This July I celebrate 28 years of being in business. Here are my 6 best lessons:
1) Entrepreneurship Is The Path to Authenticity – Because I started my own company, I get be exactly who I am, maximizing my authenticity. This is a gift
2) Plan B, C, D, E, F & G – Over the years, I have honed my pre-planning and improvisational skills to have multiple alternative plans to make sure I can serve my client no matter what happens.
3) Flexibility is Power – I have learned to continually bend and change to what the world and my clients want. I started with a mountain climbing leadership trip, during the dot-bomb flexed to a geocaching team building event, then during COVID, I planned, produced, spoke at and emceed virtual events. How do you stay in business for 28 years? Be flexible.
4) The Best 28-Year Overnight Success You Ever Met – While some may think I’ve instantly became a success, what you see is the result of 28 years of focusing on technology, adventure to create human change every single day. What you don’t see are the 1,000’s of failures that I use to help you to avoid those failures and create success.
5) Integrity Is My Highest Value – Do you want to stay in business and be able to look in the mirror at the end of the day? Set integrity as your highest value. No matter what happens, I stand by what I did. With integrity, I can sleep at night.
6) If It’s Not Fun, I’m Probably Doing It Wrong – Fun is one of my highest values and I’m always checking how much fun I’m having. Fun is putting together new equipment. Fun is seeing an entire room light up by playing the right song. Fun is interacting with an amazing audience.
🧨I’m having a blast right now.
🫵🏻Are you?
If you’d like to help celebrate my 28th year of business, just COMMENT and say hi.
-John Chen
-John Chen
CEO, Engaging Virtual Meetings
Your experts in engaging virtual and hybrid meetings
–INVITATION—–
You are personally invited to The Engaging Retreat. 10/28/25-10/30/25
If you a speaker, planner or leader who wants to be more engaging, CLICK to join this community.
https://evmconference.eventbrite.com?discount=evmjohn
Tickets:
FREE – Livestream
$97 VIP – Zoom
$997 IN-PERSON – complete with video recording, coaching, after-hours networking and all food and beverage
—UPCOMING CALENDAR—–
7/26/2025-7/29/2025 – National Speakers Association Influence
Scottsdale, AZ
I will be the LaughNSA Producer, Host of API+ NSA, Host for NSA NW Influence Dinner, Host for Jam Night
https://influence.nsaspeaker.org/
7/28/2025 – Facilitator for Tony Robbins Global Youth Leadership Summit High-Tech Scavenger Hunt
San Diego, CA
https://www.thetonyrobbinsfoundation.org/programs/youth-leadership/tony-robbins-global-youth-leadership-summit/
8/16/2025 – NSA NW Confab with Lisa Ryan – Smiling and Dialing
Mercer Island, WA and Virtual
9am-12pm PST + Optional Lunch
I will be the Producer and President
https://nsanorthwest.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=372276&item_id=2600840
8/23/2025 – NSA NW Happy Hour and President John Chen Birthday Celebration
12pm-5pm
Shoreline, WA
https://nsanorthwest.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=372276&item_id=2620980
9/13/2025 – Florida Speakers Association
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
https://www.floridaspeakers.org/
10/19/2025 – 10/22-2025
The Presentation Summit
The BEST place to learn how to make your presentations even better.
I will be the Main Producer and Speaker
https://betterpresenting.com/summit25/
10/28/2025 – 10/30/2025 – The Engaging Retreat 2025
If you want to learn how to be more engaging as speaker or an event planner, this is your retreat to bring you NEW ideas.
The first 50 to register in-person get 5-minutes on stage with coaching and 4-camera video returned to you.
Bothell, WA and Virtual
https://evmconference.eventbrite.com?discount=evmjohn
11/5/2025 – 11/6/2025 NSA Activate
NSA’s Virtual Conference!
https://activate.nsaspeaker.org/
11/15/2025 NSA NW Confab with Legendary Speaker Patricia Fripp!
Mercer Island, WA and Virtual
9am-12pm PST + Optional Lunch
https://nsanorthwest.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=372276&item_id=2607859
11/18/2025 – 11/20/2025 – Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education Symposium 2025
Phoenix AZ and Virtual
I am the Virtual Emcee
https://www.afcpe.org/symposium/
