Scaling Without Breaking: How Leaders Build, Protect, and Grow Under Pressure

Scaling a business is exciting, but it is also one of the most challenging stages of leadership. Rapid growth can expose weak systems, unclear ownership, governance gaps, overlooked legal risks, fragile contracts, and unprotected intellectual property faster than most teams can respond.

When pressure rises, the same momentum that drives expansion can also create operational, financial, and legal vulnerabilities. The leaders who scale successfully are the ones who know how to build, protect, and grow at the same time.

In this one-hour webinar, three experienced leaders will share practical strategies on how to scale strategically while protecting the long term success of your business.

Tracy L. Schimelfenig, a seasoned corporate attorney, will discuss the governance, contract, and compliance foundations every growing company should have in place before complexity increases.

Evan Smith, a patent attorney, electrical engineer, and serial entrepreneur, will share how business owners can protect intellectual property, prepare for investment, and structure companies for sustainable growth.

Marques Ogden, a former NFL player, founder, and best-selling author, will share leadership lessons from losing nearly $3 million in 90 days, including how leaders can recover from setbacks, rebuild trust, and come back stronger.

What You Will Learn

• How to recognize the structural and operational warning signs that appear when a company scales too quickly.
• How to build the corporate governance, contract, and compliance foundation needed to protect a growing business.
• How to identify, protect, and leverage your most valuable intellectual property before it becomes a costly oversight.
• How to structure your company for fundraising, partnerships, investment readiness, and long-term resilience.
• How to lead through high-pressure moments while maintaining focus, accountability, and team trust.
• How to turn setbacks into a competitive advantage by adopting a practical “fail forward” mindset rooted in real-world experience.

Who Should Attend

• Founders and CEOs preparing their company for growth.
• Operations and finance leaders scaling teams, processes, and risk controls.
• Entrepreneurs raising capital or launching a new venture.
• Board members and advisors guiding companies through expansion or organizational change.
• HR and people leaders building resilient, growth-ready cultures that can withstand pressure and uncertainty.

Meet the Speakers

Tracy L. Schimelfenig

Corporate Attorney, Cogent Law

Tracy L. Schimelfenig is a corporate attorney with 20 years of experience advising businesses, nonprofit organizations, and sports-industry clients on governance, transactions, and compliance. She specializes in entity formation, contract drafting and negotiation, regulatory compliance, and risk management, and brings deep experience serving as fractional general counsel for growing companies. Tracy previously served as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer for a multi-million-dollar nonprofit, where she led governance and complex real estate transactions. She holds a Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law and a Master of Science in Sport Administration from Arkansas State University.

Evan Smith

Patent Attorney and Serial Entrepreneur, Cogent Law

Evan Smith is a licensed patent attorney, electrical engineer, and serial entrepreneur with decades of experience guiding tech startups and corporate leadership teams. He has served as CEO of Eye Controls LLC, COO and General Counsel at EyeTicket Corporation, and General Counsel at a leading fintech company, and previously led the intellectual property department at Greenberg Traurig's technology office. Evan specializes in company formation, fundraising, and intellectual property strategy, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, and has successfully enforced patents that generated tens of millions in royalties. He holds an M.B.A. from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Marques Ogden

Founder and CEO, Ogden Ventures LLC

Marques Ogden is the founder and CEO of Ogden Ventures LLC, a former NFL player, five-time best-selling author, and one of the most sought-after keynote speakers on resilience and leadership in business. After retiring from professional football, he built a fast-growing construction company that lost nearly $3 million in 90 days, an experience that became the foundation for his work on failing forward and leading through adversity. He has delivered keynotes for more than 90 Fortune 500 companies, including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Home Depot, and his story has been featured in USA Today, Forbes, and News Nation. Marques hosts the podcast Get Authentic with Marques Ogden and serves as a weekly NFL contributor on News Nation.