EntreLeadership Summit: Dave Ramsey’s Top Leadership Event

You walk into a room with 2,700 people. Every one of them is leading a team or a business. Every one of them knows what it’s like to carry the weight of decisions, dreams, deadlines and payroll. And each of them came to this conference for the same reason: to grow.

That’s EntreLeadership Summit.

Summit is Dave Ramsey's top leadership event. Each year, it brings together thousands of business owners, executives and their team members for four days of business and leadership training and inspiration.

It's where growth-minded men and women come to sharpen their skills, challenge their thinking, and return home with next steps for their businesses and teams. For many, it's also where they get inspired and feel truly seen and connected to other leaders.

“[Summit] gets you kind of pumped up,” said Larry Ingerly, vice president of finance at Senox Corporation. “It develops a real sense of teamwork and camaraderie, and it just gets us all pulling in the same direction.”

And what makes thousands of leaders return year after year? It's the combination of world-class teaching, meaningful relationships and renewed clarity that helps them move forward in business and life. Here's a closer look at what attendees experienced at Summit 2026.

Ideas That Moved Leaders Forward at Summit 2026

The 2026 Summit lineup challenged attendees to rethink culture, courage, personal growth, serving others and what it means to build a life and business that lasts. Here are some key takeaways that kept showing up in conversations throughout the week.

Dave Ramsey, Ramsey Solutions Founder and CEO | You Get What You Tolerate

“You get what you tolerate. Creating healthy culture is messy. It’s accountability. It’s positive conflict, where we call out stuff. . . . Decide who you want to be, state it, and then stick to it.”

Free lunches, Ping-Pong tables and happy hours don't create a healthy culture. Dave Ramsey challenged business owners to rethink what actually drives buy-in and accountability. He emphasized that culture is built by leaders who clearly define their values, hold people accountable, and create an environment where healthy conflict and ownership can thrive.

Ryan Leak, Executive Coach | Growth Lives on the Other Side of Failure

“Chasing failure took me further than chasing success ever did.”

Most leaders spend their careers trying to avoid failure. Ryan Leak helped attendees to see failure differently. The leaders who grow the most aren't the ones who never experience setbacks. They're the ones who keep moving forward after disappointment and unexpected change. Ryan reminded leaders that growth often comes disguised as adversity and resilience is built when we refuse to let failure define us.

Carla Harris, Wall Street Executive | Fear Has No Place in Your Success Equation

“Fear has no place in your success equation.”

Fear might feel like it’s protecting you, but it often keeps leaders from pursuing their biggest opportunities. Carla Harris encouraged attendees to recognize fear for what it is and move forward anyway. Every risk carries uncertainty, she said, but every failure carries a lesson that can make the next opportunity more successful. Her message was simple: The leaders who make the biggest impact are the ones who are willing to act despite their fear.

Will Guidara, Hospitality Leader Behind the World's Best Restaurant  | Caring Is Cool

Your team members “don't need another friend. They need a leader.”

Many leaders want to be liked, but Will Guidara noted that leadership requires something more important. Team members don’t need another friend. They need a leader who creates a culture where excellence and details matter and people care deeply about the mission. Will told the audience to stop worrying about whether they’re perceived as cool and instead create cultures where caring is what earns respect.

Vanessa Van Edwards, Human Behavior Expert | Rewrite the Story You're Telling Yourself

“The story that we believe about ourselves becomes the story that we live.”

Before Vanessa Van Edwards became a bestselling author and researcher, she experienced what felt like a devastating failure. Her first book flopped, and critics told her to stop writing. For a season, she believed them. Then she changed the story she was telling herself. By focusing on serving others and consistently showing up, she found her voice and eventually built a platform that has helped millions of people communicate and connect more effectively. Out of her own deep conviction, she urged the audience not to let setbacks become their identity.

Dr. Arthur Brooks, Harvard Professor and Happiness Researcher | Meaning Requires Risk

“If you get rid of boredom, you’re going to get rid of meaning.”

Dr. Arthur Brooks delivered one of the event’s most memorable challenges: Don't spend your life avoiding discomfort. Growth lives on the other side of it.

Whether it’s taking a risk in business, having a difficult conversation, or opening your heart in a relationship, meaningful growth requires vulnerability. He also shared research that shows boredom isn’t something to eliminate. It’s often where reflection, creativity and purpose begin.

More Insights From the Summit Stage

Not every lesson from Summit focused on business strategy. Some called leaders to look inward first.

Rachel Cruze: Personal Growth Shapes Business Growth

“The healthier I am as an individual, the healthier I am in a family business context.”

Personal finance expert and Ramsey Personality Rachel Cruze challenged leaders to recognize that unresolved insecurities, frustrations and blind spots don’t stay personal. They eventually show up in the way we lead others. Self-awareness and personal growth are essential for healthy leadership.

Other speakers challenged attendees to think differently about how they serve customers and communicate with the people around them.

Horst Schulze: Great Service Starts With Intentional Moments

“The first step of service has to be a great welcome.”

Ritz-Carlton cofounder Horst Schulze reminded attendees that great service begins long before a customer experiences the product itself. It’s built through intentional moments, not grand gestures, that make people feel seen and valued.

Duncan Wardle: Remove Barriers to Great Conversations

“Turn a presentation into a conversation.”

Former Disney innovation leader Duncan Wardle demonstrated how removing barriers, both physical and relational, helps leaders create better discussions. And that leads to stronger collaboration and more innovative thinking.

The 2026 lineup also included Michael Easter, Dr. John Delony, Patrick Lencioni and Brian Buffini. Each speaker added more wisdom to an already packed week.

While all the lessons from the stage are powerful, attendees will tell you that’s only part of what makes Summit special.

It's Never Just About the Speakers

Ask any attendee what makes Summit memorable, and it’s rarely just the A-list names on stage.

Chris Bryan of Northwest Drywall Company explained, “As good as the speakers are, the power of that relationship and actually being in the ditch with somebody is amazing.”

He and many other attendees are quick to acknowledge that leadership can be isolating. That’s why some of the most valuable moments happen in between sessions . . . in hallway conversations, lunch-table connections and late-night discussions with others who understand what they’re carrying.

Going deeper, Chris explained, “If you don’t have something putting back [into you], it’s a dangerous spot. And that’s when moral failures happen. That’s when you can get in trouble. So having accountability around you—it’s a big deal.”

When Dakota Krout and his team from Mountaindale Press came to Summit for the first time, they didn’t quite know what to expect. “Being a business owner and a leader [is] fairly lonely,” he said. “So leaving here, I realized how important it was to have more community in my life.”

One woman said she connected with someone during a break who’s since become a business mentor and cherished friend. Another walked away with a new Executive Coach and the confidence to finally scale her business.

These aren’t side perks. They’re part of what makes the Summit experience transformational.

The Results Speak for Themselves

The lessons are powerful and the relationships are priceless, but if you’re still wondering if Summit creates lasting results, these outcomes speak for themselves.

• David Swartout of Mountainview Medical Center has seen a 200% increase in revenue since he started attending Summit.
• Pam Marshall of Marshall Pediatric Therapy said her business has grown more than seven times over the past decade.“We have just grown so much. I personally, as a leader, have grown tremendously. But our business, in the last 10 years since coming to Summit, we’ve grown about seven and a half times.”
• And Tim Sargent from All Hours Mechanical echoed the ROI.“I’m a numbers person, and it felt like we got our money back in a week with what we learned at Summit.” His brother, Ken, put it simply: “You need it.”

Proven Value Year After Year

For well over a decade, Summit has brought respected voices from business, leadership, sports and culture to the stage. Past speakers have included Simon Sinek, Condoleezza Rice, Peyton Manning, George W. Bush, Sara Blakely, Jocko Willink and Dan Cathy. And while the names change every year, the value continues to rise.

Angie Jensen of Utah Behavior Services shared, “[Summit] gave me the confidence to do what I knew I could do, and then it gave me the tools.”

“These are like the cheat codes that get you moving forward in business,” Britton Felber of Mission Windows & Remodeling said. “And when you can be around like-minded people that are supporting you, helping you, encouraging you—what more can we ask for?”

Chris Bryan summed up the value of Summit this way: “I wanted to find someone that was out of my market that I could talk to that wasn’t a competitive issue. . . . And I found that person. . . . We’ve been best buddies for three years. We can call, and we can talk business. We can talk relationships. We can talk God. It’s probably the most powerful thing.”

Come Back Changed

For many, Summit is a yearly investment in their leadership growth because every year brings new opportunities to grow.

That’s why Chris Troyer, owner of Longhorn Truss, keeps showing up—now to six Summits and counting. “I keep coming back because there’s value there. I keep learning. And not only do I keep learning, but . . . I also associate with other businesspeople.”

And for Steven Watson of Lockheed Martin, Summit broke a stereotype. “I thought coming here, this is only for small-business owners. This is only for CEOs. . . . Not true at all. So much applies no matter whether you’re a CEO, mid-level manager, big company, small company. We’re all leaders. We’re all trying to figure things out.” 

That’s the beauty of Summit. It meets you where you are and moves you one step further.

The bottom line: Even if you come to Summit worn out or skeptical, you’ll leave changed. Why? Because as much as the event is about what you learn, it’s also about what you remember. You remember why you started in your field. You remember who you want to be. You remember you’re not alone.

“We always go home with actionable steps—things that we can do to grow our business for the next year,” Dakota shared. “And we plan to keep coming back over and over.”