The main-stage of QuickBooks Connect always offers up some big names when it comes to those people who have made it within their respective professions. These include people who turned a simple idea into a small business and then turned that small business into a major enterprise.
Randy Goldberg
Randy Goldberg - Source: Intuit
Randy Goldberg
Randy Goldberg is the co-founder of Bombas, a sock company that uses advanced technology and style to deliver great socks to customers while simultaneously donating a pair of socks to a homeless person for every pair sold.
The 'spark of an idea' that has become Bombas entered the minds of the founders, Randy Goldberg and David Heath, in 2010 when they heard that socks are the most requested item in homeless shelters.
After a few years of research & development, coordinating product production, and raising $140,000 on Indiegogo, the company launched its first line of socks in 2013.
The founders later appeared on television's Shark Tank where they secured Daymond John's investment in their company.
Goldberg is also the co-founder of Pop-up Flea which describes itself as short-term stores for long-term goods.
These shops open one weekend at a time and they host a roster of elite participating brands in which the vendors are given free reign to design their own 'miniature shops' where people can find what are otherwise hard to find merchandise.
Lisa Ling
Lisa Ling - Source: Intuit
Lisa Ling
Lisa Ling got her start in journalism as a correspondent for Channel One News where she covered the civil war in Afghanistan at 21 years of age. Today she is executive producer and host of This is Life on CNN.
After covering stories in dozens of countries around the world, Lisa served as a field correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, a contributor to ABC News' Nightline, and also covered dozens of stories for National Geographic's Explorer.
She later become a co-host of ABC Daytime's hit show The View, which won its first daytime Emmy during her time on the show.
For five seasons Ling served as executive producer and hosted Our America on OWN.
Over the next week, prior to the start of QuickBooks Connect, Insightful Accountant will be featuring other main stage speakers and break-out session presenters from this year's event. By the way, if you are not already planning to attend, it's still not too late to register for QuickBooks Connect.