The speakers at North Queensland Entrepreneurs Conference all started with an idea

I wish when I first started my business, that I had gone to a conference just like the North Queensland Entrepreneurs Conference in Townsville on November 8, 2016, for a full day of learning from other people's experiences and being inspired by those who started with nothing and have become huge national and international success stories.

This conference isn't normal. For a start it is a not-for-profit. Your community needs people to give back when they can and that is exactly what this conference will do with any profits. Secondly, the speakers are not being paid. They are generous, kind, giving, charitable people who are flying interstate and from overseas at their own cost to do me a favour and to help your community by sharing their entrepreneurial journeys.

From the conference, you will learn so much - and so will I. You see, we never stop learning and when we think that we do, that's when failure occurs.

Speakers will show you:

• That starting from nothing is a great position to be in, as you have nothing to lose.
• Risking failure or people "talking" pales in comparison to what is possible.
• When everyone is talking about how bad the economy is, start spreading positive news - it may go viral and people may just start believing that it is possible to turn their fortunes around.
• Work hard - actually, harder than everyone else. Success isn't about hoping it will happen. You really do have to roll up your sleeves.
• Listen to advice from wise people, but in the end, it's your gut instinct that counts.
• Every speaker either started their business with their life savings, a credit card or by asking others to believe in their ideas.
• No-one is infallible. No matter how rich or successful you are, you will still fail at things - it's just how you see failure that may change your outlook.
• Don't be afraid of failure. Treat it like your friend. Learn from it, then move on, taking the lessons with you.
• Some people were not born entrepreneurs. They fell into it, so don't believe it when you are told that you have to be born an entrepreneur.
• If you have lost your job or your way, and you have an idea - go for it. What is the worse thing that can happen?

You will walk away from this conference inspired and hopefully with a mindset that you can do anything, as long as you believe in yourself. If you have a business and it isn't doing as well as you would like - then that is all the more reason why you need to come along. One ah-ha moment is all it takes to change the game.