“The two most addictive things in the world are heroin and a steady paycheck.” - Scott Belsky

Last weekend I attended the Big Omaha conference, held at the Kaneko space in downtown Omaha. Derek and I had kicked around the idea of going for a while, and after we saw the lineup of speakers, we both knew we couldn’t miss it.

Now, a lot of people have asked me how it was, and the only words that cover it for me are: life-changing. It was truly one of the most exciting, inspiring and just fun times of my life. I left there feeling refreshed, and ready to take on the world. I am looking at the future, and I literally shake with excitement at the possibilities that lie ahead.

Alright, enough with the inspirational cheesiness. Seriously, this was the best run conference I’ve ever attended. The speaker lineup was incredible, the space was amazing, the food and snacks were plentiful, the parties and free drinks were awesome and Omaha is simply a cool town. The Magnolia Hotel was a great place to stay, very historical but also very modern at the same time. Their breakfast buffet and free beer and wine hour rocked.

So, about those speakers. Every single one of them was amazing, but a few stood out for me. David Hauser from Grasshopper started things off on Friday. I loved his message about authenticity and being real, because I believe that is one of the most important things in any business. I also loved their videos, and his stressing of the importance of company culture.

The next speaker that stood out for me was Scott Harrison of charity: water. This man has an incredible story of how he came to found his company, and I would have been surprised if there was anyone in the room who wasn’t touched by his talk. This was the speech that had me asking myself “what the fuck am I doing with my life? how do I want to be remembered someday?”. Truly, truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I hope to shake his hand someday in the future and thank him for helping change my life.

Gary Vaynerchuk was another great speaker. He also has a great story about taking his family business from a small company and building it into a media empire today. He is a really cool guy, and seems like somebody I would love to get a beer with and just shoot the shit. Very oversized personality, but also seems like a really humble and appreciative guy. I loved his ideas on doing anything you can to get business, “I’ll fucking watch your kids if you want”.

Jason Fried from 37 Signals is already a favorite blogger of mine, and his speech did not disappoint. He is a somewhat divisive guy, however I can’t help but agree with his thoughts on drawing a line in the sand and making all your decisions easier by standing for something and saying “no”. Great speaker with a lot of great ideas.

The last speaker who really wowed me was Tony Hsieh of Zappos. That company simply astonishes me, and I love their commitment to customer service, and to happiness. He was the most polished speaker of the weekend, but no less genuine or real than anybody else. I look forward to reading his book.

So, that’s my recap of Big Omaha 2010. I imagine it is a weekend I will point back to for a long time. I’m so glad Derek went along, and that he listened to my crazy excitement the whole way back, haha. I am already counting down till next years event.