Practical Growth for the People Who Sign the Paychecks.
A small business conference speaker for owner summits, entrepreneur conferences, chamber events and business expos, with ideas an owner can put to work the week they get home.
Chris Sund helped grow Uniti Med from a young company into one of the fastest-growing in the Midwest, and he knows how much every hire, every sale and every new tool matters when a business is still growing. His small business keynote gives owners practical ways to sell more, hire better, lead a small team well and use AI to win back hours, told through real stories and delivered with respect for how much owners already carry.
Small business owners do not need more inspiration to work harder. They need a few ideas that make the hard work go further.
Four things every owner is working on right now.
When you are planning a small business conference or an entrepreneur event, your audience is usually the person doing sales in the morning, payroll at lunch and interviews after hours. Chris builds the keynote around the four areas owners ask him about most, and he keeps every idea small enough to start on Monday.
- Growth you can plan for. Chris shares what he learned helping grow Uniti Med 10x in revenue in two years, scaled down to the decisions a small business owner actually makes about where to focus and what to stop doing.
- Sales without the pressure. The LOCKS framework helps owners understand why a buyer is not saying yes yet and what to do about it, whether the owner is the only salesperson or leads a small team.
- Hiring for traits. Small businesses cannot always compete on salary or brand, but they can hire better. Chris shows how to look for traits that predict success, even in someone without the usual experience.
- AI that saves real hours. A practical look at the tasks owners can hand to AI today, such as proposals, follow-ups, job posts and first drafts, so they get time back for the work only they can do.
Planners building a broader entrepreneur program can see Chris’s entrepreneur and small business speaker page, and for a session entirely about artificial intelligence there is his AI speaker for small business owners program. Owners who want to read ahead can start with his guide on how to grow revenue fast.
Results that came from the same basics.
The ideas in this keynote are the ones Chris has used himself, in a company that had to grow while it was still finding its footing.
revenue growth at Uniti Med in two years, built on selling well, hiring well and keeping good people.
on the Inc. Regionals list of the fastest-growing companies in the Midwest, alongside Fortune Best Workplaces recognition.
of the more than two hundred working adults surveyed for You Are Capable of More said they are capable of more, and that includes the owner and every person on the payroll.
The events where owners come looking for answers.
A small business keynote earns its place when the room is full of people who will make decisions the minute they leave.
Small business summits and expos
When the program needs a keynote owners will talk about in the hallway and use the following week.
Entrepreneur conferences
When attendees range from first-year founders to owners running established companies and the content needs to serve both.
Chamber of commerce events
When a chamber wants to give its member businesses something practical on growth, sales or hiring.
Franchise and owner meetings
When owners and operators gather to share ideas and want an outside voice who has grown a company himself.
From the owner’s to-do list to a plan for next week.
The session moves through the four areas owners care about most, and the examples are matched to your audience on a planning call.
Start where owners are
Chris opens by naming the many jobs an owner does in a single day, so the room feels understood before he asks them to try anything new.
Focus the growth
He shows how to choose the few customers, products or services worth doubling down on, based on what he learned during Uniti Med’s fastest years.
Sell with LOCKS
Owners learn the five parts of LOCKS, Love the Product, Own Belief, Confidence in You, Kickoff Plan and Stakes, and how to spot which one is missing in a stalled deal.
Hire and lead a small team
Trait-based hiring, simple ways to develop people and how to lead when the team is small enough that every person matters.
Win back time with AI
He closes with practical AI uses an owner can try that afternoon, so the ideas from the session have time to actually happen.
Owners often remember the story from early in Chris’s career, selling beer for a brewery that was in every major store except the biggest retailer in the country. He kept calling the one buyer who could say yes until the buyer finally picked up, then showed him what saying no was costing him. That conversation is the Stakes part of LOCKS, and it is a reminder that persistence and research can open doors that size alone cannot.
Programs that work for owners and entrepreneurs.
Each program can be tailored for a small business audience. These are the ones planners choose most often.
You Are Capable of More Sales
The LOCKS framework for owners and small sales teams who want more deals to close.
Practical AITake Back Your Time with AI
Hands-on AI for the everyday tasks that eat an owner’s week.
HiringWinning the Talent Battle
How smaller companies attract and keep good people without the biggest budget in town.
LeadersYou Are Capable of More: Leadership
For owners stepping back from doing everything and learning to lead others who do it.
Customers and TeamsThe Power of Small Moments
The CARE framework: the small moments that make customers and employees want to stay.
Sized to your event and your owners.
Owner audiences love a keynote, and many events add a hands-on workshop so people leave with their own plan already started.
Keynote
The main-stage session on growth, sales, hiring and AI, built for a room full of owners.
Breakout
A focused session on one topic, such as sales with LOCKS or practical AI for owners.
Half-Day Workshop
Owners work on their own business: a sales plan, a hiring profile and a short list of AI tasks to try.
Full-Day Workshop
A full working day for an owner group, peer network or franchise system that wants to build plans together.
What business people took home.
Having Chris Sund as a Sarpy County Empower Breakfast speaker was a breath of fresh air. He was amazing — brought up all the things that make us all a little crazy and gave us new ways of handling objections. Definitely a great start to a day. I would always be happy to recommend Chris.
Having just started a new role in Business Development, the timing of Chris’s session on Handling Objections was perfect. Chris is a great storyteller — the Lucky Bucket story illustrates how persistence and research can help you win. The focus on “the pause” and how we speak resonated deeply. How you talk matters — and though simple, it’s powerful.
Chris is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to hiring challenges. I am excited to use the suggestions Chris provided in my next interview.
Chris Sund’s speaking engagements are truly powerful. His engaging style draws the audience into the conversation, creating a relaxed atmosphere that encourages learning and reflection. You leave not only inspired but equipped with practical leadership insights you’re eager to implement. Chris is a thoughtful, intentional leader who uses his influence to positively impact everyone he encounters.
Chris not only presented a very informative session at the NAHCR 2025 conference, but was incredibly flexible and moved his last presentation up due to unforeseen circumstances. I highly recommend Sund as a speaker for your event — I even wrote an article sharing takeaways from his presentation.
Having Chris Sund as a Sarpy County Empower Breakfast speaker was a breath of fresh air. He was amazing — brought up all the things that make us all a little crazy and gave us new ways of handling objections. Definitely a great start to a day. I would always be happy to recommend Chris.
Having just started a new role in Business Development, the timing of Chris’s session on Handling Objections was perfect. Chris is a great storyteller — the Lucky Bucket story illustrates how persistence and research can help you win. The focus on “the pause” and how we speak resonated deeply. How you talk matters — and though simple, it’s powerful.
Chris is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to hiring challenges. I am excited to use the suggestions Chris provided in my next interview.
Chris Sund’s speaking engagements are truly powerful. His engaging style draws the audience into the conversation, creating a relaxed atmosphere that encourages learning and reflection. You leave not only inspired but equipped with practical leadership insights you’re eager to implement. Chris is a thoughtful, intentional leader who uses his influence to positively impact everyone he encounters.
Chris not only presented a very informative session at the NAHCR 2025 conference, but was incredibly flexible and moved his last presentation up due to unforeseen circumstances. I highly recommend Sund as a speaker for your event — I even wrote an article sharing takeaways from his presentation.
A plan an owner can start on Monday.
- A clearer growth focus. Owners leave knowing which few areas of their business deserve more of their time this year.
- A better way to read a stalled deal. LOCKS gives owners a simple checklist for figuring out why a buyer has not said yes and what to do next.
- A sharper hiring process. Trait-based interview questions, including “What’s the hardest thing you’ve done in your life?”, that help small teams hire well.
- Hours back each week. A short list of tasks to hand to AI, with simple prompts to start from.
- Renewed belief. Owners are often the last people anyone encourages. Chris makes sure they leave reminded of what they are capable of.
Rooms full of owners and builders.
A book for owners who keep going.
The keynote is grounded in You Are Capable of More: A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self, a book about closing the distance between where you are and where you are capable of being, which is a distance every business owner knows well.
It came out from Game Changer Publishing in August 2026 and took the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival.
Many events give every attendee a signed copy, and owners can order extra copies for their teams. Bulk pricing is available.
On stage and on air.
Business breakfasts, chambers and conferences
Keynotes, breakouts and workshops for owners, sales teams and business leaders across the country.
See the events →
Television, radio and podcasts
WOWT Omaha, 10/11 Lincoln, Bloom on WFLA Tampa, Studio 512 on KXAN Austin, My KC Live on KCTV5, Iowa Live on WOI and Dakota News Now.
See all media →
He has grown a company, not just studied one.
Chris knows what it is like when the sale, the hire and the cash flow all depend on decisions you make this week. His advice for owners comes from making those decisions himself while helping a young company grow quickly.
Chris Sund is President and COO of Uniti Med and GQR Healthcare and COO of Nebula, an AI talent sourcing company. He helped grow Uniti Med 10x in revenue in two years, which placed it #3 on the Inc. Regionals list of the fastest-growing companies in the Midwest, and the company earned Fortune Best Workplaces recognition.
He writes for Forbes and Inc., serves on the Forbes Business Council, belongs to the Inc. Leadership Forum and is a Maxwell Leadership Certified speaker, trainer and coach. Early in his career he led sales and marketing for a brewery.
Details your planning team will ask for.
What planners ask about small business keynotes.
What does a small business keynote from Chris cover?
Is Chris a good fit for an entrepreneur conference keynote?
Can the session focus only on AI for small business?
Will it work for a chamber of commerce audience with mixed industries?
Can attendees get the book?
Where audiences have heard Chris.
Business breakfasts, chamber events and conferences where Chris has spoken to owners and business leaders.
emPower BreakfastBusiness breakfast · Lincoln, NEPOWER ConferenceGreater Omaha ChamberGreater Omaha ChamberLeadership Exchange workshopDefinitive Healthcare SKOBoston, MA · 800+ sellersCSP ConferenceLeadership sessionAuthentica GroupConnect & InspireRelated: Entrepreneur & Small Business Speaker · AI Speaker for Small Business Owners · How to Grow Revenue Fast · Chamber of Commerce Speaker · See all speaking engagements →
Give your owners ideas they can use on Monday.
Send your dates, a description of the owners in your audience and the topics they keep asking about. You will get availability and a plan back within one business day.