2015 Small Business Convention

Runway Ready,  October 21, 12-1:30 p.m. 

Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss, Co-Founders, Rent the Runway                                                         

Launched in 2009, Rent the Runway has transformed the retail industry by making designer dress and accessory rentals a convenient and accessible luxury experience for millions of women. Hear how these Harvard Business School classmates joined forces and turned an idea into a nationwide venture with millions of customers, 250 employees and hundreds of designer partners – a true entrepreneurial success story!

Strategies for Success, Oct 22 8-9:30 a.m.

Robert Stephens, Founder, Geek Squad

With $200, a bicycle and a subsequent collaboration with Best Buy, Robert Stephens transformed the small cryptic world of tech support and made it glamorous and accessible when he founded The Geek Squad in 1994. Hear his inspiring story of entrepreneurship, his perspectives on advancing technology, smart marketing and thoughtful business strategy and what he thinks is the next “big thing”.

Lessons in Leadership, Oct 22 12-1:30 p.m.

Derreck Kayongo, Founder, Global Soap Project             

From child refugee to U.S. citizen to fearless visionary, Derreck Kayongo has served in leadership roles in some of the world’s most respected non-government organizations. In 2009, Kayongo and his wife Sarah started The Global Soap Project, which focuses on repurposing partially-used soap from hotels into new soap for needy populations, particularly in Africa. Hear how his passion and tenacity led to his success and how those lessons can be applied to successful business practices in the 21st century.