box, Fox Business, and more. He is a regular contributor to Forbes.com and Inc.com and has published acclaimed books like, “Act Now! How I Turn Ideas Into Million Dollar Products,” the best-seller, “Key Person of Influence,” and “Put a Shark in Your Tank.”
Drew McLellan is a 25-year marketing veteran who helps clients create authentic love affairs with their customers. In 1995, Drew started his own agency — McLellan Marketing Group that he still actively runs today. He also helps other agency owners learn how to take their business to the next level through the consultancy — Agency Management Institute.
Drew is also one of the world’s top marketing and branding bloggers, according to AdAge’s Top 150 index. He’s written the book 99.3 Random Acts of Marketing and co-edited the Age of Conversation series of books.
Drew often appears in publications like Entrepreneur Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Agency Post, AdAge, CNN, BusinessWeek, and many others. The Wall Street Journal calls him “one of 10 bloggers every entrepreneur should read.”
Drew also hosts the brilliant Build a Better Agency Podcast.
He also speaks at leading agency conferences and is often cited in agency centric content for his expertise in the industry.
When he’s not hanging out with clients or agency owners and their staff, Drew spends time with his daughter and cheering for the Dodgers.
Amy Norman knew in the 4th grade that she would become a dentist. She began dental assisting at the age of 16 and worked her way through college as an assistant in various dental specialties. Dr. Norman has worked in the dentistry field for 31 years. Amy received early acceptance to dental school at the University of Washington and was dubbed Doogie Howser by her team. Later, she studied and taught at the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies with an emphasis on Cosmetic and Neuromuscular Dentistry.
Over the last 18 years, Dr. Norman’s office has come to be known for excellence in complex cases including worn-down teeth, headache and migraine patients, multiple missing teeth, and bite problems. She also provides cutting-edge services such as non-extraction orthodontics and Fountain of Youth Dentures. Her office is also known for its amazing, highly-skilled and healthy team with virtually no turnover.
Dr. Norman is attracted to Dentistry because of its unique nature combining art and science while routinely changing lives. The rush of giving someone a new smile or relieving a lifetime of pain from TMJ, headaches or migraines, is magical and addicting. She is one of the lucky ones because her hobby is her job.
Robert (Bob) Glazer is the founder and Managing Director of Acceleration Partners and the founder and Chairman of BrandCycle. He is a serial entrepreneur with an exceptional track record and passion for growing revenue and profits for B2C-based companies. In demand by top brands and investment firms, he has extensive experience in the consumer, e-commerce, retail, online marketing, and ad-tech industries partnering with brands such as Adidas, ModCloth, Reebok, Target, Tiny Prints, Gymboree, and Warby Parker.
Bob is a regular contributor to numerous outlets, writing about performance marketing, strategy, and culture. He is the recipient of the Boston Business Journal 40 under 40 award, the SmartCEO Boston Future 50 award, and a finalist for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year in New England, among other accolades. A sought-after speaker, Robert presents to global audiences and serves as an advisor to high-growth businesses.
Bob strongly believes in giving back. He serves on the Board of Directors for BUILD Boston, is a global leader in Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) and founded The Fifth Night charitable event (www.fifthnight.org). He previously served on the boards of the Performance Marketing Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mass Bay and participated in the annual Rodman Ride for Kids for a dozen years, raising almost $100,000 for charity.
In his spare time, Bob is an avid writer, skier, traveler, cyclist, and serial home renovator.