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MAJOR B2SMB BRAND LEADERS COMMITTED TO THE LEADERS’ FORUM 22

Name: Leaders' Forum 22
Start: 2022-5-11T11-11-00-00
End: 2022-5-12T13-13-00-00
Location: CIA Greystone

FEATURED KEYNOTE: BURTON M. GOLDFIELD, PRESIDENT & CEO, TRINET

FEATURED KEYNOTE: WSJ BEST-SELLER DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT

SMALL GROUP BREAKOUTS BOOKEND DAY 1’S SESSIONS

YOUR PEERS FACILITATE BREAKOUT SESSION #1 & 2

Sean Cohen
COO

Kate Winkler
CEO

Missy Galang
CMO

Rich Russey
Publisher

Kelly Benish
VP Strategic Partnerships

Latisha Carter
Head of Partners

GO HOME SMARTER WITH DAY 2 ROUNDTABLES,
BREAKOUTS & SPEAKERS

PEER B2SMB EXPERTS TALK FUTURES ON TODAY’S HOTTEST TOPICS

Want great insights at a fast-pace? Our 5-in-15 sessions challenge our SME Speakers to deliver
concise, actionable must-know-now topics – 5 in all, all within fifteen minutes.

YOUR PEERS FACILITATE BREAKOUT SESSION #3

Michelle Winnett
VP- Partner & Strategic Marketing

Bailey Preusse
Business Development Manager

Kate Daniels
Industry Partnerships Director

Kelly Benish
VP of Strategic Partnerships

Why You Should Attend the 2022 Leaders’ Forum

VALUE #1:
IT’S LIVE.

Our 2022 Leaders’ Forum will hold live keynotes, panels, workshops & more on the strategic opportunities for growth in the $500Bil Small Business marketplace.

VALUE #2:
IT’S PEER-TO-PEER.

From strategic workshops & breakouts to our legendary Leaders’ League reception, you’ll have lots of serious opportunities to engage your B2SMB peers.

VALUE #3:
IT’S FOCUSED.

There’s nothing else like it: an executive retreat dedicated exclusively to the unique demands of reaching, engaging & selling to Small Business at scale.

The 250+ Brands of the B2SMB Institute

Our Leaders’ Forum 2022 Agenda

LOTS OF
BREAKOUTS.

Our 2022 Leaders’ Forum is networking-driven, with a host of small-group breakouts to share the opportunities and challenges that face us in B2SMB.

LOTS OF
INSIGHTS.

We’ll dive deep into SMBs forward needs and expectations in 2022, as well as the megatrends impacting our marketplace (the Metaverse, Crypto, CE & more.)

LOTS OF
FUN.

Killer location. Killer food. Killer company. We foster an atmosphere that is seriously casual, refreshingly candid and thoroughly engaging from end to end.

11may(may 11)11:00 am12(may 12)1:00 pmLeaders' Forum 22

Schedule

Day 1
Day 2

May 11, 2022
11:00AM REGISTRATION & Light Lunch11:00AM - 12:00PMSPONSORED BY VERIZON BUSINESS
12:00PM WELCOME12:00PM - 12:05PMB2SMB Institute Co-Founder Dave Walker will welcome attendees with tips on how to get the most out of the Leaders’ Forum experience.Speakers: Dave Walker
12:05PM BREAKOUT: One Big Thing
Sean Cohen, AWeber
Kate Winkler, Ruby
Missy Galang, Silver Lining
Richard Russey, Inc. Magazine
Kelly Benish, Uberall
Latisha Carter, Xero12:05PM - 12:25PMTo really get our Leaders' Forum off to a great start, we've created a workshop that combines old-fashioned meet-and-greet with high-level discussion on futures. We'll break into small pre-assigned (trust us!) groups to connect with fellow Forum attendees, and to talk about what we each want to get out of our Leaders' Forum. Faciliated by Members of our Leaders' League, we'll collaborate top-to-top and face-to-face with our fellow attendees to serve up our objectives.Speakers: Kelly Benish, Sean Cohen, Kate Winkler, Rich Russey, Missy Galang, Latisha Carter
12:25PM REPORT OUT: Our One Big Thing12:25PM - 12:35PMTo really get our Leaders' Forum off to a great start, we've created a workshop that combines old-fashioned meet-and-greet with high-level discussion on futures. We'll break into small pre-assigned (trust us!) groups to connect with fellow Forum attendees, and to talk about the insights we've just heard. Our mission? For each group to identify the "One Big Thing" agreed to be most impactful to our SMB Customers, and to our B2SMB Enterprises. Faciliated by Members of our Leaders' League, we'll collaborate top-to-top and face-to-face with our fellow attendees to serve up collective wisdom.
12:35PM KICK-OFF: 3 Big Views on The State of Small Business
Eric Groves, Alignable
Stephanie Gorski, Accenture
Scott Norwalk, Business.com12:35PM - 1:00PMWhere better to start our event than with a powerful view of our millions of shared Small Business Customers. We'll hear from three of our most keen surveyors of the SMB marketspace, all of whom ground their observations in asking real entrepreneurs in the the thousands what's on their mind. Each will give 5 key takeaways from their most recent research, surveys and polls, a shortlist of what they believe are the "big things" we need to build into ALL of our B2SMB enterprise thinking going forward. We'll hear from Eric Groves, Founder of Alignable, whose survey of 7Mil+ SMB-Members is a monthly must-read; from Stephanie Gorski, Managing Director of SMB at Accenture, whose global surveys reveal new (and sometimes startling) insights to SMBs; and from Scott Norwalk, President of Business.com, who tracks in detail the buyer-journey of SMBs in the thousands every day. Take notes! They'll come in handy for our next workshop!Speakers: Eric Groves, Stephanie Gorski, Scott Norwalk
1:00PM KEYNOTE: From Where I Sit: The Needs of America's Small Business-
Wendy Taccetta, Verizon Business1:00PM - 1:30PMWith millions of SMB customers - from pandemic survivors to newly minted entrepreneurs - Verizon Business has kept a promise: to help first. Wendy Taccetta brings the quantitative results of nationwide Small Business surveys and the qualitiative insights from nearly 15 years in our $500B ecosystem. Wendy addresses where large enterprises engage at scale their unique, passionate and demanding customers. A kickoff for our afternoon focused on a Customer Experience Revolution.Speakers: Wendy Taccetta
1:30PM KEYNOTE: Fanocracy: Turning Fans Into Customers & Customers Into Fans
David Meerman Scott, WSJ Best-Selling Author1:30PM - 2:00PMAn author published in 29 languages, a Speaker on all 7 continents, and a passionate strategist who's advised B2SMB powerhouse HubSpot from its beginnings, David Meerman Scott spotted the real-time marketing revolution in its infancy. A lifelong student of Customer Experience, David says the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of superficial online communications. Tech-weary and bot-wary people are hungry for true human connection. Organizations have learned to win by developing what David calls a Fanocracy - (the subject of his Wall Street Journal bestseller) - tapping into the mindset that relationships with customers are more important than the products they sell to them. Buckle-up. High-energy, highly-engaging and highly motivating, we invite our first ever outside keynote to join our Leaders' Forum audience.
2:00PM KEYNOTE- From Where I Sit: The People Needs of America's Small Business
Burton M. Goldfield, Trinet2:00PM - 2:30PM Burton Goldfield is the "human highlight reel" of B2SMB. Let's start first with the company he's led since 2008: TriNet has a market cap of $5.5Bil; TriNet serves a workforce of over 600K people; TriNet recently acquired Zenefits, furthering its position as the leading human resources service provider for SMBs. His approach is simple: delight clients, deliver results, drive innovation, and endure with a dynamic culture. His view from the front lines of the people-challenges SMBs face is the topic of his address to his fellow B2SMB Leaders.Speakers: Burton M. Goldfield
2:30PM NETWORKING BREAK2:30PM - 2:45PMNETWORKING BREAK
2:45PM KEYNOTE: What Massive Changes in SMB Needs Teach Us
Chad Richard, Yelp2:45PM - 3:10PMWhen the world for SMBs turned upside down and sideways amidst pandemic closures, social upheavals and labor shortages, Yelp got busy. Not just providing the features they were famous for (location listings, store hours, reviews) but with a whole host of new, never-before-seen demands for SMBs to communicate to their customers just what was going on in their business. Throughout these massive logistical challenges, Yelp delivered quickly and creatively, and learned a lot along the way. Chad Richards - whose been building highly successful product offerings to SMBs for years - takes us on a deep dive into Yelp's Small Business insights to examine how consumer expectations of their Small Business customer experience translates directly to the expectations SMBs have of us in B2SMB. Speakers: Chad Richard
3:10PM PANEL: Experience Over Function: How CE Will Make or Break B2SMB Offerings
Chris Vasquez, AWeber
Dave Zaboski, Laetro
Taylor Backman, ZOHO3:10PM - 3:40PMThe rise of Low-Code/No-Code Saas offerings in the B2SMB marketspace belies a much larger transformation: the rise of the experience-driven offering. While function will continue to define much of what we build for SMBs, CE is emerging as the deal breaker, the product killer, the monkey-wrench in all the good works of development. What does experience-first look like in your offering? Chris Vasquez of AWeber, Dave Zaboski of Laetro, and Taylor Backman of Zoho, bring their CE-first perspectives from each of their unique perspectives - Product Dev, Marketing and Brand Evangelism.Speakers: Taylor Backman, Dave Zaboski, Chris Vasquez
3:40PM KEYNOTE: Let Me Tell You a Secret: We Achieved Hypergrowth Through Customer Experience
Maria Pergolino, Active Campaign3:40PM - 4:05PMActive Campaign has not fit the mold of a hyper-growth B2SMB player. You know the mold: employees working 24/7, high turnover, rush for funding, scandals and growth at all costs. Maria Pergolino, Active's CMO, tells a different story, an "overnight success" years in the making. The moral of the story? Focus first, last and forever on Customer Experience and the growth will come as steady as it is fast. She presents her Playbook.Speakers: Maria Pergolino
4:05PM KEYNOTE: MEET THE META, THE NEW CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Nikki Medonça, Accenture Interactive4:05PM - 4:30PMNikki Mendonça travels the world as an Ambassador to the Future of Customer Experience. She sits at the epicenter of the next digital revolution - the Metaverse - and she brings a whole constellation of insights to our audience on transformative tech that delivers transformative experience. But this is no "gee whiz" stuff: Nikki frames all manner of digital transformation into a grounded attention to what defines quality CE. She marries the "what's happening" to the "why it must happen." Her time on our stage will set up our first-ever "Idea Kitchen," a chance to take all that we've learned on Day 1 of the Leaders' Forum and work it.Speakers: Nikki Mendonça
4:30PM BREAKOUT: The Customer Experience Idea Kitchen
Sean Cohen, AWeber
Kate Winkler, Ruby
Missy Galang, Silver Lining
Richard Russey, Inc. Magazine
Kelly Benish, Uberall
Latisha Carter, Xero4:30PM - 5:00PMWe'll divide up into small groups to tackle a big challenge: delivering a Small Business Customer Experience that meets the future. With SMB expectations of our products, our services and our enterprises forged in the last two years, and the addition of 6.5Mil new SMBs in the market, how will we up our game to better engage, better assist, better upskill and better grow SMBs? Glen Hartman and Team facilitators will work with each breakout group to draw out insights, to share recipes for success and to "cook up" what we need to do collectively, and back at our own brands.Speakers: Kelly Benish, Sean Cohen, Kate Winkler, Rich Russey, Missy Galang, Latisha Carter
5:00PM Workshop Report Outs5:00PM - 5:15PMWhat did our first "idea kitchen" cook up? We'll hear back from each workshop team on key ingredients they agree will help them succeed through the new decade.
5:15PM DAY 1 WRAP UP5:15PM - 5:30PMB2SMB Institute Co-Founder Dave Walker wraps Day 1 and previews Day 2 of the Leaders' Forum 22.Speakers: Dave Walker
5:30PM WINE-SPIRATION: A TASTE-FILLED, WINE-SPIRED RECEPTION & DEMONSTRATION5:30PM - 7:00PMSPONSORED BY BUSINESS.COM/CENTERFIELD The best and brightest in B2SMB deserve the very best in food and wine, but as a bonus, we’ve invited chefs and winemasters from Greystone to show us novices how the real experts make delicious look easy. Mix, mingle, nosh and sip and go home a CIA-trainee!Speakers: Scott Norwalk, John Busby

May 12, 2022
9:00AM WELCOME BACK9:00AM - 9:05AMB2SMB Institute Co-Founder Dave Walker set the stage for an information flood throughout Day 2. Prepare to leave smarter!Speakers: Dave Walker
9:05AM ROUNDTABLE: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye
Reid Jackson, GS1 US
Kate Bradley Chernis, Lately
Dominic Varacalli, AudioEye
Bill Furlong, Squarestack9:05AM - 9:55AMWe here at the Institute are continuously humbled by what's under the radar, out of our view or over our heads. So we've selfishly asked four "Transformers" to make introductions to those products that both surprised and amazed us. Our roundtable will show and tell tech that delivers the globally ubiquitous (QR codes), the widely misunderstood (AI), the universally important (web accessibility) and the downright elusive (the app of all apps.) Start your Day 2 morning with a delicious omelet of "Ah-a"s.Speakers: Reid Jackson, Kate Bradley Chernis, Dominic Varacalli, Bill Furlong
9:55AM INTRODUCTION: 5 IN 15 Sessions9:55AM - 10:00AMWant great insights at a fast-pace? Our 5-in-15 sessions challenge our SMEs to deliver concise, actionable must-know's - 5 in all in fifteen minutes. Dave Walker introduces our topics & Speakers.Speakers: Dave Walker
10:00AM 5 in 15- SMB TECH: Five Key Insights, Predictions & Takeaways
Chris Shank, Verizon Business10:00AM - 10:15AMChris Shank of Verizon with years as an expert practitioner lays out the critical advances and applications of tech in the SMB marketplace, from platforms to networks to communications.Speakers: Chris Shank
10:15AM 5 IN 15- CRYPTO: Five Key Insights, Predictions & Takeaways
Kush Shrivastava, FalconX10:15AM - 10:30AMB2SMB world benefited from Kush Shrivastava's extraordinary product vision at Google, Yahoo and Verizon. In 2021, Kush cast his vision on the crypto world joining FalconX, digital currency's trading platform of choice. He'll lay out a (volatile) map of crypto's centers of gravity in the Small Business ecosystem.Speakers: Kush Shrivastava
10:30AM 5 in 15- DATA: Arranger or Orchestrator?
Lem Lloyd, OpenPrise10:30AM - 10:45AMLem Lloyd is a proud data-into-sales wonk, and from where he now sits, he sees the advances in harvesting technology for B2B data at ia zenith in 2022. That's a good thing, right? Not if you can't manage the orchestration of data supply and suppliers, especially the often nuanced variation between sourcing claims, verification, and compliance. Here's his 5-part Playbook.Speakers: Lem Lloyd
10:45AM 5 IN 15- GROWTH: Into The Thick of It
Chris O'Neill, Xero10:45AM - 11:00AMChris O’Neill, former CEO of Evernote, ex-Google “Wearables” Chief, and current Board Member of Gap, recently joined Xero as its Chief Growth Officer. He knows how to drive top lines into the thick of economic downturns, headwinds and whirlpools. He enters the B2SMB marketspace as a seasoned builder, and he shares 5 key insights into the Growth Playbook of the next 5 years.
11:00AM PARTNERSHIPS: TOGETHER WE RISE- COME MEET YOUR NEXT B2SMB PARTNER
Michelle Winnett, Ruby
Bailey Preusse, Alignable
Kate Daniels, Oracle Netsuite
Kelly Benish, Uberall11:00AM - 11:45AMPartnerships are hard. From finding partnerships that are genuinely a good fit, to aligning operations between large orgs, to measuring success and optimizing partnership performance, our 4 Leaders do this hard work every day across a very wide range of product and service offerings. We'll begin our workshop with a brief panel for each of them to describe how they approach great match-making on behalf of their enterprises. Then they'll break-out into smaller groups to facilitate attendee meet and greets. If “partnerships” are what you're looking for, this workshop is worth sticking around for. Speakers: Michelle Winnett, Bailey Preusse, Kate Daniels, Kelly Benish
11:45AM CLOSING CEREMONIES11:45AM - 12:00PMB2SMB Institute Co-Founder Dave Walker wraps our event and delivers the Institute's balance of year action plan.Speakers: Dave Walker
12:00PM LUNCH12:00PM - 1:00PMLunch

Speakers for this event

Bill Furlong

Bill Furlong

Founder/CEO, Squarestack
I am a Digital Media and Data Inspired Startup Veteran with equal parts traditional big media company, and early stage digital startup experience. Recently, I founded a b2b SaaS firm called SquareStack. What we call the Business Apps Command Center for Small Business, we help the business owner embrace and engage the Cloud as business apps dominate the workplace.

Founder/CEO, Squarestack
Burton M. Goldfield

Burton M. Goldfield

President & CEO, TriNet
Small and medium-size businesses drive innovation, power the U.S. economy and improve our lives. TriNet’s SMB customers are doing incredible work, such as researching cures for deadly diseases, making the streets safe from gun violence and taking health and wellness to a whole new level. As president and CEO of TriNet, I have the privilege of leading an extraordinary team that is charged with helping our customers to care for the most important factor to their success—their people. Businesses today are faced with many challenges, including a tight labor market and increasingly complex employment laws and regulations. TriNet’s full-service, industry-tailored HR solutions free SMBs from HR complexities through access to human capital expertise, benefits, risk mitigation and compliance, payroll and real-time technology. This empowers SMBs to focus on growing their business. To learn more visit: www.TriNet.com

President & CEO, TriNet
Kush Shrivastava

Kush Shrivastava

VP Partnerships & Exec Ops, FalconX
excited about technology, traveling, photography. building and telling stories about products that make life simpler.

VP Partnerships & Exec Ops, FalconX
Missy Galang

Missy Galang

CMO, Silver Lining
My history of success in marketing is directly connected to my ability to identify and pull out why a brand should matter to their consumers. My expertise lies in driving growth through clear and compelling messaging that drives action.

CMO, Silver Lining
Eric Groves

Eric Groves

Co-Founder/CEO, Alignable
Highly experienced executive leader offering more than 25 years of experience in business strategy, sales & channel development, market creation, marketing, corporate development, and small business education. Results-focused leader with proven ability to develop market strategies, provide executive sponsorship, launch new initiatives and drive businesses to scale.

Co-Founder/CEO, Alignable
Lem Lloyd

Lem Lloyd

Head of Data Enrichment, OpenPrise
Leader of SaaS, consumer services and advertising network companies. Lem has led large sales divisions at public companies (Yahoo!, Angie's List and Knight Ridder), as well as incubating new marketplace and SaaS companies (BuzzBoard, Rocket Fuel and Oodle).

Head of Data Enrichment, OpenPrise
Latisha Carter

Latisha Carter

Head of Partbers, Xero
Energetic, resourceful Sales, Marketing and Partner Programs and Services professional with 16+ years’ experience combining strategic thinking, thorough analysis, and organized action to lead successful programs that generate revenue, enhance customer satisfaction, and deliver tangible results.  Strong reputation for driving and advancing internal collaboration across departments to develop enterprise-supported solutions and programs.  Dedicated marketing innovator who takes projects, events, and strategies from concept to completion.  Engaging, trusted communicator who can motivate both small groups and large audiences to take action.   Goals-driven partner who can be relied upon to put in the work, meet deadlines, control costs, and deliver high-quality results.

Head of Partbers, Xero
Stephanie Gorski

Stephanie Gorski

Managing Director, Accenture
Stephanie Gorski is a Philadelphia–based Strategy Managing Director in Accenture’s Strategy & Consulting practice. She is focused on supporting Accenture's Software & Platforms and Venture Capital clients. Over the course of her career, she has also advised companies across the Communications, Media, Technology, and Products industries. Stephanie is a forward thinking thought partner and strategic advisor with expertise in companies that are driving industry transforming innovation. She has extensive understanding of marketing, sales and product launch & a comfort level with the “fail fast mentality” to improve product trajectory. Stephanie additionally has deep expertise in growth strategy, go-to-market strategies, SMB sales, mergers and acquisitions, digital transformation and operating model redesign. She is passionate about helping companies and business units decide if it is best to Build, Buy or Partner.

Managing Director, Accenture
Michelle Winnett

Michelle Winnett

VP - Partner & Strategic Marketing, Ruby
A proven leader in dynamic high-tech environments, I have been in management and leadership roles focused on translating complex products and solutions into messaging, content and tools to enable complex technology sales. Passionate about results and delivering a superior customer experience, I am a dedicated and collaborative cross-functional marketing leader.

VP - Partner & Strategic Marketing, Ruby
Scott Norwalk

Scott Norwalk

President, Business.com

President, Business.com
Bailey Preusse

Bailey Preusse

Business Development Manager, Alignable

Business Development Manager, Alignable
David Meerman Scott

David Meerman Scott

WSJ Best-Selling Author, Speaker & Strategist

WSJ Best-Selling Author, Speaker & Strat...
Kelly Benish

Kelly Benish

VP of Strategic Partnerships, Uberall
As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for North America at Uberall, I manage our Partner Acquisition Management and Partner Growth Management teams in North America and work on a dedicated basis with our channel partners and their clients in LatAm, North America and the Caribbean. My team and I work tirelessly with our global counterparts to ensure our client’s success, growth and constant innovation in the space.

VP of Strategic Partnerships, Uberall
Chad Richard

Chad Richard

Senior Vice President, Business & Corporate Development, Yelp
A seasoned technology executive with over 25 years experience creating and marketing innovative products to mass consumer audiences. Areas of focus have included: internet services, operating systems, local & maps, search, photos and entertainment.

Senior Vice President, Business & Corpor...
Sean Cohen

Sean Cohen

COO, AWeber
Chief Operating Officer focused on People, Process and Execution. Since 2001 I have been following my passions building a fanatical company culture, providing the absolute best email marketing platform to millions of people around the world and creating remarkable experiences for everyone that comes in contact with us.

COO, AWeber
Chris Vasquez

Chris Vasquez

Chief Product Officer, AWeber
I'm the chief product officer at AWeber. I love using design and technology to help people create businesses that bring hope, joy, and value to people's lives. I get to work with a team of product managers and UX/UI designers to create tools and experiences that entrepreneurs, bloggers, podcasters and small businesses of all sorts use to connect with their audiences in remarkable ways. I'm most passionate about identifying and helping to unlock super powers in product people, from becoming data-whisperers to prototyping mad scientists. He's almost equally passionate about building things that enable people to do incredible things and feel amazing doing them. The center of the Venn diagram between those passions is an obsession with experimentation as a means for unearthing insights of all types.

Chief Product Officer, AWeber
Kate Winkler

Kate Winkler

CEO, Ruby
Dynamic C-level executive, technology entrepreneur, and mid-market business advisor who has helped over 75 companies build and capture over $4Bn in enterprise value. A passionate and driven leader with expertise in technology-enabled business solutions, high-growth business models and complex mergers/acquisitions.

CEO, Ruby
Maria Pergolino

Maria Pergolino

CMO, Active Campaign
Maria is known for building world-class go-to-market teams that drive growth, differentiation, and category leadership. She has served as a senior marketing leader for global B2B technology organizations for almost two decades including serving as Chief Marketing Officer at Anaplan (NYSE:PLAN), Senior Vice President of Marketing & Sales Development at Apttus, and held marketing leadership roles at Marketo and Shunra Software (acquired by Hewlett-Packard Enterprises). She is considered a B2B marketing expert from her success and innovative approaches in customer advocacy, demand generation, account-based marketing, strategic events, sales development and marketing communications. She has expertise in the Salesforce, Microsoft, Adobe and Oracle ecosystems. Maria holds both a BS and MBA in Marketing from Rutgers University and has participated in executive educations programs at Cornell, Stanford and Wharton.

CMO, Active Campaign
Rabiah Duncan

Rabiah Duncan

VP Partnerships, Silver Lining
Accomplished, multifaceted, and proven servant leader with 18 years of outstanding brand, client, and project management experience. Skilled at structuring and negotiating multi-million dollar regional, national, and global business acquisitions for corporate and non-profit organizations. Expert at cultivating top-tier C-suite relationships that deliver profitable, value-added solutions and generate revenue. Experience managing all levels of business strategy, including ROI / KPI metrics, creative thinking, and analytical problem solving. Views business through a 360-degree lens and can identify opportunities that are in alignment with an organization’s vision, brand, and core values. Experienced managing teams of 10+ people and larger cross-discipline teams of 40+.

VP Partnerships, Silver Lining
Nikki Mendonça

Nikki Mendonça

Global Managing Director, Software & Platforms Industry Network, Accenture Interactive
With more than 25 years experience in the global marketing, sales & service ecosystem Nikki is passionate about the Platform Economy and leveraging both Purpose & Innovation to design & deliver NEW connected customer experiences for clients.

Global Managing Director, Software & Pla...
Rich Russey

Rich Russey

Publisher, Inc. Magazine
A passionate and strategic leader, with a deep understanding of the digital eco system and an impeccable record of building winning sales teams, generating new business and hitting revenue goals.

Publisher, Inc. Magazine
Nicole Wood

Nicole Wood

Co-Founder, Ama la Vida Coaching
I'm the CEO and co-founder of Ama La Vida, an innovative coaching company which helps people to achieve both deep fulfillment and phenomenal success in their careers. I'm a Project Entrepreneur 2018 alum and a graduate of 1871's WiSTEM Cohort 7 accelerator for female tech founders.

Co-Founder, Ama la Vida Coaching
Jim Fitzgerald

Jim Fitzgerald

CEO, Taradel
Taradel makes it easy to deploy highly targeted, multi-channel, direct marketing campaigns for small to medium-sized businesses. Only Taradel combines easy-to-use software, proprietary data analytics, and direct marketing experts to maximize conversions. Strategic, Co-branded, and White-labeled Partnerships with FedEx Office, Canada Post, U.S. Postal Service, and franchises helped drive Taradel’s twelve consecutive years on the Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing companies in America.

CEO, Taradel
Foram Sheth

Foram Sheth

Co-Founder, Ama la Vida Coaching
I identify myself as a mother, a wife and a passionate individual who is driven to empower those around me to thrive. I realized that the best athletes, performers, and leaders all have one thing in common - they dedicate themselves to improving by partnering with a coach.

Co-Founder, Ama la Vida Coaching
Wendy Taccetta

Wendy Taccetta

Senior Vice President for Nationwide Small Business & Channel Chief, Verizon Business
As Senior Vice President for Nationwide Small Business and Channel Chief for Verizon Business, I am responsible for driving results in several strategic areas of the business. We are focused on creating the best end-to-end wireless experience for small business owners who trust their business to Verizon.

Senior Vice President for Nationwide Sma...
Carissa Reiniger

Carissa Reiniger

CEO/Founder, Small Biz Silver Lining
I am a passionate believer in, and advocate for, small business. I started Silver Lining on a mission to help more small business owners make money doing what they love. We have worked with over 11,000 small businesses in 50+ countries to help them build more profitable and sustainable businesses. Our entire team works relentlessly because we know that when small businesses thrive their families are given opportunities, jobs are created, communities are invested in and the economy grows.

CEO/Founder, Small Biz Silver Lining
Chris Shank

Chris Shank

National Director - Small Business Innovation, Verizon
Combining the rare expertise of analytical decision making, unique insights, clear prioritization, and capable leadership allows me to deliver elite business performance with stout dependability. I lead Verizon's Small Business Innovation Organization.

National Director - Small Business Innov...
Reid Jackson

Reid Jackson

VP Corporate Development, GS1 US
I have always been passionate about how technology can help us improve the world we live in. We live in very exciting times. The internet created a new Technology Revolution. Mobile phones accelerated us into another technology revolution. Just ask yourself - when was the last time you opened up a paper map? Now we are on the cusp of the new Data Revolution driven by 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IOT, Quantum Computing, Smart Dust and more. New systems, approaches, techniques, and technologies are going to be needed to address the Tsunami of data that is coming our way.

VP Corporate Development, GS1 US
Chris O'Neill

Chris O'Neill

Chief Growth Officer
I help build and scale enduring companies. I have had the privilege to lead teams at some of the world's most beloved brands including Google and Evernote. Over the past 25 years, I have gained leadership experience in consumer and enterprise, wartime and peacetime, leading challenging turnarounds and scaling rocketships. I've worked and done business in Canada, the USA, China, Europe, and beyond; led significant go-to-market organizations and served as general manager, Chairman, and CEO. Through these adventures, I've learned the value of courage, humility, and grit: the courage to continuously tackle new challenges to learn and unlearn; humility to serve as a compassionate leader who thrives as part of teams that deliver outstanding results and a positive impact in people's lives; and the grit to fight through adversity and bounce back stronger from setbacks. I bring this operating experience and perspective to my role as Chief Growth Officer at Xero (ASX: XRO). I serve as a board member at Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) and previously served on the board at Tim Horton's (NYSE: THI). Specialties: leadership, general management, governance, business operations, product development, product-led growth, SMB, go-to-market, marketing (brand, product, growth), analytics, SaaS, future of work, fintech.

Chief Growth Officer
Kate Bradley Chernis

Kate Bradley Chernis

Co-Founder/CEO, Lately
Kate Bradley Chernis is the Founder & CEO of Lately – A.I. that learns which words will get you the most engagement and turns video, audio and text into dozens of social posts containing those words. As a former rock 'n' roll dj, Kate served 20 million listeners as Music Director and on-air host at Sirius/XM. She’s also an award-winning radio producer, engineer and voice talent with 25 years of national broadcast communications, brand-building, sales and marketing expertise. What she learned in radio about the neuroscience of music helps fuel Lately's artificial intelligence.

Co-Founder/CEO, Lately
Taylor Backman

Taylor Backman

Senior Evangelist, Zoho
I help communicate the value of integrated business software to organizations around the world. And I listen to customers, partners, and influencers to keep Zoho connected to the needs of the market.

Senior Evangelist, Zoho
Dominic Varacalli

Dominic Varacalli

COO, AudioEye
An entrepreneur at heart I am passionate about finding interesting problems and tackling them head on. Over the years I have built three companies and I’m always intrigued by looking into how people are currently doing something and making their life better through building great technology.

COO, AudioEye
Dave Zaboski

Dave Zaboski

Co-Founder/CCO, Laetro
HOW LAETRO CAN BE OF SERVICE: We connect talent with business teams to produce highly engaging digital content. Join the world's best creatives inside our infinitely scalable, connected creative studio.

Co-Founder/CCO, Laetro

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A Message from Dave Walker, Co-Founder of the B2SMB Institute

As we come to the close of a record year for growth, the B2SMB Institute will approach 2022 living the adage, “To Much is Given, Much is Expected.”

So it seems more than fitting that the theme of our return to live events in 2022 is GROW.

Our community of 5000+ now extends beyond peer B2SMB brand Leaders into a large number of SMB Influencers, SMB Advocacy Orgs, and even policy-makers at a national, state & local level.

All of us are on a mission to grow in 2022.

For those who’ve joined us in Napa before, you know the B2SMB Institute’s Leaders’ Forum is special. Special people, special content, special location. We pride ourselves on curating an A-List of attendees, the best and brightest Leaders of the $500Bil+ business-to-small-business marketplace. We then carefully construct an intimate forum that highlights shared challenges and opportunities in a setting that drives casual and candid exchange.

At the Culinary Institute of America – Greystone, you’ll find a haven to step away from the day to day tactics of running your operation, and feed your strategy and leadership muscles. You’ll be immersed in “big picture” insights, highly interactive workshops and 1-to-1 peer exchanges that are focused on new and emerging business strategies and models for building profitable SMB-focused businesses.

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Our attendees will range from CEOs to CPOs to Founders, from Marketers to Developers to Investors. Over 80% of the 2019 Leaders’ Forum’ attendees were VP-level and above, representing the biggest B2SMB brands, and many of the B2SMB Institute’s largest Members.

The Leaders’ Forum is an intimate event (we cap attendees at 150), so don’t delay in getting your ticket today. To save 66%, click here.

All About Our World-class Destination – You Deserve This!

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How to Get There By Car

Our Event Venue - the Culinary Institute Greystone - resides in the Northern Napa valley, near Yountville, Calistoga, and dozens (and dozens) of the finest vineyards in the US. Located at the north end of downtown St. Helena on Route 128 (2555Main Street) the CIA Greystone has ample parking.

How to Get There By Air

For those coming in by air, we prefer Sacramento (SMF), a 90-minute drive away from our venue. For those who prefer to fly into San Francisco (SFO) you’ll have a 1-hour-45-minute drive; for those who fly into Oakland (OAK), you will also have a 1-hour-45-minute drive. All routes will take you through the center of the Napa Valley, from South to North. Downtown Napa is right in the middle of this route.

Close By St. Helena Hotels

Harvest Inn
707-963-9463
1 Main St.

Wine Country Inn
707-963-7077
1152 Lodi Ln

El Bonita
707-963-3216
195 Main St.

Nearby Hotels (within 15-minute drive)

UpValley Inn & Hot Springs
707-942-9400
1865 Lincoln Ave.

Mount View Hotel & Spa
707-942-6877
1457 Lincoln Ave

Napa Valley Lodge
888-944-3545
2230 Madison St

North Block Hotel
707-944-8080
6757 Washington St

Downtown Napa Hotels (within 30-minute drive)

The Westin Verasa Napa
707-257-1800
1314 Mckinstry Street

River Terrace Inn
707-320-9000
1600 Soscol Ave

Archer Hotel
707-690-9800
1230 First Street

Hennessey House
707-226-3774
1727 Main Street

Andaz Napa
707-289-9424
1450 First Street

Meritage Resort & Spa
844-283-4588
875 Bordeaux Way

Silverado Resort & Spa
707-257-0200
1600 Atlas Peak Road

Embassy Suites
707-253-9540
1075 California Blvd

What They Said: Top Reasons for B2SMB Pros to Attend the Leaders’ Forum

Best-in-Class for B2SMB

“What a great two days. You guys are building something super cool and INCREDIBILY valuable.” – Jill Nelson, CEO/Founder, Ruby Receptionists

“I was so incredibly impressed on who you were able to gather together to talk about how we better support the SMB community.” – Erik Day, VP/GM – Small Business, Dell

“The event was first class, from the people, the connections and the take home value.” – Sean Cohen, COO, AWeber

There’s no other event that entirely focuses on the highly challenging $500Bil Business-to-Small-Business marketspace, bringing B2SMB pros at all levels a unique and intense value.

A Focus on What Works

“It was great to hear the experiences of the speakers and other attendees. We came away with some immediate points of optimization for our go to market process.” – Joanna Knox, BD Lead, Fundbox

“We thought the event was very well done! You guys brought it! The networking and content was spot on.” – Aaron Bailey, COO, Business.com

“My team and I learned so much during the conference with all the folks who are serving SMBs. Overall, a truly inspiring event.” – Liz Yoon, Partnerships Management, LegalZoom

We emphasize what works when it comes to reaching, engaging, keeping, keeping and growing SMBs. With no time for theory, our attendees leave a whole lot smarter on what to do next.

Pro-Grade Networking

“Great connections and networking.” – Carrie Jacobson, VP Technology & Services, Office Depot

“There was great energy in the room and lots of good opportunity to network.” – Kelly Thomas Nojaim, VP Partner Development, Microsoft

We pride ourselves on bringing together B2SMBs best and brightest and fostering their peer-to-peer exchanges, with plenty of time and space to comfortably interact.

What’s Now & What’s Next

“I found a lot of value connecting with various leaders in the space and learning how different companies are approaching the SMB segment.” – Dip Ghuman, Strategic and Product Partnerships, Indeed

“Definitely think it put Lorem on the radar for a lot of important partners in the future and lots of great content from other innovators in the SMB space.’ – Sam Wilcoxon, Founder, Lorem

We believe it’s critical that B2SMB pros see what’s here and what’s coming when it comes to the millions of Small Business they are trying to sell. Count on us to keep looking ahead!

More than a Single Event

“I think this will grow year over year and I look forward in participating in future.” – Jenn Allen, SMB Segment Lead, Cisco

“You put together a great event and it’s definitely going to be one of the must-go to events for everyone who is serving small businesses.” – Martin Schmidt, Strategic Development, 1&1

“Thank you for the opportunity and really enjoyed it. You are building something very interesting.” – Doug Bewsher, CEO, Leadspace

B2SMB Institute events are focus-points for our Members, but our Member community, segment Councils, SMB research and resources (like Playbooks!) adds value throughout the year and beyond!

And It’s Fun?!?

“It was a ton of fun.” – Darian Shirazi, CEO, Radius

“Absolutely amazing event.” – Max Pechersky, PromoRepublic, CEO/Co-Founder

“Seriously, it was a great show – congratulations to you for taking the lead and driving this. Much needed and I made numerous contacts – for which I can see value on both sides of the equation.” – Lem Lloyd, SVP, Buzzboard

From the beginning, we’ve been impressed by our very own B2SMB event Speakers, facilitators, and attendees – great Pros with great experiences and great willingness to share. We make peer-to-peer fun with lots of events within our events that foster casual, comfortable exchange, and more than a few laughs.

We are Business-to-Small-Business

If your job depends on winning, keeping and growing SMB customers at scale, we invite you to join thousands of your B2SMB peers who count on the Institute for critical information, actionable insights, and the skills needed to succeed.

B2SMB Institute
902 South Randall Road Suite 309
St. Charles, IL 60174
info@b2smbi.com

Join Our Growing Network

With over 3000 Members and growing, the Institute provides a network of Leaders exclusively focused on our unique $500Bil marketplace, providing opportunities to partner, share, learn and ultimately help millions of SMBs by helping our Member-brands.

We’re here to ensure that B2SMB Professionals – those whose job depends on winning, keeping and growing Small Business customers – succeed. We serve as an exclusive destination for critical resources, peer-to-peer networking and specialized skills development enriching B2SMB leaders, practitioners, brands and enterprises.

The B2SMB Institute champions Small-Business-centric thinking and practice that insures those who develop and deliver products & services to SMBs are successful. By focusing on what reaches, engages, wins, keeps and grows SMB customers, the Institute addresses the challenges our Members confront on a daily basis.

Our rapidly growing community is our foundation: from C-Suite to front lines, our Members include B2SMB Marketers, Brand Managers, Product Developers, Sales Leaders and Investors. The B2SMB Institute is a dynamic, year-round setting to find, meet and network with B2SMB decision-makers, all who share common needs, challenges, and goals.

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DAY 1 FEATURES

DAY 2 FEATURES

AGENDA

ACCOMMODATIONS

MAJOR B2SMB BRAND LEADERS COMMITTED TO THE LEADERS’ FORUM 22

FEATURED KEYNOTE: BURTON M. GOLDFIELD, PRESIDENT & CEO, TRINET

FEATURED KEYNOTE: WSJ BEST-SELLER DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT

SMALL GROUP BREAKOUTS BOOKEND DAY 1’S SESSIONS

YOUR PEERS FACILITATE BREAKOUT SESSION #1 & 2

GO HOME SMARTER WITH DAY 2 ROUNDTABLES, BREAKOUTS & SPEAKERS

PEER B2SMB EXPERTS TALK FUTURES ON TODAY’S HOTTEST TOPICS

Want great insights at a fast-pace? Our 5-in-15 sessions challenge our SME Speakers to deliver concise, actionable must-know-now topics – 5 in all, all within fifteen minutes.

YOUR PEERS FACILITATE BREAKOUT SESSION #3

Why You Should Attend the 2022 Leaders’ Forum

VALUE #1: IT’S LIVE.

VALUE #2: IT’S PEER-TO-PEER.

VALUE #3: IT’S FOCUSED.

The 250+ Brands of the B2SMB Institute

Our Leaders’ Forum 2022 Agenda

LOTS OF BREAKOUTS.

LOTS OF INSIGHTS.

LOTS OF FUN.

Schedule

Speakers for this event

Bill Furlong

Bill Furlong

Burton M. Goldfield

Burton M. Goldfield

Kush Shrivastava

Kush Shrivastava

Missy Galang

Missy Galang

Eric Groves

Eric Groves

Lem Lloyd

Lem Lloyd

Latisha Carter

Latisha Carter

Stephanie Gorski

Stephanie Gorski

Michelle Winnett

Michelle Winnett

Scott Norwalk

Scott Norwalk

Bailey Preusse

Bailey Preusse

David Meerman Scott

David Meerman Scott

Kelly Benish

Kelly Benish

Chad Richard

Chad Richard

Sean Cohen

Sean Cohen

Chris Vasquez

Chris Vasquez

Kate Winkler

Kate Winkler

Maria Pergolino

Maria Pergolino

Rabiah Duncan

Rabiah Duncan

Nikki Mendonça

Nikki Mendonça

Rich Russey

Rich Russey

Nicole Wood