RELEVANCE
RELATIONSHIPS
RECOGNITION
REWARDS

PANEL

The Recovery of North American Small Businesses After COVID19

As COVID19 has disrupted the economy and heavily impacted the small business community, we want to look forward to exploring the “what’s next” in terms of the recovery and revival mode of the businesses. We aim to better understand how SBOs are adapting themselves to come out of the crisis in a strong state – whether through reinvention, evolution, or revolution.

This is a unique opportunity for passionate, expert professionals to join 20+ panelists to advance the thinking in this field. This engagement is moderated by an expert Facilitator and is open asynchronously, around-the-clock for your convenience.

Every two weeks, the facilitator will introduce a new subtopic – each theme exploring a new facet related to the future of small businesses and the steps they need to take to survive and grow.

Activities include:
1. Explore a variety of themes
2. Map the competitive landscape (i.e. emerging trends, disruptive tech, etc.)
3. React to the latest media/reports in this space
4. One-to-one engagement with other panelists

peopleExpert participation

Looking to engage experts from US and Canada with the following background:
- Small Business Owners
- Founders and Co-founders of Startups

Applicants
Brandi DeCarl
Founding Partner of Farm from a Box | Speaker
As a founder of an agtech startup company, I am in the midst of navigating this rapidly changing business environment. Between production freezes, fractured supply chains, and cancelled sales, we have *had to move quickly and adopt new strategies. Small business are still the economic backbone of our society, and it is vitally important that we develop new approaches to not only stay afloat through this but grow, prosper and scale. Whether it is my own company, or fellow SBO’s, there is a palpable electricity around the reinvention that is happening now. I’d love to be part of the discussion and share my own learnings but also engage with others and get their insights on how we can rebuild and thrive after this COVID-19 crisis.
Cindi Bright
President, The Bright Group
I am a small business owner who grapples constantly to discover more efficient ways of managing and growing my business. I have learned many new skill sets in technology and continue to do so.
Belinda Reed
Skilled, Experienced and Knowledgeable Professional
I’ve been a small business owner for over a decade and along the way encountered many highs and lows. My experiences, challenges and successes will allow me to provide valuable input. When I was a part of corporate America I saw the various managerial styles that I liked and those that I didn’t. I have carried those experiences with me to make me a better business owner. It would be my honor to be a part of this panel.
Rachel Major
CEO and Co-founder at NuLeaf Tech Inc.
I'm a small business owner and a female CEO with 5 employees. We often communicate with bigger brands or municipalities to share our products for wastewater treatment and water recycling both for B2B and B2C. I've certainly experienced discrimination and feel as if these brands often look at men and see potential but will look at me and my company and only see risk or doubt our technological ability simply because it's a new type of intersectional solution. However, my team and I have learned to harness our differences as strengths and develop strategies to not only break through these barriers but provide a non-confrontational way for the people on the other side to reevaluate their conscious or unconscious bias. This helps create new pathways, markets, and opportunities that big brands may have otherwise missed if they hadn't been given space to reevaluate their concerns and open more doors for female founders.
Brandon Gilson
President
I am a small business owner here in Boston, navigating through these unprecedented times of COVID 19 and can provide invaluable insight into behind the scenes action.
+39

lockThis panel is now closed to new applicants.

group

Engage with equal-caliber peers any time you want.

star

Enhance your knowledge on this subject.

check_circle

Gain recognition as a thought-leader in your industry.

local_activity

Earn cashable rewards through points.

“I like that I can do this when I have time,
and there is no set schedule.”


Eric Allen, Senior Manager, Supply Chain at EY

“I find the topics engaging and I love the
flexibility of checking in and providing insights
at my convenience.”

Kimberly Underwood, Consultant at Underwood Consulting

“Great platform, great questions and topics.
The potential to earn a little more money for
participating is nice as well.”

Oren Birks, Sr. Director of IT at PBI-Gordon

“I really enjoy being on the panels, sharing
information and reading the perspective of the
other panelists. It is quite intriguing and most
all of the panelists are quite bright.”

Patty Soltis, CX Strategist at Kinetic Edge Consultants

“Very interactive, informative and without
any inherent bias. This is as good a collaborative
platform as you can get.”

Pinaki Banerjee, Program Director at ITC InfoTech

“It is a perfect platform not just to share
but to learn and stay updated.”


Armando Leyva, HR Director at 360º HC

FAQ
  • add remove What is Currnt?
    Currnt is a “Knowledge Networking” platform where companies and professionals come to stay relevant on the latest advances in their industries in the face of the increasing pace of change. Companies sponsor panels to learn about where markets are headed or how to leverage new capabilities. Professionals join to demonstrate and develop their passions with equal caliber peers in expert-only facilitated online engagements. On Currnt, we take our passions seriously and ourselves lightly. See our Community Guidelines, to learn more of the rules of the road, here are some highlights

    • Be yourself. The authenticity of Currnt begins with the passion of people.
    • Be respectful. This applies to every person, at all times.
    • Be inclusive. Tolerate, welcome, and consider diverse people and perspectives.
    • Build empathy and understanding. Engage in debates that are in good faith.
    • Foster meaningful and genuine connections. This is what Currnt is all about.
    • Do not plagiarize or fail to cite other’s ideas.
    • Don’t game the points by trying to coordinate intentional recognition.
  • add remove How do Panels work?
    The panel is like a facilitated forum of hand selected experts on a topic sponsored by a company that wants to learn fast. Panels are organized in chapters called Themes that focus on one subtopic at a time. In some panels Themes are only 24 hours in duration, in others they are a week long, and in some they are two weeks long. When one Theme closes, a new one begins. You come in when you feel like it, but try to come in twice per Theme. You earn points from your peers and the facilitator when they react to your ideas. Likewise, others earn points when you interact on their posts. The more we discuss and debate, the better the insights, the more points earned by all.

  • add remove Why should I apply? Do I get paid?
    Professionals join Currnt because they want to remain relevant on subjects they’re passionate about and subjects that are shaping the future of their industry. They also:

    • Engage and connect with equal caliber peers in their industry
    • Learn and enhance their knowledge
    • Get recognized and rewarded for providing their inputs and thought-leadership
    • When specified above in the project description, you can earn honorarium payments and/or recognition points redeemable for cash. Learn more here.
  • add remove Are there specific times I need to participate?
    There are no set times for calls or meetings. Participation is 100% online on the Currnt platform and engagement between the all expert panelists is asynchronous in written form. Just come in twice per Theme, at your convenience.

  • add remove How do KnowledgeStreams and DesignSprints work?
    Streams are ongoing online engagements for exploration or working iteratively with a panel, and Sprints are on-demand engagement to get to actionable insights quickly. Both are facilitated and are always-on for participants to engage at-convenience. The conversations are segmented into Themes which are subtopics which are like chapters in a book. In a 4 Day Sprint, Themes are 24 hours, whereas a Theme in a Stream is every two week. Throughout the discussion, the facilitator highlights and categorizes the “key takeaways” to be voted and distilled into a summary report. It’s also common that other pieces of content (whitepapers, blogs, podcasts) are also prepared from the distilled insights.

  • add remove I’ve applied. Now what?
    Your application will be internally reviewed in the following 24-48hrs and screened for any conflict of interest, and general fit. Next your application will be shortlisted for the sponsor to accept, bookmark or reject. You will receive a notification each step of the way, but expect this may take a couple of days, or even weeks if the panel is new. Nevertheless, in addition to the notifications, you can always go back to the Apply page to view the status of your application.

  • add remove I’ve been selected. What am I expected to do when selected?
    Once you receive your Welcome Email, please RSVP by clicking the link in the notification. You can also gain access to the panel through your ‘My Currnt’ at the top of the page. Finally, once you have RSVP’d by logging into the panel, there is often a Welcome Tab where you can introduce yourself to the other panelists. If it’s a new panel, the first Theme will launch in a few days, if it’s an ongoing panel just jump right in by reacting to the question or to what the other panelists had to say.

  • add remove If I have other questions or issues, what should I do?
    Please contact support to answer any other questions or troubleshoot any issues via email or chat.

The Recovery of North American Small Businesses After COVID19