“Why are you hosting Think Big Kansas City?”
“What is your REAL agenda?”
“What’s in it for you?”

Great questions, but really it’s pretty simple.

First of all, we are simply a group of entrepreneurs.

With that said, it is no surprise that the past few years have been very difficult for this country and for many people. Like many of you, we have participated in our own versions of this great country’s economic upheaval that seems to have changed the face of the world indelibly. And like many of you, it has been less than fun at times.

With unemployment numbers continuing to linger at all time highs, worries over inflation, the question of when will the supposed economic recovery begin, and many people’s lives having been affected by issues that seemed inconceivable 3-4 years ago, there are many reasons for a sense of malaise and wanting to tune out any more negative news.

Approximately two years ago, we decided we wanted to do something to make a difference?  We wanted to fight back from both the negativity while also working to regain the ground that had been lost in this latest, wicked recession. We wanted to do something positive from not only a business sense, but also to restore people’s faith that our best days are ahead of us and remind ourselves that the recession we find ourselves in is truly part of the normal economic cycles.

An idea came to mind.

What if we could help create more jobs in the community?  Could we foster a more positive approach to business and a brighter outlook on life? Could we make a difference as entrepreneurs working together to have more productive, collaborative business relationships while still providing for our families?

This is how Think Big Kansas City was born. www.thinkbigkansascity.com

We have put our money where our mouths (and hearts) are and will bring in the highest quality speakers and presenters to Kansas City for one long day of education, inspiration and motivation.

This is our own version of an economic recovery and stimulus package to help Kansas City.

History has shown us that in times of recession, that if you are prepared to begin a  new venture, start a company or build upon the success of an existing company, that you can take “lemons” and turn them into very powerful lemonade. Approximately 50% of all the companies that are on the Fortune 500 list were born out of recessions and bear markets. And with businesses normally failing at a rate of half in 5 years, we wanted to create a program to remove as many obstacles from people’s way in starting their new venture or growing their existing business when opportunity presented itself. We want to decrease the odds of failure that are already stacked against small business.

And as any successful entrepreneur will tell you, sometimes the difference between success and failure is often just being able to survive one’s own mistakes and try again.

Many of these sessions are EXACTLY the courses we wish we had taken years ago. And if we had been armed with this knowledge, the chances of failure would have much less.

The unfortunate reality is that a program like this costs a lot of money, and we are so very grateful to the many wonderful sponsors that have helped make this day a reality for Kansas City. This program is designed to help foster more entrepreneurship, more collaboration between entrepreneurs, and provide a venue to enhance the education of business owners of every size to help them create their own economic recovery.

What began now almost 3 years ago for some of us personally, has finally led all of us to this event. And hopefully sometime in the next year, we might be able to build an innovation and entrepreneur collaboration center modeled after several successful groups across North America. This center will be run by entrepreneurs and for entrepreneurs, to give them an ongoing destination in Kansas City in which they can help build, launch and grow entrepreneurial ventures of all sizes. We are not trying to replace any groups, like the Kauffman Foundation that does a great job, or others. But simply fill a small void that we felt as entrepreneurs and add to the entrepreneurial small business equation in Kansas City.

Lastly, we are also very serious about doing good things for this great city, Kansas City. A portion of our proceeds will also benefit Turning Point, De La Salle and Deb’s House (A Romanian Orphanage).

We hope this long winded text explains our inspiration for this event. And more importantly, we hope you will consider registering for this event IF you think it can help you.

And if you need one last dose of inspiration, Get Inspired. As Chris Gardner might say…. whatever it is that you do, we hope you will simply Start Where You Are.

Good luck and Think BIG!

Think Big Kansas City and Think Big Partners