FIND YOUR PEOPLE.
Most owners are surrounded by people who count on them and short on people who actually get it. For three days every September, we put up to 200 of them in one room in Brookfield and let that loneliness dissolve. That's #SBOC26.
Reserve My Seat
This isn't a conference you attend. It's a room you JOIN.
The Pain
You're building something real, and most days you're doing it in a room where nobody gets it.
Your head's full of everybody else's problems before you even get to your own.
And the advice you can find is either generic or comes from people who've never signed the front of a paycheck.++
The Dream
A room full of owners who speak your language and have your back.
People you can call when the decision's hard and the money's real.
You stop guessing alone and start building shoulder to shoulder with people who get it.
The Fix
That room isn't a fantasy. It's your people, and #SBOC26 is where you find them.
Three days built to connect you with the strategies, the answers, and the community that carry your business...and you...forward.
Meet Your Mentors
Mike Michalowicz
Keynote Speaker & VIP Guide
Mike Michalowicz built four multi-million-dollar companies and wrote the books a lot of you already run your business by: Profit First, Clockwork, The Pumpkin Plan, and his newest one, The Money Habit. He hosts the Becoming Self-Made podcast and the 4 Minute Money Maker TV series.
He's coming to Brookfield in person to show you how to actually keep more of what you make, and what to do with profit once it's yours. He's also co-hosting our Idea Slam and leading a VIP-only "Ask Me Anything."
Click HERE to see his one-on-one interview with host Pat Miller to learn more about his appearance at #SBOC26
How to increase profits
How to handle your profits once you bring them home from the business
He's also co-hosting our Idea Slam and leading an exclusive "Ask Me Anything" VIP Session.
Pat Miller
SBOC Founder and Host
I'm Pat. I host a daily show called Businessing, I run the Small Business Owners Community, and I put on this conference every September. I'm on a mission to end entrepreneurial loneliness and help owners grow without burning out.
I've coached hundreds of service-based owners to get clear, raise their prices, and finally get paid what they're worth. I believe we're building dreams, not jobs, and that any owner can make it if they get clear, work hard, and never quit.
At #SBOC26 I'll take the stage, host the AI Super Session on what's actually working right now, co-host the Idea Slams where we solve real problems live with no net, and curate the whole thing so you walk out connected.
Host the AI Super Session for the latest best practices
Co-Host the Idea Slams to solve problems live without a net
Curate the experience to connect attendees and maximize your event experience
You'll Also Learn From
Tayler Cusick Hollman
Founder, Enji
Talk: Plugging the Lead-Gen Gaps Draining Your Year
Tayler Cusick Hollman built Enji to make small-business marketing feel less like a guessing game and more like a plan you can run on a Monday. In this interactive session, she'll walk owners through where their leads are quietly slipping past them — and put you to work in groups finding the gaps in your own funnel.
You'll learn these three things:
What actually counts as a lead — and why most owners are letting them walk by unnoticed
How to generate real interest (not just traffic) without a marketing department
A simple lead-capture plan you can install as soon as you get back to the office.
Myrna Daramy
Founder, Myrna & Co.
Talk: Get Found: Organic Reach, SEO, and Content That Actually Connects
Myrna Daramy is a Strategic Growth & Brand Optimization Expert who helps service-based owners get visible in a digital landscape that keeps moving the goalposts. In this session, she'll cut through the SEO mystery and hand owners a plain-language playbook for showing up where their people are searching — on Google, on blogs, in podcasts, and inside the AI tools rewriting search itself.
You'll learn these three things:
How to build content that ranks AND connects with the right humans.
The quick-win SEO moves every owner can make this month, no agency required.
How to think about visibility in an AI-search world without losing your voice.
Steve Glynn
Founder, Experience Milwaukee
Fireside Chat: Building Relationships and Trust
Steve Glynn has spent 30 years sitting across from founders, executives, and students helping them figure out what's next — including building and selling Spreenkler and co-founding Milwaukee's first innovation district.
You'll learn these three things in the interview:
Why being the most connected person in the room is worth more than being the best and how to become that person starting this week.
Why your next 10 clients are already in your network and the simple approach to getting them to raise their hand.
The partnership mistake small business owners make that kills momentum before it starts and what to do instead.
Carolyn Jahnke
Founder, Athena Legal Solutions
Talk: Protect the Deal: Practical Legal Moves Every Owner Should Make This Quarter
Carolyn Jahnke is the Founding Attorney & CEO of Athena Legal Solutions and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor who's spent her career keeping small-business owners from signing their way into trouble. In this laser talk, she'll cut the legalese and hand owners the three checks every business should run on the deals, agreements, and handshakes that fuel their growth.
You'll learn these three things:
The contract clauses that quietly cost owners money — and what to write instead.
How to protect the IP, the brand, and the partnerships you're building right now.
The exit-readiness moves to start today, even if you're nowhere near selling
Cathy Trimboli
Founder, Captain Cathy
Talk: Professional Presence Workshop - How to Own a Room
"Captain Cathy" Trimboli teaches owners that presence is a skill — not a personality trait — and that the room is already reading you before you open your mouth. Drawing on 30 years in law enforcement, where officer presence is the first move in any situation, she'll show you how stance, eye contact, and situational awareness shape first impressions and set the tone of a room.
You'll learn these three things:
Why opinions form in seconds — and how posture, eye contact, and stance decide how people respond to you.
How to use command presence (the same kind cops rely on) to lead meetings, walk into tense conversations, and own a room.
The situational awareness habits that build confidence, composure, and the kind of trust people remember.
Rebekah Bryan
Personal Stylist - Styled with a Twist
Talk: Professional Presence Workshop - The Red Shoe Theory: Style, Status, and the 90/10 Rule for Owners
Rebekah Bryan of Styled With A Twist helps owners understand that what you wear is doing some of the talking before you ever open your mouth. In her half of the Professional Presence Workshop, she'll deliver three actionable moves to eliminate visual friction, dress for any room with confidence, and add the small, intentional details that signal authority.
You'll learn these three:
How to eliminate "visual friction" so your audience focuses on your value, not your outfit.
How to research the "formality floor" of any room so you walk in calm and ready.
The Red Shoe Theory (the 90/10 Rule) — how to fit in AND stand out at the same time.
This Conference is For You If...
You're an established owner who's stuck in survival mode and tired of guessing what works.
You know you're undercharging and you're done being afraid to fix it.
You'd rather have answers than another course.
You value your people and you're ready to do the work, not just take notes.
This Conference is
NOT For You If...
You're hunting for a get-rich-quick shortcut.
You won't roll up your sleeves and fight for your own dream.
You like bro-marketing rooms where everybody's a target.
You're not interested in showing up for other owners.
#SBOC Conference Testimonial
As a new business owner, it can feel overwhelming and isolating trying to figure everything out on your own. SBOC25 reminded me that I'm NOT alone. The connections I made, the encouragement I received, and the strategies I learned gave me a renewed sense of confidence and direction. I left feeling seen, supported, and excited about what's possible for my business.
- First Time Attendee, #SBOC25
#SBOC Conference Testimonial:
Everyone was welcoming and kind, event to a weird introvert like myself. PLUS: I recently got a gig with one of the attendees, who randomly called me up years after the conference and said, "We met at the SBOC Conference - do you remember?" I do not think I would have gotten that gig had it not been for meeting her at the conference. Sure, I'd met her online, but there's something different about being in the same room with people."
Erica Lovecraft
Owner & Writer
Lovecraft Creation
The plan to Find Your People and Grow Your Business at the 2026 Conference:
Pre-Con, Two Days, & Three Nights to Find Your People
Day 1: Find Your People
Even if you show up alone, we'll get you immediately connected to others who get it. First time attendees will be a part of our special welcome session and we'll introduce you to your group captain so you have a trusted guide throughout. From check in to flow before the first drink is served. By the end of the first night, you'll know you're in the right place and ready to learn.
Day 2: Money and Marketing
This is the money day. Mike Michalowicz hits the stage with The Money Habit and shows you what financial freedom actually looks like at home...then we put your real money problems on stage and work them live at the Idea Slam Lunch. The afternoon hands you off to Myrna and Tayler...organic marketing, SEO, and the lead gen leaks to help you build your business. You walked in stuck. You leave with a plan.
Day 3: Build: AI + Partnerships
Now we build. The AI Super Session gets you up to speed on the latest technology to accelerate your business. Our afternoon laser talks lock in your presence, your partnerships, and your legal protection so your business can hold the weight of what you're building. Then, the 3rd Annual SBOC Awards, and our steak and champagne Celebration Dinner. You don't leave with a notebook to review. You're now locked in to a community you'll grow with for years.
#SBOC Conference Testimonial:
"I showed up. I took notes. I talked. I listened and then I started to feel the weight lift. I started to feel my energy return to ME. Energy & drive, I lost months ago. Thank You isn't enough Pat Miller. I'll make you proud - I promise."
Pam Polyak
Owner
Polyak Trucking / Polyak Logistics
Get Your Ticket for #SBOC26
We cap the room at 200.
Here's where things stand right now.
General Admission
Here's what's included for
everyone in the room:
Mike Michalowicz live keynote
A 2-hour AI Super Session
A 2-hour AI Pre-Con session with Genhead
5+ session speakers across two days
Coaches Row laser coaching
Speed networking and the pre-event welcome
Two lunches and two happy hours
The steak-and-champagne Celebration Dinner
First 150 tickets sold get a copy of Mike's new book,
The Money Habit, at check-in
$399 is what it costs to spend three days in this room.
Everything above is included!
Note: Price increases to $499 on 8/1
VIP Ticket
Everything in General Admission,
plus the VIP layer:
A one-hour "Ask Me Anything" with Mike Michalowicz
A three-hour hands-on "Growth: What's Possible" small-group workshop with me and Matt Mundt, founder of Hugsleep (Shark Tank, $20M+ in revenue this year, built right here in Brookfield)
An invitation to the two-hour "Implement and Integrate" virtual action session the week after the conference, led by me. The worst thing about a great conference is going home, getting busy, and never doing the work. This is how we make sure you do it.
A premium swag bag with an exclusive SBOC Yeti tumbler
VIP badge and early VIP check-in
$1,299 The VIP group is smaller and the access is closer.
If this is the year you're ready for that, this is your ticket.
MORE TESTIMONIALS!
What others are saying
Had the BEST Time!
The SBOC Conference this year was LIT 🔥 It was like a family reunion, bringing all the community members together along with so many new people who joined us this year. The speakers dropped some major knowledge...I took lots of notes, talked to as many people as humanly possible and had the BEST time!
It Will Change Your Life
This conference will change your life and this is a room you need to be in if you own a small business. You'll walk away with a year's worth of learnings in one week.
Blew Me Away
As a self-professed conference junkie, I attend events hoping to walk away with just a few golden nuggets. SBOC completely blew away all my expectations...We loved everything about it so much that we already purchased our early bird tickets for next year!
PLATINUM EVENT SPONSORS
GOLD EVENT SPONSORS
Owners almost never get recognized for what they pull off. We're fixing that. For the third year running, the SBOC Awards close out the conference and put real owners on stage for the work they've done.
Precious L. Williams hosts. Every finalist is invited to the ceremony at no charge. Any business owner can enter, and entries open Monday, July 6.
Any business owner may enter.
Entries Open on Monday, June 29!
HAVE QUESTIONS? WE’VE GOT ANSWERS.
I'd be a first time guest - I know NO ONE - Will I feel out of place?
Our #1 job as an community is to welcome new guests and get you connected before we even arrive at the hotel. Before the event we have two speed networking events AND we will make sure to introduce you to longtime community members that have volunteered to introduce you to the RIGHT people so you can quickly build relationships and power partnerships. At the #SBOC26 conference, you're not just a name badge...you're the next person we can include on our mission to change how small business owners connect, collaborate and grow together.
Will the sessions be recorded?
Yes, our sessions will be recorded but they will only be available to our Small Business Owner Community members inside our premium community. If you’re not in the group, you need to be there in-person. Learn more about joining the group here.
Is there parking available at the venue?
Yes, parking is plentiful and free at the Brookfield Sheraton Hotel.
Are meals provided during the conference?
Almost all of them! We will provide lunch on Wednesday and on Thursday we will have lunch and a fancy pants dinner (Steak, champagne toast, the good stuff.) We’ll also offer coffee & soda breaks during the event.
Can I bring a friend?
Yes! Conferences are more fun when you have a “wingman.” Any business owner is welcome to attend.
Can I join the SBOC Community?
The SBOC is a tight-knit collaborative community for small business owners. Our members quickly form deep relationships by putting collaboration over competition. If you’re ready to step into the group and be surrounded by others ready to work together, click HERE to find out more.
I have a few questions that aren't covered...
No problem at all, just CLICK HERE and send an email to Pat Miller for a prompt reply. We want to get you involved before the tickets run out!
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