With more than 30 million small businesses across the country employing over 47% of the country’s total workforce, it’s no wonder small business is known as the backbone of America. But in the midst of COVID, small business owners and entrepreneurs need our help more than ever as they transform their Main Street mainstays into thriving digital ones, which is why we’re taking our annual Small Business Summit presented by Mastercard online and making it free to attend. Yes, free!
On Saturday, October 24th, we’re partnering with Mastercard to host a day of immersive virtual workshops, insightful panels, and intimate mentor sessions. Prepare to walk away with the tools, tips, and tricks you need to build, launch, or take your business to the next level and open your digital doors. Scroll on to find out everything you need to know ahead of the big day (spoiler alert: Kate Hudson and Tika Sumpter will be there!) and RSVP to save your spot if you haven’t already.
THE DATE
Saturday, October 24th, 2020
TUNE IN FROM HOME
First things first! On Saturday, October 24th, you’ll receive an email with the link to access the exclusive Small Business Summit presented by Mastercard event site. Please note: All content will go live on Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), including the launch of the exclusive Small Business Summit presented by Mastercard event site. To find out what time a session is happening in your time zone, use this handy time zone converter.
The digital summit is made up of pre-recorded video sessions hosted via Vimeo and live video sessions streaming via Zoom and Messenger Rooms. We recommend that you have a strong WiFi connection and update to the latest version of Zoom for the best experience. The summit is optimized for desktop, so it is best viewed via a computer or laptop, rather than a tablet or phone.
While the live content is specifically designed to be watched in real-time, you’ll be able to access and view it until Friday, October 30th at 5 pm PDT (Insiders, you have all-access even after the cutoff via your C&C Insiders dashboard!).
THE SCHEDULE
Small Business Summit presented by Mastercard is built just like our in-person conferences, which, of course, you all know and love. We have a stacked schedule with an A-list line-up of speakers so we suggest taking notes along the way.
Want the full lineup? Check out the play-by-play schedule to map out your big day. Please note, all times are listed in PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) and EDT (Eastern Daylight Time). To find out what time a session is happening in your time zone, use this time zone converter.
It’s going to be HUGE so we recommend getting a head start on planning out your day now.
THINGS TO PREP AHEAD OF TIME
Here are a few things to prep before the big day so it goes off without a hitch:
Make sure you have a strong WiFi connection.
Install Zoom on your desktop computer or laptop and test it out.
Zoom tips:
Find a quiet place to tune in. Try to situate yourself in a small room that does not have an echo.
Try and stay away from noisy electronics and silence your cell phone and computer notifications for an optimal experience.
When possible, limit your internet connection to solely the device you’re using for the Zoom conference.
Set your phone to airplane mode, pause your television connection, ask others in your home to pause anything that may require a strong internet connection, etc.
We will be hosting three LIVE Messenger Room sessions on Facebook throughout the day, you will need to click the live link (which will be accessible via the exclusive Small Business Summit presented by Mastercard event site) at the time of the session to join:
This link will prompt you to view the live session.
Please note: You do not need to log into your Facebook account or have a Facebook profile to join the sessions.
Please use Google Chrome when accessing the link for the best user experience.
Be sure to like, comment, and ask questions during the live broadcast.
Be sure to download the workshop assets so you can follow along with the expert in real-time. Note: Your exclusive workshop downloads will be available starting Saturday, October 24th via the exclusive Small Business Summit presented by Mastercard event site.
Join the Mentor Power Hour Slack channel and peruse the list of mentors who will be answering questions in real-time in half-hour-long Zoom webinars and choose your mentor(s).
We have experts in everything from building brands to raising venture capital to attracting and retaining A-List clients.
If there’s more than one mentor you want advice from, don’t worry! You can hop from session to session over the course of the half-hour if you’d like.
Don’t forget to jot down any questions you have for the mentor sessions ahead of time! You’ll be able to ask your Qs in real-time by typing them into Zoom’s Q&A feature.
GET SOCIAL
Stay tuned for exciting announcements and updates by following along on our social at @createcultivate. Don’t forget to tag @createcultivate and use the hashtag #CCSmallBusinessSummit for the chance to be featured in our Instagram Stories throughout the day! (Psst… Search “Create Cultivate” on Instagram to use our custom GIFs.)
NETWORK
Networking is a huge part of our event and our C&C Small Business Summit Attendees Slack Workspace is a great place to mix and mingle with your fellow Create & Cultivators before, during, and after the big day. We’ve created channels for every workshop and panel, as well as channels for international attendees, networking, and more!
Attendees will receive a link to access our Create & Cultivate Small Business Summit Attendees Slack Workspace in our What to Expect newsletter on Tuesday, October 20th. This Slack channel will remain accessible until Friday, October 30th at 12 pm PDT. Not familiar with Slack? Here are a few tips to get you started:
Download the Slack app to your phone, computer, or both
Complete your account profile with a profile photo, your name, and what you do
Public conversations will happen in the channels (ex: #networking) and are located on the left-hand side of the app. You can also start direct messages with others in the Slack workspace
Hit send too early on a message? Slack has an edit feature! Click the three-dot icon located on the right side of the message to open the drop-down of message options
We’re all about GIFs at C&C! Here are instructions on how to integrate GIPHY into your Slack account.
Our Slack workspace is a busy, happening place on the day of the event. Streamline the notifications you receive by using the “mute” feature on channels that don’t pertain to you. To mute a channel, simply open up that channel, click the three-dot icon labeled “more,” and select the mute option
Most importantly, be kind and respectful of others. If you don’t follow this rule, you will be removed from the Slack group
If you have any questions on the day of the event about navigating the schedule, accessing the workshop downloads, or anything else, you can drop them into the customer service channel in Slack.
C&C INSIDERS’ PERKS
Our Insiders get a ton of perks at all our events—and this summit is no exception. As an Insider, you’ll have access to all of the workshops, mentor sessions, panels, and keynotes via your C&C Insiders dashboard. This content will be uploaded by November 6th, 2020. Not an insider yet? Well, don’t miss out—you can sign up here.
VIRTUAL GIFT BAGS
We know you want ‘em! Complete our post-event survey to receive an email packed with promo codes from some of your favorite brands, including Onekind, Hello Care Package, The Caker, Summer Fridays, and more. You’ll receive the survey in your inbox on Friday, October 30th, 2020.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES?
Live chat with a C&C specialist on CreateCultivate.com. You’ll see a “Chat With Us” pop-up in the bottom right corner of your screen.
WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU ONLINE! Who are you most excited to hear speak? Which workshop are you looking forward to most? Tell us in the comments below!
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