People and profits need and benefit each other. It’s impossible for rank-and-file employees to build wealth – even with a 401(k) – if they are not compensated fairly or offered a stake in the company. If you can’t afford to pay your employees fairly and offer strong health benefits you may need to revisit your business model. If you’ve been thinking of ways to give every employee equity in your company or how to make team members think and act like an owner, join Carey Smith to develop ideas and learn from your peers on how they have been able to foster an ownership mindset in their businesses and how higher wages may help you attract and retain a better workforce.

In this session we’ll discuss why:

• It's vital to build a revenue-producing business model at a company's onset
• It pays to pay more, as you attract better people who work harder for you
• Companies should invest in events and engagement to bring employees together across different departments

A career entrepreneur, Carey founded Big Ass Fans in 1999, bootstrapping it to a $500 million sale in 2017. Carey’s contrarian business practices and relentless pursuit of new markets and high-quality products led to sustained, rapid growth, and earned the company 11 consecutive appearances on the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list. Ready for a new challenge, Carey founded Austin-based Unorthodox Ventures, an investment firm aiming to upend the parasitic VC model.