In the words of author Richie Norton, attempting to succeed without embracing the tools immediately available for your success is no less absurd than trying to row a boat by drawing only your hands through the water or trying to unscrew a screw using nothing more than your fingernail. But few people leverage what they have to succeed in life.
Information diva Deborah Thorne defines leverage as “networking plus collaboration equals opportunity” and says there’s a lot to achieve through collaboration. “What I can do over here in my corner by myself and what you can do in your corner by yourself is nothing compared to what would happen if we collaborate together and build an opportunity.”
1. Who’s Deborah Thorne?
Deborah is the founder and host of the Leverage Conference for Speakers, Authors, and Entrepreneurs, a platform she uses to advise and support motivated women to reduce their learning curve so they can transition from being an employee to be- ing a six-figure entrepreneur by creating a successful and income-generating business.
Best known as the “information diva,” Deborah is an award-winning internationally recognized author, coach, trainer, and speaker. Her bestsellers include “30 Ways to Make Money While You Sleep,” “How to Get Your Book Done NOW,” “These Women Mean Business! Trade Explorations,” and “Entrepreneurial Women of Faith.”
Deborah is a certified mediator, anti-bullying expert, and Chief Conflict Resolution Specialist for Kids First Conflict Resolution and Training Services, an organization that provides comprehensive children conflict resolution and training services to churches and communities.
2. What’s leverage and why should you use it?
According to Financial Mentor, leverage is the principle that separates those who successfully attain wealth from those who do not. Those who don’t use leverage work harder than they should to earn less than they deserve; they will never get rich by doing that.
You can leverage your time, achievement, talents and skills, education, and network to get what you want. These things will help you achieve more than you could have done if you were to do it all alone. In your personal life, this means acknowledging your strengths and seeing challenges as opportunities rather than negatively. This way, you will boost your career and succeed in business, achieve financial freedom, or improve your relationships.
3. Why networking is important
Networking is interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts. It allows you to help others, exchange fresh ideas, makes you more visible, opens doors to new opportunities, and it allows you to express your opinion.
4. The value of collaboration
Wikipedia defines collaboration as the process of two or more people or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Teams that work collaboratively often gain access to greater resources, recognition, and rewards when facing competition for finite resources, like market share.
The goal of the collaboration is the mutual benefits each party derives from it. Collaboration brings about innovation, makes for a more efficient process, increases the chances for success, and improves communication.
5. The Leverage Conference
The Leverage Conference for Speakers, Authors, and Entrepreneurs is a robust two-and-a-half-day, completely virtual, global event you can attend from the comfort of your home or office, saving money in comparison to other events since you don’t need to pay airfares or for a hotel. The objective of the program is to empower and encourage women (and some enlightened men) to learn and meet new people through networking, developing collaborative partnerships, and leveraging their talks, books, products, and services. Essentially, it’s about creating opportunities by leveraging networking and collaboration.
The event will kick off on Thursday, December 3 by 3 p.m. PST and end on Saturday, December 5, 2020, by 6:30 p.m. PST. On Thursday, the Author Showcase will take the center stage where self-published authors will have the opportunity to speak about their books and experiences. A panel of first-time authors will also speak about their journeys and experiences in becoming an author.
On Friday, December 4, speakers will share valuable information with the authors and entrepreneurs in attendance. Other activities lined up for the day include Happy Hour which offers music, dancing, fun, games, and shopping, and the Merchant Showcase which offers even more shopping opportunities.
Saturday will feature a networking breakfast, the Thought Leaders’ Round- table which will highlight a discussion of “tough” topics, and the Leverage Leg- ends’ Luncheon which will celebrate and honor women who masterfully connect, collaborate, and create opportunities. The program will be rounded off with the Networking After-Party where participants will have an opportunity to meet and greet other participants.
The Author Showcase, Happy Hour, and the Merchant Showcase are open to the public and tickets are available for free. For full participation in all the events, participants need a VIP Access Pass priced at $397 which also includes VIP swag, special recognition, and a student ticket for young entrepreneurs.
The General Access Pass gives admittance to all activities and swag while the Student Access Pass allows entry to the Author Showcase, workshops, and masterclasses, Happy Hour, and meals not included. Each of the two passes costs $297. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
6. Who are the speakers?
The event will be a gathering of who’s who, featuring host Deborah, the award-winning stand-up comedian turned professional speaker George Campbell, and entrepreneur Jim Packard.
Known to be “at his absolute best on the stage,” George has educated and entertained tens of thousands of people at hundreds of events in a career spanning over two decades. In 2002, he was inducted into the NSA “Speakers Hall of Fame.” He has been featured on 60 Minutes and interviewed for a cover article in the LA Times.
Jim is a Dale Carnegie instructor for the John Maxwell Leadership Team
and a certified trainer at the Kaufmann Center for Entrepreneurs. After selling his business to a Fortune 500 company and retiring early, Jim just expanded his entrepreneurial interests. In the world of network marketing, he was Distributor of the Year in two different companies, led thousands of distributors and customers, and was always a money earner listed in his company’s top ten list.
Other speakers include Jackie Lapin, AnGele Cade, Donna Smith-Bellinger, Margo Lovett, Casey Eberhart, Gina Gardiner, Mary Wu, and Tracey Pirozzi.
7. How can the Leverage Conference help women?
The conference is all about “quality,” and you’re invited to attend “if you want to learn some new information if you want to gain some new skills, figure out some people to connect with, and find ways to collaborate and create a new platform.”
According to Deborah, the “days are over, absolutely over, and so what we’re asking people to do is to walk away with a plan of action, something that you can actually take step by step. You know who you want to talk to. You know who you’ve met and, you know, just make it happen. That’s the important piece.”
This year’s conference will be via Zoom due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic while participants will get “actual, real food” in the networking breakfast at their physical locations.
It’s not another “sales fest” but an opportunity to “come learn from the masters, come learn from people who’ve done it, meet other people... and network with folks, collaborate and create your own opportunities.” It’s time to implement all the information you’ve gathered throughout your life. Take action now, leverage what you already have, and change your future for the better. The ball is in your court.
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