Live Blogging QuickBooks Connect Morning Keynot

Sekou Andrews kicked off the event and was amazing – Intuit CEO Brad Smit just took the stage.

Brad Smith – 4 major trends happening that will affect small biz. 1. Social – companies that win don’t create just products, they create platforms. 2. Cloud – borders have been erased. Customer expect seamless experiences. 3. Mobile – companies that win today have to imagine their products mobile first. 4. Data – opportunity is to capitalize on the data but protect security and integrity.

Brad Smith – We have a simple aspiration: to be the operating system for the small biz. “Software that helps small businesses manage their time and money”

Brad Smith – 6 out of 10 small businesses get turned down for loans. Intuit has facilitated $45 million dollars for small businesses.

Brad Smith – Small businesses are more likely to succeed when they work with accounting professionals.

Bill Rancic just took the stage!

Intuit QuickBooks Connect Hackathon $15k winners: Payments Cloud by Cloud Conversion, Saftety Net by Jobber, Service Titan. Congrats to Method CRM for winning the $55k grand prize!!

Bill Rancic’s first business? Making pancakes for his grandmother’s friends.

Tristan Walker & Debbie Sterling just hit the stage.

Tristan on biggest obstacles: Usually what looks like a bad idea can be a good idea, and what looks like a good idea is a bad idea, because there are probably a lot of other people with that same good idea

Debbie on biggest obstacles: I didn’t have it right first time, or the tenth time, but I learned and fixed what was wrong.

Tristan: Dont’ let lack of context cloud your judgement, you don’t get what you don’t ask for, the trials you go through and the blessings are the exact same things

Debbie: Put yourself out there, be specific and direct when you ask for what you want, surround yourself with great advisors

Charles Best just took the stage – Funny story about getting his start, and his advice? Always check whether it’s reply or forward before sending a smack talking email 🙂

Magic Johnson is up next! Shout our a fellow Michigander!

Magic says find a mentor, and have the courage to say you don’t know business and seek out help

Magic says he overcame fear of failure by believing in himself and his business plan

Magic: Sometimes you need to bring a partner or investor to the deal so they can see it firsthand

Magic: If you know your customer and treat them well, their loyalty will be your best marketing

Magic: Two times each year do a SWOT (assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). Also, reinvest in your biz, have a great team and be ready for growth

Magic: I learned to be successful by having great advisors and people to tell me NO

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