Free Business Topics in Chicago

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Now the speaker will contact you in the next few days to coordinate details.

  • Build It Like a Brand, Not a Hobby

    Valeria Gershanova, Music Label Manager, MEGAO Inc.

    Too many talented people treat their passion like a side project — and then wonder why it doesn’t grow. In this powerful session, I challenge creatives and entrepreneurs to shift from hobby thinking to brand-building strategy. This talk focuses on positioning, clarity, consistency, and monetization. I break down what separates amateurs from professionals — and why branding, messaging, audience trust, and execution matter more than raw talent. Attendees will learn how to define their value, create a clear identity, structure their offers, and build something scalable instead of temporary. MORE >

    Whether you’re an artist, content creator, entrepreneur, or founder, this presentation will help you think bigger, operate smarter, and build with intention.

    Participants will leave with:
    • A clear understanding of what makes a real brand
    • A framework for positioning themselves professionally
    • Strategies to create income instead of just attention
    • The mindset shift required for long-term success

    Because if you want people to take you seriously — you have to build it seriously.

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  • From Talent to Income: Turning Creativity into a Business

    Valeria Gershanova, Music Label Manager, MEGAO Inc.

    Creativity is powerful — but talent alone does not build wealth. In this dynamic and practical session, I break down how to transform skills, passion, and artistic ability into sustainable income streams. This presentation explores the shift from thinking like a creator to operating like a CEO. I share real-world strategies on branding, positioning, monetization models, audience building, and execution. Attendees will learn how to package their expertise, create multiple revenue streams, avoid common entrepreneurial mistakes, and move from hobby mindset to business strategy. MORE >

    This talk is designed for creatives, artists, entrepreneurs, and aspiring founders who are ready to stop waiting for opportunities — and start building their own.

    Participants will leave with:
    • A clear framework for monetizing their talent
    • Practical strategies to build a personal brand
    • Action steps to launch or scale a creative business
    • A mindset shift from “creative” to “creative entrepreneur”

    This is not just inspiration — it’s a blueprint.

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  • The Mindset That Changes Everything: Leading With Clarity, Compassion, and Human Strength

    Clara Lucia Jaramillo-Carrier, M.A., PCC, Purpose, Life, Executive Coach and Author, Breaking Through Consulting & Coaching

    Leadership today is not failing because of a lack of talent or intelligence—it’s being strained by chronic pressure, fear-driven thinking, and disconnection from what makes us human. In environments that reward speed, certainty, and constant performance, leaders often lose access to their most powerful resource: a grounded, positive mindset that creates clarity, perspective, and empathy. MORE >

    This session reframes positive mindset as a leadership discipline—not cheerfulness, denial, or motivational talk, but the ability to choose thoughts, perspectives, and responses that expand capacity rather than contract it. Participants explore how mindset directly shapes leadership presence, relationships, and decision-making—and how reconnecting with purpose and humanity restores effectiveness, trust, and resilience in today’s complex world.
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  • The Cost of Constant Pressure: Why Productivity Culture Is Breaking Leadership—and How Purpose Restores It

    Clara Lucia Jaramillo-Carrier, M.A., PCC, Purpose, Life, Executive Coach and Author, Breaking Through Consulting & Coaching

    We are working harder than ever—yet trust is lower, relationships are strained, and leaders are exhausted. Today’s productivity culture rewards speed, output, and performance at the expense of presence, discernment, and humanity. The result is unnecessary suffering: fear-based decisions, fractured communication, and leadership that reacts instead of leads. MORE >

    This session challenges the myth that more pressure produces better results. Participants will explore how chronic urgency narrows thinking, erodes empathy, and fuels chaos in teams and organizations. Through grounded insights and practical tools, leaders learn that reconnecting with purpose and values is a strategic choice—one that restores clarity, strengthens relationships, and enables sustainable, high-impact leadership without burnout.
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  • Off High Alert: Practical Nervous System Tools for High-Pressure Work Environments

    Ron Martin, Principal, Founder, Executive Coach, Ocean Park Strategic Advisors

    Many capable, high-performing professionals experience stress in their body even when things are going well at work.

    - A tight chest before meetings.
    - A jolt when emails come in.
    - A constant background sense of being “on edge.” MORE >

    This free talk introduces Off High Alert, a practical, body-first approach to understanding and reducing work-related stress that doesn’t rely on mindset shifts, positive thinking, or therapy.

    Participants will learn why the nervous system often stays on high alert in modern work environments and why “just relaxing” rarely works, even for highly competent, prepared professionals.

    This session is especially relevant for people who:

    - Feel physically reactive to emails, meetings, or work interactions before their brain has time to catch up
    - Stay functional and productive while feeling tense or exhausted underneath
    - Don’t want therapy, oversharing, or long emotional processing
    - Want practical tools that can be used during the workday, discreetly and effectively

    During this talk, attendees will:

    - Understand how and why stress shows up physically at work
    - Learn simple, in-the-moment nervous system regulation tools
    - Reframe stress responses without self-blame or pathologizing
    - Leave with a clear, repeatable way to help their body stand down in high-pressure situations

    This is a grounded, practical, work-safe talk designed to meet professionals where they are, without asking them to lower their standards, change who they are, or step away from their careers.

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  • How to Have Effective Hard Conversations

    Tim Reynolds, Co-Founder, Clover Lane Partners, LLC

    Most of us dislike confrontation. As a result, we often feel a primal urge to avoid it at almost any cost. But there are real costs to be paid. Avoidance damages relationships, hurts productivity, and undermines leadership authority and the ability to develop and mentor others. And avoidance is all too common and often ends up in terminations that go horribly wrong or broken relationships leaving all involved dispirited. MORE >

    This practical, hands on workshop will provide both the training on how to overcome avoidance and the how to have an effective difficult conversation that will benefit everyone involved.
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  • 5 Secrets of Businesses That Actually Thrive (Not Just Survive)

    Amanda Wittenborn, Owner, Amanda Creation Inc.

    Why do some businesses seem to grow with ease while others constantly struggle to stay afloat?
    In this uplifting and practical keynote, Amanda Wittenborn, founder of a multi-million-dollar creative brand, reveals the five hidden factors that separate thriving entrepreneurs from the ones just trying to get by. MORE >

    After losing her business twice—and rebuilding stronger each time—Amanda discovered that lasting success isn’t about luck, trends, or working harder. It’s about mastering five timeless principles that every thriving business has in common.

    With her signature blend of real-world honesty and contagious optimism, Amanda helps audiences uncover what’s really holding them back and shows them how to create momentum, confidence, and clarity in their business again.

    Attendees will learn how to:
    ✅ Identify and focus on the work that actually drives growth
    ✅ Harness mindset and energy as tools for strategic success
    ✅ Build simple systems that support (not suffocate) creativity
    ✅ Stay grounded and resilient when plans fall apart
    ✅ Lead with purpose, authenticity, and joy

    Whether you’re an entrepreneur, creative, or leader in transition, this talk will inspire you to stop surviving—and start truly thriving.

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  • Fail, Pivot, Rise: The Real Story Behind a 7-Figure Comeback

    Amanda Wittenborn, Owner, Amanda Creation Inc.

    What if losing everything was the best thing that ever happened to you?
    After being banned from Etsy and watching her thriving business collapse during COVID, Amanda Wittenborn could’ve quit. Instead, she rebuilt—twice—each time stronger and more aligned than before. MORE >

    In this raw, inspiring keynote, Amanda shares the real behind-the-scenes of losing, pivoting, and rising again to build a multi-million-dollar brand.
    You’ll learn how to:

    Turn failure into fuel for growth

    Recognize the signs it’s time to pivot

    Rebuild your confidence (and your business) when everything crumbles

    Audiences leave fired up, hopeful, and ready to turn any challenge into a comeback story of their own.

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  • Your Superpower Advantage: The Mindset Shift That Built a 7-Figure Business

    Amanda Wittenborn, Owner, Amanda Creation Inc.

    What if the key to your next level of success isn’t outside of you—but already inside?
    In this energetic, interactive talk, 7-figure entrepreneur Amanda Wittenborn helps audiences uncover the hidden strengths that make them magnetic to success. She reveals how she built her multi-million-dollar brand not by following trends or strategies—but by amplifying her natural gifts and trusting her own creative power. MORE >

    Attendees will walk away knowing how to:

    Identify their unique “superpower” that no competitor can replicate

    Reframe self-doubt into confidence and clarity

    Use authenticity as a growth strategy in business and life

    Perfect for entrepreneurs, women in business, or creative professionals ready to stop blending in and start standing out.

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  • Cash Flow is King: Why Profit Doesn’t Always Mean You’re in Control

    Mark Knaack, Business Development Director, Guardian Chamber

    Every business owner has heard the phrase “cash is king,” but too many discover the truth the hard way — when they run out of cash even though their business looks profitable on paper. Profit is an accounting result, but cash flow is what keeps the doors open, employees paid, and opportunities funded. MORE >

    At Guardian Chamber, we teach owners how to take control of their financial story by understanding where their money really goes, building systems to smooth out cash flow, and using credit as a safety net—not a crutch. Because when you have clarity on your cash, you gain both control and the confidence to scale.
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