A few weeks ago my mom and I were invited to attend the Inc. 500 conferences and award ceremony out in DC. My mom went a few days early to partake in community service activities and business seminars. She said she learned 3 years worth of education in 3 days. Unfortunately I was only able to attend the last day, which was still jam packed with all sorts of fun stuff. The hotel we stayed in was like a whole entire town within a town.

We hung out with Chris Gardner and Norm Brodsky, as well as the AMAZING staff at Inc Magazine. Everyone was so friendly and fun. Thank you guys for taking care of my mom when I wasn't there!

Looks like these people were all seminar-ed out.

My quirky brand, Johnny Cupcakes, is the #237 fastest growing independent business in the nation, by Inc Magazine, this year. We got a nice little trophy thingy. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, my business would not be as successful as it is without the help of my wonderful team and my die hard customers.

I can't even begin to tell you how refreshing it is to talk with other entrepreneurs. We were surrounded by thousands of entrepreneurs who have all taken chances, risks, failed and gone broke over and over, people who had ideas and passions that did whatever it took to somehow, someway, make it work out.

Everyone's brand/business is different. Nobody was in competition, we were all learning from each other. Same thing happens when I talk with Benny Gold, Ben+Bobby Hundreds or Joshy D of Rebel 8. We're all completely different brands, but at the same time we're all connected through our passions. We all share the same every day puzzles that an independent brand goes through. Anyways, if you're a business owner, I highly suggest chatting it up with other business owners. That scared, lonely feeling that you sometimes might get once in a blue moon, goes away instantly.

Thanks again everyone!