20 Years of TTI Events

I attended my first TTI Success Insights conference in January 2004. I attended to explore whether this was a good company to work with in building my brand-new coaching, training, and consulting business. After meeting several people, including a breakfast with Bill Bonnstetter, I decided to give it a try.

Since then, I have attended every major conference TTI has organized, totaling over thirty events in twenty years, including the large annual conference, several international conferences, and many other special events to learn about TTI’s products and business. Why? These events have been an integral part of growing a successful business.

The people I learned from, the opportunity to understand where TTI was going in the future, the time to get outside the business for a few days, and the chance to visit Arizona as a mid-winter break—all these benefits have made me a loyal attendee for two decades. Of course, in late 2021, I retired from my consulting business to accept the role of president at TTI.

Through twenty years, I never came alone. I always brought someone with me and paid for their participation. Some years, it was just one person; other years, it was as many as five or more team members. Attending represented a significant expense for us. The cost of the conferences, travel, lodging, food, and, most of all, the lost time we would have been working with clients and generating revenue. Realistically, it cost me over $100,000 over the twenty years—and I consider it a good investment.

Looking back after two decades, we have directly impacted over 50,000 people through our relationship with TTI. Indirectly, it is hard to measure, but I don’t think it is a stretch to believe we have indirectly impacted as many as 250,000 people. Professionally, we have grown tremendously from rubbing shoulders with thought leaders and other successful business people.

We also have many great memories of celebrating our success and that of others, and the annual pilgrimage to Arizona became a ritual we looked forward to every year. Financially, we have generated over $20 million in business, and with gratitude, we have given over $3 million to charities through cash contributions and pro bono work.

The mission of the business we started in 2004 was to grow great leaders because great leaders change the world for the better. Looking back, I’m awestruck by what we have been privileged to accomplish. I give the TTI events a lot of credit for informing and inspiring us through the years to achieve so much.

That accomplishment is one of many reasons that our upcoming 40th-anniversary conference, Forty Forward, is an event every TTI partner should attend. I hope to see you there!