In partnership with the Small Business Roundtable, Intuit QuickBooks presents the inaugural Entrepreneurship Exchange 2021 (EX21)

EX21 is a virtual summit where small business leaders, entrepreneurs, experts and policymakers from across the globe come together to address key issues, explore actionable insights, discuss best practices and discover innovative solutions for the future of small businesses.

Download the EX21 Digital Program (PDF)

Featured speakers

Liz Barclay

UK Small Business Commissioner

The Hon. Jane Hume

Senator for Victoria, Australia

Laura Jones

CSO & EVP, CFIB

Ramiro Cavazos

President & CEO, USHCC

Dr. Barabara Katschwar

Executive Director, VEEI

Jake Colvin

President, NFTC

EX21 goals

Provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and emerging trends to shape an environment that is conducive to small business and entrepreneurial growth.

Foster partnerships, relationships and insights among government and small business stakeholders to encourage coordinated policy efforts that support small business growth across markets.

Stimulate conversation on policies impacting entrepreneurship and small business resilience and facilitate discussions about how to solve the most pressing issues for small businesses.

Agenda

Main event

09:00 AM ET: Event kickoff

Join us to kick off the inaugural EX21 event! Representatives from the conference’s presenting hosts, Intuit QuickBooks and Small Business Roundtable, will welcome attendees and set the stage for the day’s topics and conversations.

Speakers:

Alex Chriss, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Small Business and Self Employed Group, Intuit
Rhett Buttle, Co-Executive Director, Small Business Roundtable (SBR) and Founder & Principal, Public Private Strategies

In between discussions, we’ll shine a spotlight on some of the unique stories that showcase how small businesses and entrepreneurs are navigating challenges and building for the future, and how policymakers are working to support them (in order of appearance throughout the event):

Dana Donofree, Founder & CEO, AnaOno
Allison DeVane, Founder & Owner, Teaspressa
Rachel Lambo, Co-Founder & CEO, Sade Baron
Representative Nydia M. Velázquez, D-New York, 7th District
Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Missouri, 3rd District

09:10 AM ET: Panel – Trendsetting in entrepreneurship: How digital made the difference

In today’s environment, online tools are a must for small and medium enterprises. Our first panel will focus on the state of small business digitization and explore the following key topics:

How COVID-19 has accelerated digitization and its impact on the competitive landscape
The increasing demand for all small businesses to be digitized
Best practices around small businesses adopting digitization and moving online

Speakers:

Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (moderator)
Liz Barclay, U.K. Small Business Commissioner
Ramiro Cavazos, President & CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
Barbara Kotschwar, Executive Director, Visa Economic Empowerment Institute (VEEI)
Kaitlyn Wilkins, Vice President, Global Small Business Sales, Facebook

10:10 AM ET: Featured address with Senator the Hon Jane Hume

EX21’s featured address will highlight the major themes of today’s event, including digitization and lowering the barriers to entry for entrepreneurship around the world.

Featured Speaker:

The Hon. Jane Hume, Minister for Women's Economic Security, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy and Senator of Victoria, Parliament of Australia

10:20 AM ET: Bilateral dialogue – A fireside chat with global policy leaders

Global leaders who are deeply involved in commerce and trade policy will share their perspectives on promoting inclusive entrepreneurship in a global economy in a moderated conversation format.

Speakers

Emilio Cadena, CEO, Grupo Prodensa and President, US-Mexico Foundation (moderator)
Jake Colvin, President, National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC)
Valeria Moy, General Director, Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad (IMCO)

11:00 AM ET: Panel – Annual check-up: Running a small business should be easier

This session will bring together some of the world’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting small business growth for a conversation about the complicated web of compliance for small business enterprises around the world and the value of reducing barriers to entry. The panel will identify key pain points for new entrepreneurs and how to address them, including:

How and why a record number of new entrepreneurs are starting small businesses without experience in the operations of small business ownership
Lowering the barrier to entrepreneurship through simpler compliance mechanisms

Speakers:

Dr. Karen Eng, President & CEO, CSMI and Board Chair, Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE) (moderator)
Alexi Boyd, CEO, Council of Small Business Organizations Australia (COSBOA)
Laura Jones, Executive Vice President & Chief Strategic Officer, Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)
Candace Waterman, President & CEO, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)

11:40 AM ET: Closing remarks

Representatives from the conference hosts, Intuit QuickBooks and Small Business Roundtable, will thank attendees and close out the main session of the conference.

Speakers:

Alex Chriss, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Small Business and Self-Employed Group, Intuit
Rhett Buttle, Co-Executive Director, Small Business Roundtable (SBR) and Founder & Principal, Public Private Strategies

Master class

11:45 AM ET: Small business master class: Digitization in the COVID era: Trends in e-commerce

Targeted toward our small business owners and entrepreneur attendees, this session will focus on recent shifts in e-commerce trends in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion will center on best practices and tips for small businesses interested in omni-channel commerce solutions, as well as answering FAQs.

Presenter:

Erik Rettig, Head of Small Business Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Intuit (Introductory remarks)
Carl Reader, Serial Entrepreneur, Business advisor, and Author