As a first time attendee to the Forbes Under 30 Summit, I could anticipate very little about what this conference would have in store. The name, “Forbes”, alone already comes with its own assumptions but the mix of beauty, music, and entertainment really called off all bets for what was in store.

Attending this conference was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Meeting people from around the world and discussing the things we all work through every day was refreshing and almost lifted an invisible weight off my shoulders knowing that I was, in fact, doing the right thing despite that little voice of doubt, and it was a matter of time, hard work, and perseverance before I’d be able to enjoy the benefits of starting something new and giving up everything for it.

What I expected to hear from this conference was, “work hard, make lots of money, improve your marketing, fundraise, fundraise, fundraise”, however, I was only about 50% accurate in my assumption.

Instead, the bottom line of the conference speaker and panel sentiment; authenticity, honesty, and trust are key in growing and marketing you company.

“You can’t grow too fast. What matters is the quality and integrity of what you do.” – Elizabeth Holmes 

“The very reason I succeeded is the same as why I was turned down – it’s what makes me different.” – Lindsey Stirling 

“I build trust with my followers but just spending time with them and really connecting.” – Cameron Dallas

“Could your success come from simply making people feel safe and happy via online channels?” – Taylor Hanson

“The only person you owe anything to is yourself.” – Kelly Osbourne 

It’s no longer about pushing your products or services onto customers in an attempt to make them want to buy, it’s about doing something for the right reasons and being both transparent as a company and authentic as a person.

I recently wrote a post on my company’s website called, “Unplug and Connect”, discussing the issues of a 24/7 plugged-in culture. While we may have access to millions of people around the world because of online social networks, many people are finding themselves more alone and thus, lonely. I believe that this has a lot to do with the success of this most recent, “authenticity movement”, where the customer cares more about how inclusive, open, and honest companies are.

Personally, I think this is excellent. It encourages us to openly care about the people around us and not only be honest with them, but be honest with themselves.

I decided that I would make a list of action items to help me, and my company, continue to support this new trend that’s hopefully here to stay:

• Weekly Blogs
• Weekly (maybe even daily) videos to let people get to know me and my company
• Fewer planned and more natural posts to social media
• More interaction with my followers – keeping up conversation is key to building relationships

So what will your action items be? ♥