In Indianapolis last week, we held our annual SuperConference. Industry leaders, members, and growth-focused accounting professionals came together to build relationships with other niche practice leaders, gain the tools to grow their business, and hear insights for the future of the industry. This year’s theme was Blueprint for Greatness, because greatness is the goal. No matter our industry, we all want to achieve excellence and distinction and be recognized as masters of our craft.
During last week’s conference, we established three rules for achieving greatness and provided attendees with opportunities to work on those steps:
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Draft Your Blueprint
To build a house, an architect must first draft a blueprint, and the same holds true for your business. Without an idea of where to go, a strong foundation to build from, and a strategy to structure your growth, you, and your firm, will never be as successful as you want to be. A house built badly will eventually fall. It’s not enough just to build; you must build effectively through well-conceived plans.
Michael Platt kicked off the conference with an overview of the current challenges in the industry and how firms need to adjust their plan to account for the future of their businesses.
Our break-out sessions – in the Auto Dealer, Banking, Health Care, Manufacturing, Nonprofit, Real Estate & Construction, Growth & Technology, and Practice Management tracks – emphasized the importance of having a plan in place, as well as providing insight and tips to draft a blueprint that will succeed in your specific niche. The sessions and tracks were open to everyone, so attendees could personalize a schedule that best appealed to them.
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Learn from Great People in Your Industry
It’s important to look to the people who have already achieved greatness in your industry; they already have the tools to build a successful business and the wisdom and hard-earned lessons to help you succeed. Forming relationships with other people in your industry gives you access to important resources and people to turn to when you need advice – and also creates real friendships that last.
We recognize the opportunity to network and build those relationships is the most valuable part of SuperConference – so we wrapped things up Day 1 with a Welcome Reception that was a blast, scheduled plenty of networking breaks, and planned three fun special events that highlighted the incredible city we were in: the annual Golf Scramble at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, a tour of Lucas Oil Stadium and the NCCA Hall of Champions, and networking dinners through all of Indianapolis’s favorite restaurants.
Attendees also heard from speakers that provided invaluable lessons and insight.
Troy Nix’s presentation, The Cadence of Leadership, was incredibly inspirational and thought-provoking, and sent a strong, positive message about consistency, dedication to the team, determination to do whatever it takes to succeed, and a willingness to be vulnerable and humble enough to let others carry you when they have the desire and skills to do so.
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Build Your Blueprint
It’s not enough to just draft a blueprint. You have to build it, too, and execute the great ideas you have. And in order to build, you need to have the proper tools.
The sessions and speakers aimed to equip attendees with the necessary training and resources to execute the plan they drafted. In some sessions, that meant providing predictions for future changes in the accounting industry and tips to best approach them; in others, it meant teaching technical, in-depth training specific to our six different niche industries.
In a session titled “Now What?” by Rainmaker’s own Adelaide Ness, attendees were provided with ways to execute new thoughts and ideas.
This year’s conference was a huge success. We had a wonderful time in Indianapolis and enjoyed seeing everyone there. We thank all who attended for their engagement and participation; each one of you made a difference and turned this year’s conference into a special one to remember.
Now that SuperConference is over, it’s time to take what you learned and the connections you made, pick up your tools, and start building your business up better than it’s ever been.
Megan Brooks – Graphic Designer & Videographer at The Rainmaker Companies
