Megan Duckett to Speak at Inc. 5000 Panel on Small Businesses

Sew What? Inc. founder and president Megan Duckett will be on a panel of Inc. 5000 small business owners to be held in Los Angeles on November 3 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, entitled "Recession Confessions: Stories of Growth and Survival." Duckett will be discussing the power of innovation, the significance of the web in small business development, and the business owner's need to take a leap of faith. Inc.'s 5000 list is comprised of companies that appear on the magazine's ranking of America's fastest-growing privately held companies.

At last year's small business event, Duckett spoke about growing Sew What? from a one-person part-time project into a significant source of custom stage drapes and materials for the entertainment industry. This year's event will be directed to smaller business owners who are looking for strategies to help them grow in this challenging economy.

The Inc. panel will also include Michael Rozbruch, founder and CEO of Tax Resolution Services, and Michael Mothner, founder and CEO of WPromote. It will be moderated by Tiffany Black, senior producer of Inc.com.

"I always enjoy the opportunity to share my stories with other business owners," said Duckett. "I don't possess any special magic that has made my drapery manufacturing businesses successful. But I tell people that if one has a vision and surrounds oneself with dedicated people who share in that vision, then through hard work and commitment, the customer will see something special and will desire it."

Duckett has participated in speaking engagements throughout the world, presenting topics that include the role of the woman entrepreneur and the utilization of technology in small business, visiting (among other locales) China, as part of the Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network (DWEN), and her native Australia, as one of Dell Computer's "Take Your Own Path" Trailblazers. She has been recognized with numerous industry awards citing her commitment to innovation and implementation of technology in her small businesses.

Sew What? Inc., located in Rancho Dominguez, CA, is well-known for its dramatic theatrical drapes and fabrics used in major rock concerts, top fashion shows and other artistic staged venues. Businesses also look to Sew What? for pipe and drape systems and custom fabric panels for their businesses exhibits and trade show displays. The company has received numerous awards for innovation, including the Dell/NFIB Small Business Excellence Award as well as PC Magazine's SMB 20 Award for technological innovation for small and medium-sized businesses, and was featured on the 1,000th cover of Rolling Stone.