Inspiration & AdviceTop 6 takeaways from our 2017 OEN Summit

Each year at our Entrepreneurial Summit, we gather a group of successful Oregon entrepreneurs to share their stories. Though they hail from diverse backgrounds and industries, they all share some things in common. They dream big and they have done the work to make their dreams a reality.

This year, our stories focused on the leaps of faith our speakers have had to take to start and scale their businesses. All entrepreneurs know that you can’t grow a company with grit and skill alone. At a certain point, you have to close your eyes and jump. Sometimes you’ll fly, and sometimes you’ll fall.

At our 2017 Entrepreneurial Summit: Leap of Faith, we heard about failure, hope, fear, determination, challenge, and triumph. The full video of each story will be available soon, but for now, enjoy these six nuggets of hard-won wisdom.

@sadielincoln, founder of @barre3, challenges entrepreneurs to look inside, to focus on growing themselves as much as growing their companies. #oensummit

A post shared by Oregon Entreprenuers Network (@oenorg) on Jun 29, 2017 at 6:03pm PDT

@codygold22 of @harpersplayground tells entrepreneurs to go big, be bold. Take the leap, then ask for help. #oensummit

A post shared by Oregon Entreprenuers Network (@oenorg) on Jun 29, 2017 at 6:16pm PDT

@lynn_le talks about starting @societynine at our #oensummit. “I had no backup plan,” she says. “All I had to fall back on was my own wherewithal.”

A post shared by Oregon Entreprenuers Network (@oenorg) on Jun 29, 2017 at 6:36pm PDT

@jescehorton of @minoritycannabis says, when someone doubts me, that gives me extra motivation to prove them wrong. #oensummit

A post shared by Oregon Entreprenuers Network (@oenorg) on Jun 29, 2017 at 6:56pm PDT

I look forward to a day when it’s not called social entrepreneurship, it’s just called damn good business. Amazing talk from the founder of @sudaragoods at our #oensummit.

A post shared by Oregon Entreprenuers Network (@oenorg) on Jun 29, 2017 at 7:07pm PDT

When Jill Nelson, founder of @callruby, thinks back to her greatest failures and her greatest leaps of faith, both ended up being the best things that ever happened to her. #oensummit

A post shared by Oregon Entreprenuers Network (@oenorg) on Jun 30, 2017 at 9:38am PDT