Skip to main content

You are here

Advertisement

Attend ASPPA's Women Business Leaders Forum in Charleston!

ASPPA’s Women Business Leaders Forum (WBLF) will be held June 8-11 at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, S.C. Following is a Q&A about the WBLF with Amanda Iverson, CPA, PHR, Pinnacle Plan Design LLC’s Chief Operating Officer.

Why did you first attend the WBLF?

I attended for the first year in Boulder, Colo. in 2011. In 2011, I had only been running the operations of Pinnacle for a little over a year, so I was hoping to gain some additional insights on running this TPA practice. (I’ve attended every year since. The conference is always in great places like Charlotte, N.C., Austin, Texas and San Francisco. I’m so excited for it to be in Charleston, S.C. this year!)

Why do you keep coming back?

I was blown away by the conference. I loved the sessions and each speaker added something that I could take back and implement into our practice. Additionally, the roundtables provided a great sounding board and created this amazing collaborative environment where each business leader could learn from and share with others.

The conference is relatively small, so it gives me the chance to create and solidify relationships with other leaders.

What would you tell a TPA owner who has never attended the conference before?

Come! Try it out! I’ve yet to meet someone who says they regret attending the WBLF. I promise you will walk away from this conference with several pieces of information that will help you run a better TPA practice.

What can you tell us about the speakers this year?

I am so excited about the speakers this year. The committee dug into the prior year conference surveys and really tried to find speakers that met the attendees’ desires for this year’s conference. Sessions for this year include topics on negotiations, value billing and time sheets, balancing work and life, handling/giving criticism, and creating a sales culture in your firm.

We have one session dedicated entirely to negotiations. Whether we are negotiating with clients, employees, referral sources or our own vendors, this session is sure to assist each of us with how we negotiate successful outcomes.

Another speaker is going to talk about value billing and the usage of timesheets. This always seems to be an interesting topic of conversation. Owners are always wondering if they should/shouldn’t be having their employees track their time.

There will be a session entitled “How to Thrive, Not Just Survive in Business and Life.” The speaker is a successful attorney who has her own business. I’m looking forward to what she has to say about this topic.

We also are having a former Olympian speak to us about giving and receiving criticism. As business leaders, sometimes it is not only difficult to deliver criticism, but even more difficult to receive it, so that should be a great session.

Finally, Todd Cohen, the author of Everyone’s in Sales will talk to the group about building a successful sales culture. I know this is going to be a highly engaged session!

What can you tell us about the social aspects of the WBLF?

Because of the size of this conference, attendees really get to know each other. Additionally, there are entertaining social activities. This year, we are doing a murder mystery reception and dinner. I have always wanted to participate in one of those. We are also doing a boat cruise! We will sail by historic landmarks in Charleston, S.C. while getting to enjoy the company of other business leader attendees.

Do you have any final thoughts on the WBLF?

I would encourage TPA business leaders who are looking for an intimate conference where they can share ideas on the most effective ways to run one’s business, while building relationships with colleagues across the country, to come and try out the WBLF.

For more information on the Women Business Leaders Forum and to register, click here.

Amanda Iverson, CPA, PHR is the Pinnacle Plan Design LLC’s Chief Operating Officer. Amanda is responsible for managing the firm’s internal operations. Pinnacle Plan Design is a third-party administrator headquartered in Tucson, Ariz.