This article, written by Intuit’s Jim McGinnis (VP and Leader of the Accountant Segment for Intuit), originally appeared on LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/1Qk3y7l
Who are you going to meet this week for the first time? Maybe a story or two will inspire you to make new connections, as they have me.
Last November, Intuit hosted the 2nd Annual QuickBooks Connect event. We brought together 1500 accounting professionals, thousands of small businesses and developers for an inspiring few days of learning, sharing, and connecting. The event even included an inspiring keynote by the one and only Oprah Winfrey.
On the first night of QuickBooks Connect, I finished dinner and headed out on the town with a group of accountants. One excused himself along the way, and said he would meet up with us later. I had to ask where he’d gone after rejoining the group 45 minutes later. He explained that one year earlier, when he attended the first-ever QuickBooks Connect, he’d gotten hungry late one night. He found a local sandwich shop, and ended up leaving with a sandwich and a new client. Over the course of the following year, he managed the owner’s books from afar by using QuickBooks Online. He explained he had just spent the last 45 minutes stopping into that sandwich shop to say hello to his client.
Or take Alicia Pollock, whose goal at QuickBooks Connect last November was to talk to as many people as possible. She shared this story on Facebook: while picking up her coat at the coat check, she struck up a conversation with the gentleman working the coat check station. She asked him how he managed his finances and learned he needed help migrating to the newest version of QuickBooks. She left with her coat…and a new client, too.
And finally, Andrew Berg, who owns Berg Partners, LLC, an accounting and tax firm in Philadelphia, has the best story to tell. While attending QuickBooks Connect, he went to the bar during a break in the Goo Goo Dolls concert and struck up a conversation with the fellow next to him. Turns out, it was Mike Brown, the owner of Death Wish Coffee, the small business that had just been selected as one of three finalists in the QuickBooks Small Business Big Game contest for a chance to win a fully-paid ad during football’s biggest game of the year!
Mike was concerned about his ability to manage the growth that would come from that kind of exposure. Andrew asked questions about the business that showed Mike he was more than just a tax and accounting guy. Over a drink with the Goo Goo Dolls playing in the background, Mike found himself a new accountant and advisor, and Andrew left QuickBooks Connect with a new client on the verge of experiencing immense growth.
Little did Mike or Andrew know what immense growth was about to occur after meeting that night. Death Wish Coffee won that ad that will be viewed by millions of people tomorrow during the 3rd quarter of football’s biggest game! The exposure they receive on Sunday, without a doubt, will lead to the kind of growth every small business dreams of — and thanks to a connection at a concert, Death Wish Coffee will be ready.
Who will you connect with this week for the first time, and where will it take you?
Need a little help connecting? We’re deep into planning next year’s QuickBooks Connect, now confirmed for October 23-26 in San Jose! See you at the bar? It just may change your life and business forever.
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Follow Jim on Twitter: @jim_mcginnis
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