We all know what it is to get in shape. You look at yourself in the mirror, and see that your favorite outfit is looking tight. Thinking back, you know you have been indulging too much. When I feel that way, I start eating better. I incorporate more salads, stop eating out as much, and cut down on the sweets.  I must admit my son and I have a serious sweet tooth at times, so it’s hard to cut back. But when it time to start shedding the pounds, I ramp up my workouts. I go from two days a week at the gym to taking it up to 4 times a week.

But what you do when your business gets out of shape?  It’s important to take a long hard look at our businesses in the same way we look at our health.  Is your business physically fit? There are specific signs that your business needs a new routine.  Are you burning through cash? Is your sales pipeline going through a drought? Have you filed your taxes yet? Are you skipping paychecks often? When is that last time you had a staff meeting?  If you are say yes or no to these questions, it’s time to do something different.

As business owners, we can get so caught up in the day-to-day grind to survive, that we forget routine maintenance. Many of my long time readers know how much of a Benjamin Franklin fan I am. Franklin was America’s first mega entrepreneur, and just a wise old man. Ben Franklin famously advised fire-threatened Philadelphians in 1736 that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Clearly, preventing fires is better than fighting them, but to what extent can we protect ourselves from fighting fires in our businesses? It’s simple, by investing in professional development as your routine maintenance.

I started the Reinvention Weekend Conference, 5 years ago to create a way for business owners to get a quick boost of knowledge to grow their businesses in a safe environment. You don’t have all the answers on how to fix your business. No one does. But imagine how awesome you will feel when you are shoulder to shoulder with like-minded entrepreneurs and small business experts who will help you figure out a better way to do things. Isolation is the enemy of entrepreneurship. You need to be around other people going through it to see how to take your business to the next level. I created the Melinda F. Emerson Foundation to host this annual conference.

All of our guest speakers and business experts donate their time to coach our attendees. This year’s 2-day event is Oct 6-7, 2017 in Washington, DC. Reinvention Weekend kicks off Friday after noon, and then we go all day Saturday. It’s not your entire weekend, but it is powerful and impactful. This year’s guest speakers include Veteran business expert, Barry Moltz, Digital marketing expert, Trevor Otts, Operations guru, Ellen Rohr, Chef Phillip Ashley, award winning chocolatier and branding expert, Accounting and tax guru, Dawn Brolin, CPA, Content marketing expert, Joan Wilson, and so much more.

Each attendee will participate in a 90-minute mastermind group session with one of our small business experts. This is my gift to you. It’s an affordable way for you to get access to some of the nation’s top small business expert. They’ll help you get what you need to get your business back on track. This year, we have an extra special gift for all attendees. We’ve scored a block of tickets to the National Museum of African American History and Culture of Oct 8^th, so come to DC and make a weekend of it.

There are lots of conferences that target small businesses, but we are giving you actionable advice from the stage. You will be able to go home and make real changes in your business. If you want to finally live your dream life as an entrepreneur, don’t miss Reinvention Weekend 2017. We are all invested in your success.