2026 Faith Driven Entrepreneur Conference Coquitlam Watch Party
Build For More
The whole day in one place: who it is for, the lineup on screen, the local panel over lunch, the running order, the table topics, the venue, and the answers to the questions people actually ask.
Sold out. Friday, September 18, 2026 · 8:30am-2:00pm · Hillside Church, Coquitlam
After the day
A room full of builders and real connection
What our attendees told us after September 18.
Who this is for
People who run something, close to home
If two or three of these sound like you, you will feel at home in this room.
You own the decisions
A practice, a trades outfit, a shop, a small team, or a business you started last year. Payroll, pricing and hiring land on your desk.
You want to connect with people nearby
Owners twenty minutes away in Coquitlam, Port Moody or Burnaby. Grab coffee with them next month.
Faith belongs in your work
Jesus is part of your life, and you want him connected to how you run the business.
You can spare a Friday
Twenty minutes from home, done by two o'clock, back in time for the school pickup.
This is a Christian gathering of local business owners, run by local business owners. Folding chairs, drip coffee, and people who show up every year.
On screen
The lineup, streamed to the room
The global conference stage, including John Maxwell and Chris Tomlin, plus video stories from entrepreneurs around the world.
This year's local panel
Nice bosses finish last?
How do you lead with faith without ruining the business? Is it wrong to raise prices? Should a Christian boss ever fire someone?
Running a business on your values can feel like a choice between being too soft and being ruthless. Over lunch, founders from around here take honest audience questions about firing well, protecting cash flow, and the risks they took on conviction. Guts and grace, no Sunday school answers.
- Firing with grace
- Raising prices
- Protecting cash flow
- Turning down the shady deal
- Nice vs. kind leadership
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Enoch
WengHost · CEO & Co-Founder, Rise Above Finance
Relationship-based financial coaching rooted in biblical wisdom. An SFU finance grad, he sits on the boards of FaithTech, Muzewest and Glorious Art Institute and helps organize Vancouver Startup Week.
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Tammy
KyteCo-Founder & President, FlightPath · ED, GiveWise Canada
Ran a construction business for 20 years, including straight through the 2008 crash, then built technology that makes charitable giving easier.
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Stephen
KellowayDirector of Operations, IPFusion
Built VFX studio Animism to 34 people on shows like Stranger Things and Dune, carried the team through the pandemic, then made the hard call to close it in 2023.
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Samson
NgoFounder & Creative Director, Filmosity
Fired from a job in 2024, launched a Vancouver video agency that cleared $200k+ in its first year, then learned to walk away from a client worth half his revenue.
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Dan
SchmidtLeadership coach · Remdal Group
Helped grow Metro Vancouver construction firm Remdal past 200 staff through ownership, executive and board seats. Now a thinking partner to entrepreneurial leaders.
The shape of the day
Five and a half hours. Half of it is peer dialogue.
Arrival and registration
Come early. Half the good conversations happen in the hallway.
Welcome
Jeret and Michelle open the day and get tables introduced.
Session 1
- Intro
- Richard Garnett
- Learn2Earn
Group discussion
Your table works through what you just heard.
Break & speed networking
Session 2
- John Maxwell
- Pastor Muriithi
Reflection
Panel discussion with local entrepreneurs
“Nice bosses finish last?” Samson Ngo, Stephen Kelloway, Dan Schmidt and Tammy Kyte, hosted by Enoch Weng. Tri-Cities owners on grace, hard calls and business survival.
Lunch
Included, and long enough to actually talk to people.
Session 3
- David Green
- Chris Tomlin, Deb Wyatt, Chad Spencer: For Others
Peer discussion groups
Seven groups across core business, modern workplace and tech, and leadership and faith. See the topics
Prizes and closing remarks
What happens between now and next September, and how to stay connected close to home.
Venue open for continued connection
No rush out the door. Stick around and keep talking.
Final running order, as printed in the program. See the full program
Peer advisory rounds
Pick your table topic
Seven hosted conversations. Pick the one that matches the problem on your desk right now. Each one ends with a single thing to do next week.
- Core business
- Modern workplace & tech
- Leadership & faith
Core business · Leadership & team culture
Breaking the founder bottleneck
Delegation and underperformance: how to be gracious and still hold the line, plus the conversation you keep putting off.
Modern workplace & tech · A.I.
Practical A.I. and automation
Automating the admin, and holding your value when a client asks whether AI could just do it cheaper.
Core business · Sales & revenue
Selling in uncertain times
Earning the trust of cautious buyers, pricing and teaching others to sell.
Core business · Finances
Margins, pricing and cash flow
When to raise prices, how to handle clients who pay late, and what to cut first when costs climb.
Modern workplace & tech · Workforce
Managing across generations
Keeping good people, and managing expectations and morale on a team that spans three generations, while staying flexible without lowering your standards.
Leadership & faith · Resilience
The burnout epidemic
Boundaries between the business and the rest of your life, spotting fatigue early, and rest that actually holds.
Leadership & faith · Values
Generosity and conviction
Giving when money is tight, walking away from the wrong contract, and living your faith at work without turning it into a sermon.
You pick your topic when you arrive and change tables when it starts.
Who was here in 2025
41 businesses. Mostly small, mostly past the beginning.
A real mix. People who own the professional practices, trades outfits and small teams around here, plus founders still building the first version of the thing.
24
Professional services
18
Teams of five or fewer
17
In years four to seven
6
Skilled trades
Plus 7 personal services, 2 community organizations, retail and security. Five have been running 41 years or longer.
How to get here
Hillside Church, Austin Ave
- Parking
- Free on-site parking.
- Transit
- Bus routes along Austin Ave; nearest SkyTrain is Burquitlam.
- Accessibility
- Step-free entry and accessible washrooms. Email us and tell us what you need.
- Dietary
- Breakfast and lunch are included. Email us about allergies.
Before you register
Common Questions
Can I still get a seat?
No - September 18 is sold out and registration is closed. Email us if you need to reach someone about the day, and join the mailing list on the home page to hear about next year first.
Why come to a watch party instead of streaming solo?
Because the sessions are built to be paused and talked about, and that only works with people in the room. Ours adds hosted tables, meals and a local panel on top of the stream.
How is this different from other watch parties?
Same conference, bigger room. Expect eighty to a hundred people, tables of eight with hosts, peer advisory rounds, a local founder panel, and lunch. Plus a chapter that meets after September 18.
What does it cost?
$70 CAD, covering all streamed sessions, table discussions, the local founder panel (“Nice bosses finish last?”), and lunch. Registration is closed for 2026 - the room is full.
Can I buy a whole table?
Normally yes - tables seat eight, so you can bring your leadership team or a few owners you want in the room with you. Not for 2026 though: the day is sold out.
Do I have to be a Christian to come?
No. The day is openly Christian, and you will hear that from the front. But you are welcome exactly as you are, and nobody is going to corner you.
Do I need to go to Hillside Church?
No. Hillside hosts us, but most of the room comes from across the Tri-Cities and beyond.
What if I don't like table discussions?
Every table has a host who keeps things useful and on track. You will talk more than at a normal conference and less than at a networking event.
My business is small. Is this for me?
Most of the room is five people or fewer, and plenty are still early-stage. Tables are grouped by stage so you won't spend the morning listening to someone else's exit story.
Can I bring my business partner or spouse?
Normally yes, and we seat you together. September 18 is sold out, so this one is for next year.
What if the cost is a problem?
Email us. We keep a few discounted seats each year, no explanation needed.
Refunds?
Full refund up to 14 days before. After that you can pass your seat to someone else. Just send us the name.
Made possible by
Local businesses backing local business owners
Sponsorship keeps the ticket affordable and the room full. We expect 80 to 100 owners this year, and a few spots are still open.
Our Gold sponsors
With support from
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Your logo here
Become a sponsorBronze
$300
- 2 tickets included
- Sponsorship mention on program
- Impact others' faith through work
Gold
$600
- 4 tickets included
- Sponsorship mention on program
- Sponsorship mention on podium
- Booth / table set-up
- Impact others' faith through work
Lend a hand
Help put the day on
This gathering is run by local owners volunteering a few hours. A handful of roles make the difference between a good day and a scramble. Most take a morning; a couple are just an hour.
Email us the role you would like, or just ask and we will point you somewhere.
Set-up and teardown
Arrive at 7am to lay out tables, signage and the registration desk, or stay after 2pm to pack it down. Roughly an hour on either end.
Registration desk
Welcome people as they arrive, check names off the list and hand out lanyards through the 8am rush.
Table hosts
Keep one table's conversation on track and make sure everyone gets a turn. We brief you beforehand; you just need to be comfortable steering a room of eight.
Hospitality
Keep the coffee and water topped up, help lunch move quickly, and point people toward washrooms and parking.
Photos and video
Grab candid shots of the room and the panel we can use for next year's promo. Bring your own camera or phone.
Tech and AV
Run the stream, sound and slides alongside the Hillside team. Useful if you have done live sound or presentation tech before.
Not sure where you would fit? Say so and we will find a spot.