With all the challenges we have faced together in the past year-and-a-half, we thought a great theme for our 2021 Virtual Conference would be: Ready, Set, Grow! We are again at a starting line. It’s a rebirth of sorts. Right now.

It’s a changed world, but it’s also a world ‘ripe-for the-picking’. We need to be ready for opportunities that present themselves. We need to be set with our goals, tactics, and strategies to take what is in front of us. If you’re ready, and you’re set, you will grow – we will grow.

We have learned so much about our brave new world, about our virtual capabilities, about our internal strength. It’s now time to implement what we have learned, and it’s time to share what we now know; this conference is about both. Solidify plans to implement through collaboration of ideas, and develop a solid set of steps to begin next week. Share your knowledge, gather gems from others, and enjoy collaborating with your fellow Schooley Mitchell franchisees.

Other than being together in sunny Jamaica, what could be better than that?

As we have said in prior years, the more people we speak to about what we do, the more successful we will be. The more people we meet with, the better off we will be. The more solutions we implement, the better off our clients will be – and so will we. The more activities we execute, the more value we will create.

Have some of those activities changed? Yup. That’s why we need to be ready, and we need to be set for those new tactics, and those new opportunities that are in front of us right now.

Our challenge this year is to identify those activities – some the same, and some adjusted – and then execute them. We strive to meet that lofty challenge by sharing best practices with each other, identifying meaningful goals, activities, and visions, and using that knowledge to increase the value of our businesses at Schooley Mitchell.

We also meet that quest through practice, repetition of principles, questioning, challenging, and repetition again, until we make the methods, the messages, and the concepts a natural part of ourselves. We challenge you to learn and practice with us so that you are ready and set to grow. It is not an easy challenge; it will be hard work. We have worked hard at our conferences in past years, and we are going to work hard again this year, albeit virtually.

New people, new services, new markets, new tools, new ideas, and new opportunities are again the focus for our virtual conference, and we are very excited to introduce those things to you. This year is another year where you will be provided with the ability to accelerate your business growth through the knowledge gained from each other. This conference is the kick-off point for those tremendous opportunities. So be ready. Be set.

As in the past, some things have changed, and some have stayed the same. We are virtual; that’s a change. We are getting together; that’s the same. We can learn, and share, and get ready for the future; that’s the same too.

We want to welcome you to this year’s event – whether you are new to Schooley Mitchell, or whether you are a seasoned veteran. We hope you employ a strategy to have an enjoyable and fruitful time with us. We have attempted to put together an agenda that will allow you to do just that.

We also challenge you to garner as much value as you possibly can from all the various sessions that will be offered this year. In a business like ours, it is a constant challenge to keep our finger on the pulse of the changing business environment, as the winds of change blow each-and-every day. Our annual conference is the perfect instrument to trade knowledge with all the great people that will be here with us so we can keep our finger on that pulse – together.

As we stated in the past, it is our hope that each of you makes new connections, gains new knowledge, and finds new strategies to execute, so you can elevate your business to the highest levels. The challenge is not only to gather as much value as possible, but also to distribute as much value as possible to the others around you as well. Remember, as we all learned in initial training, be a giver. It is that process – the give-and-take – that will be the conduit to our exponential success, both Schooley Mitchell as-a-whole, and as individual franchisees too.

We want to extend our thanks and congratulations to everyone that had a hand in planning this virtual conference. As we have said in the past, it is a daunting task. In some ways, this one was even more so. Once again, you will see that the job has been very well done – not only by those you will see, but through many hands behind the scenes as well. As always, we have some great speakers and instructors, some very valuable roundtable sessions, great panels, sessions to share successes, and much more planned for these three days. All of this being aimed at getting ready and getting set to renew our growth together.

We are fully committed to give and to take throughout this conference, and we can wish for nothing more powerful than that for each of you. So let’s enjoy, let’s learn, and let’s teach – and of course, let’s have some fun doing it!

- Beth McMillan and Dennis Schooley