Everything You Missed at the 2023 Game Changers Summit
15 minutes to read
The 2023 Game Changers Summit was unlike anything we’ve ever done.
For more than a year, the Crisp team has been hard at work behind the scenes to make this year’s experience the most special one yet — and this time, it was a private event.
For 48 hours on November 2-3, hundreds of Crisp Coach members convened at The Hotel at Avalon in Alpharetta, GA for a private, intense, jam-packed Game Changers Summit no one will soon forget.
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If you were one of the 1,000+ lucky members in attendance, prepare for an electrifying look back at two of the most transformational days of your life.
If you weren’t there, prepare to see every detail you missed out on.
Game Changers Summit: Day 1
Day 1 of the 2023 Game Changers Summit kicked off with a bang on Thursday, November 2nd.
The moment Crisp Coach members walked through the Avalon doors and stepped foot into an immersive world of growth, the energy was infectious. The venue was transformed into a __ wonderland of all things Crisp. From the ever-popular Crisp Swag Shop to the reunions and introductions between fellow firm owners and favorite Crisp team members, every attendee was all smiles.
Soon enough, everyone found their seats, got comfortable, and sharpened their pencils — and it was time for the 2023 Game Changers Summit to begin.
Who and what did attendees experience?
The Speakers
Michael, Jessica, and Mila Mogill walked down the red carpet to welcome the Crisp Coach community to the Summit before the Crisp Founder & CEO delivered a welcome address to remember.
Michael highlighted the accelerated growth and impressive accomplishments of the Crisp community, celebrating the wins and innovations of a number of firm owners in the room.
He introduced the concept that great leaders — and great organizations — are built, not born. He applauded the entrepreneurs in the Crisp Coach program for their natures and unique characteristics that got them started, and he vowed to nurture that nature to help them reach their fullest potential.
John C. Maxwell
Next, world-renowned leadership expert John C. Maxwell took the stage to deliver an inspiring speech about the five stages of leadership.
Maxwell is a renowned expert in leadership, captivating speaker, and best-selling author featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week.
He’s one of the world’s leading personal growth keynote speakers, and he’s connected with everyone from local church leaders to Fortune 500 CEOs on his quest to spark meaningful personal growth. He actively imparts his knowledge through his companies and The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation, empowering individuals to unleash their hidden potential. With an extensive reach that has impacted millions of people across diverse sectors globally, John’s guidance is cherished and sought after.
At the 2023 Game Changers Summit, every Crisp Coach member in attendance learned firsthand why that is.
Barbara Corcoran
As the first day of the Summit continued, Barbara Corcoran walked the red carpet to take the stage.
Barbara is a real estate mogul, investor, and star of ABC’s Shark Tank who transformed a $1,000 loan into a multimillion-dollar real estate empire — and her journey is a masterclass in audacity, grit, and creativity.
From the Summit stage, she dove deep into her inspirational story and the valuable lessons she learned along the way.
Joey Coleman
Next up, client and employee retention expert Joey Coleman took the stage to ensure Crisp Coach members never lose an employee again.
For nearly 20 years, Joey has helped organizations retain their best customers and employees, turning them into raving fans via his entertaining and actionable keynotes, workshops, and consulting projects.
His Summit presentation focused on helping law firms recruit top talent, onboard A-players successfully, and keep them engaged while they produce remarkable results for years to come.
Michael Mogill
At last, Michael Mogill returned to the stage for his highly anticipated Day 1 keynote presentation — and to no one’s surprise, he delivered.
The focus of Michael’s keynote was how to make a law firm’s success inevitable.
How? By developing the right system and sticking to it.
He paralleled his incredible fitness journey over the course of 2023 to the habits, rhythms, and factors needed to consistently grow a business and keep your focus as leader in the right place annually, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily.
Richard Montañez
Next, a charming and endlessly engaging speaker took the stage: Richard Montañez.
Montañez is business executive, author, and innovator of the Flamin’ Hot brand — and at the Game Changers Summit, he set out to help the firm owners in attendance capitalize on their best ideas, ignite the spark of creativity, and make their vision a reality
He told an empowering story that wove together his background growing up as an immigrant, the encouragement he received from his wife and family, and the opportunities he seized to catapult himself from janitor to executive.
Flo Rida
Finally, critically acclaimed hip-hop artist Flo Rida joined Michael Mogill onstage for a surprise fireside chat.
Before throwing down for the private concert Summit attendees had been looking forward to all day, this hip-hop legend sat down to talk talk industry innovation, staying relevant, and hit-making.
The Private Concert
To close out Day 1, the stage was set for not just a performance — but a PARTY.
Flo Rida (along with an energetic crew of fellow rappers, dancers, and hype-men) turned the volume up and brought the energy. Throughout the performance, Crisp Coach members in the audience were invited onstage to participate fully in the celebration.
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was well-received by the legal professionals in attendance, but as Flo himself said, “What happens at Game Changers…stays at Game Changers.”
The Awards
Throughout the 2023 Game Changers Summit, we recognized the most committed Crisp Coach members for their incredible transformations and contributions this year.
Winners of these brand-new, highly prestigious Crisp Game Changer Awards were determined based on specific results each firm generated, each leader’s commitment to their goals, and more.
While Firm of the Year Awards at each level (ELITE, PREMIER, and CrispX) were reserved for Day 2, four firm owners were celebrated on Day 1 for Excellence in the following categories:
Excellence in Leadership
First up, Marshall Rice and Bill Kendig of Rice & Kendig earned the Excellence in Leadership Award! These game changers stepped up for their team and generated unprecedented results in their law firm — and they’re just getting started.
Excellence in Community Impact
In a moving display, Jami S. Oliver of Oliver Law Office earned the Excellence in Community Impact Award, recognizing her personal commitment to service and for the moving difference her firm is making in their community.
Michael and Jessica Mogill also announced onstage that all proceeds from the Crisp Swag Shop at the Game Changers Summit would go toward Jami’s chosen nonprofit: PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network).
Excellence in Firm Culture
Later in the day, John Richmond of Richmond Vona won the next Crisp Game Changer Award: Excellence in Firm Culture!
The impact John has made on his team members speaks volumes about his commitment to being a great place to work.
Excellence in Client Experience
The winner of this final Crisp Game Changer Award has invested heavily in the client experience his firm provides — and they’re changing more lives than ever as a result. Congratulations to Craig Greening and The Greening Law Group team for taking home the Excellence in Client Experience Award!
The Announcements
In typical Crisp fashion, several exciting new programs and products were announced at the 2023 Game Changers Summit.
At the start of Day 1, Michael Mogill unveiled Crisp Connect: a new referral app designed to facilitate seamless referrals in the exclusive Crisp community. Features include:
- Sophisticated Matching Algorithm: Crisp Connect is built on a sophisticated matching algorithm that ensures that each case is matched as closely to the best law firm as possible and that the firm specializes in this type of case or matter. The algorithm leverages machine learning and improves over time prioritizing firms who are the most responsive and have the most successful matches.
- Email & Text Alerts: When a firm on Crisp Connect has a potential match, they’ll get not only an email alert, but also text message that makes it easy to stay on top of both sending and receiving new cases.
- Pre-Built Profile: Every firm in the platform automatically gets a Crisp concierge to build out and optimize their profile — no onboarding required.
- Supports All Practice Areas & Over 500 Case Types: No matter what type of case member firms are looking to refer out or attract referrals, Crisp Connect supports all practice areas and over 500 case types.
- Privacy Protection: All this is done in a simple and elegant web app that is privacy protected.
- Vetted Community: Crisp Connect firms can be confident sending and receiving cases because they are all coming from a vetted, private community of the nation’s most committed law firm owners — Crisp Coach.
During his keynote presentation later in the day, Michael unveiled an exciting new offering for Crisp Coach firms: Focus Retreats.
These quarterly executive offsites are full-day sessions facilitated by the certified Crisp Training Team, each taking place at member firms’ offices with their key players. They are designed to narrow a firm’s focus from big picture to small picture, diagnose the barriers that stand in the way of progress, and create a blueprint to execute on the right priorities.
Focus Retreats feature:
- Seamless Integrations: Direct knowledge transfers from the Certified Training Team and each member’s Crisp Coach for perfect alignment and strategic priority management to transition the strategy from Focus Retreats to execution.
- Quarterly Feedback Loops: Consistent 90-day cadence to evaluate progress, address new barriers, and set new priorities to ensure each firm is always moving in the right direction and recurring data analysis to empower member firms to make informed decisions.
Game Changers Summit: Day 2
Day 2 of the Summit continued the positive momentum and high energy, and every Crisp Coach member in attendance brought their best back to Avalon on Friday, November 3rd.
The Speakers
Joe De Sena
Spartan Founder & CEO Joe De Sena kicked off Day 2 with a call to greatness: do the hard things, redefine your limits, and embrace your inner warrior.
De Sena has built Spartan into a global fitness and wellness brand, with a 10 million+ community of athletes across the globe. Under his leadership, Spartan’s portfolio of brands has grown to include Spartan Trail, DEKA, La Ruta, Tough Mudder, and HIGHLANDER.
Jessica Mogill
Next up, Crisp Head of Coaching Strategy Jessica Mogill took the stage to equip firm owners in attendance to identify and leverage top talent in their organizations — and weed out subpar talent that’s weighing them down.
Ultimately, Jessica challenged Crisp Coach members at the Game Changers Summit to honestly consider the truth about each of their team members, regardless of the targets they may hit.
She posited that you must ask yourself: Do they add value to your organization? Or do they add headaches to your life?
CaptureNow
Next up, the leaders behind Crisp Ventures company CaptureNow gave Summit attendees the latest in intake excellence. Chris O’Brien and Gary Falkowitz challenged everyone to evolve with the technological revolution.
CaptureNow is the legal industry’s first and only automated, interactive response solution that ensures every call to your law firm is immediately answered 24/7/365. New features that have been rolled out since launch include:
- Custom Case Types
- Custom Questions
- Custom Caller Greetings
- Spanish Option
- Text Alerts
- More CRM Integrations
- CallerIQ: an intelligent answering solution that greets your known callers and clients by name, provides them a streamline call experience, and delivers this information to you via email, text, and can directly insert a record into your case management system as well a task to call that client back!
Michael Mogill
As Michael Mogill stepped onstage for his powerhouse Day 2 keynote presentation, an anticipatory hush fell over the Game Changers Summit crowd.
Michael took Crisp Coach members on a journey through the stages of every leader’s growth: from hustler, to manager, to leader, to CEO. He pulled back the curtain to tell the stories of pivotal moments along the way, and he revealed the hard-earned lessons learned as he summited each peak and opened the door to the next phase of his entrepreneurial journey.
Ultimately, this keynote revealed that the biggest difference between the most successful law firms and the least successful law firms is the number of A-players they have — and that we are all one great hire from our next breakthrough.
Legal Leaders Panel
Next, Jessica Mogill returned to the stage to host a panel of legal leaders to talk about how they attract A-players to their organizations to accelerate their growth:
- Rex Elliott of Cooper Elliott
- Anna Summersett of Varghese Summersett
- Josh Nelson of Nelson Elder Care Law
- Alexander Shunnarah of Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys
Wayne Gretzky
At last, The Great One himself walked the red carpet and took the Summit stage. NHL legend Wayne Gretzky sat down for an eye-opening fireside chat with Michael Mogill.
They discussed Gretzky’s revolutionary hockey career, the leadership lessons he applied for success, and much more.
The Awards
The Crisp Game Changer Awards continued throughout Day 2, this time culminating in the official Firm of the Year Awards for each level of the Crisp Coach program: ELITE, PREMIER, and CrispX.
ELITE Firm of the Year
Ryan Schmidt and Charles Bowen of Bowen Schmidt Entertainment Attorneys were named ELITE Firm of the Year.
PREMIER Firm of the Year
Diego Bustillos and Adriana Bello of BBA Immigration won PREMIER Firm of the Year honors.
CrispX Firm of the Year
Jan Dils of Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law earned the coveted CrispX Firm of the Year Award, rounding out a week of inspiring stories and well-deserved awards.
The Grand Prize
To close out the two-day Game Changers Summit, Michael Mogill’s incredibly cool Aston Martin Vantage was raffled off to one lucky attendee.
Each attendee who was involved in The Crisp Advantage Rewards Program received one raffle entry to win, and firm owners earned additional entries for every fellow firm owner they referred who joined the Crisp Coach program throughout 2023.
After much anticipation and excitement, Michael and Jessica Mogill took the stage to draw the winning ticket…
And the Aston Martin Vantage went to Sean Olson of The Olson Law Firm!
The Announcement
The high point of Day 2 was the exciting announcement of the latest expansion of the Crisp Ecosystem: Crisp Recruit.
Crisp Recruit is a turnkey solution to find, vet, hire, and onboard A-players who will help solve your greatest challenges and take your law firm to the next level — and it’s exclusively available to a limited number of Crisp Coach member firms.
Michael Mogill walked Summit attendees through the extensive multi-step process Crisp Recruit firms will gain access to:
- Scoping and Refining: Including in-depth analysis to identify specific hiring needs and role specifications; clear outlining of responsibilities and non-negotiables for each role; detailed job descriptions, interview questions, and test assessment development; and criteria setting for candidates, focusing on necessary experience, skills, and core value alignment.
- Sourcing and Vetting: Including a methodical process for identifying and attracting ideal candidates; use of advanced tools and resources for robust candidate search; thorough vetting of candidates through the Crisp Hiring Funnel to ensure alignment with your ideal candidate profile; and utilization of established assessment tools like Kolbe™, PRINT®️, and Wonderlic®️ for in-depth candidate insights.
- Onboarding and Training: Including development of structured onboarding programs, enhancing early engagement and commitment; establishment of a progressive training schedule, including 30-, 60-, and 90-day benchmarks for each new hire; comprehensive team training through Crisp Experience membership trials; and access to Crisp Academy, the 24/7 virtual learning platform that includes our proprietary tools library and online courses.
The Feedback
The 2023 Game Changers Summit was extraordinarily well-received by the Crisp Coach members in attendance. We’ve received hundreds of A+ ratings, passionate praise, and positive comments across every social media channel.
But don’t take our word for it…
What’s Next?
As always, Michael Mogill and the Crisp team promise to raise the bar and deliver an even more exceptional experience at the next Game Changers Summit on November 13-14, 2024.
While 2023’s Summit was members only, in 2024 it will be invitation only.
For an opportunity to be considered for an invitation, make sure you join the #1 law firm growth community in the world: Crisp Coach.
