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The 2026 Invitation
PROXIMITY
An Invitation to the Good Soil Forum Stage
Capital Activation
$500K Pitch Comp
The Good Soil Forum is a three-day gathering of founders, investors, and operators committed to building sustainable, scalable businesses and a more just economic future. Founded by Bishop T.D. Jakes and produced by T.D. Jakes Enterprises, the Forum has become one of the country's premier convening moments for principled entrepreneurship, with past stages anchored by voices across business, culture, finance, and faith.
This document outlines the 2026 speaker opportunity for principals and their teams considering the Good Soil stage.
2026 Confirmed
Tyler Perry
×
John Hope Bryant
Linda Clemons
×
Dr. Marcus Collins
+ Additional speakers to be announced.
Past StagesOprah Winfrey · Jerry Lorenzo · Tabitha Brown · and distinguished voices across business, culture, finance, and faith.
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The 2026 Theme
Proximity
Transformation accelerates when leaders are brought closer to what they need to grow: closer to capital, closer to decision-makers, closer to systems, and closer to one another. The 2026 Forum is built around four breakout tracks that apply this principle directly: Proximity to Clarity, Capital & Cash, Clients, and Infrastructure.
Proximity creates access. Access creates momentum. Momentum creates impact.
Speaker Formats
We design each speaker engagement around the voice, time, and comfort of the principal. Four formats are available, alone or in combination:
The Room
The Good Soil audience is actively investing in their businesses. Attendees purchase paid tickets and travel in. Engagement is high, with sessions attended to capacity across all three days.
1,500+
Founders & operators over three days
Ticketed
Paid-admission audience committed to the full program
US + Int'l
Investors, press, and civic leaders in attendance
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The 2026 Experience
Three days. Three beats. One commitment.
Good Soil is designed as a purposeful progression, not a loose assembly of talks. Each day plays a specific role in a founder's arc, and speakers join at the altitude that best matches their voice.
Thursday
Diagnose
Locate the constraint.
Mainstage keynote and strategic deconstruction. Founders identify where their growth is fragile, then choose the breakouts that meet their gap. The day closes with a live teardown of a real founder's business on stage.
Friday
Build
Install the structure.
Premier morning with Chairman T.D. Jakes. Breakout blocks on revenue, capital, and infrastructure. The 3-Minute Capital Narrative exercise. Pitch Competition Semi-Finals, followed by the Friday Night Soiree.
Saturday
Commit
The 90-day sprint begins.
Mainstage Pitch Finals and Awards Ceremony. The 90-Day Capstone Moment, where every founder writes a commitment in the Good Soil HQ app. Accountability begins on the way home.
Signature Moments
Live Teardown
A real founder's business reviewed live on stage. Operators analyze actual numbers, systems, and structure in real time.
Structured Proximity Exchange
Three facilitated rounds of peer conversation. No pitching, only strategic questions that sharpen founder thinking.
Seed Capital Pitch Competition
$500,000 Good Soil Seed Capital competition, presented by Wells Fargo. Semi-finals Friday, finals Saturday mainstage.
The 90-Day Capstone
The Forum's defining moment. Every founder leaves with a written 90-day commitment and an accountability path.
"Proximity alone doesn't change a business. Readiness does."
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Hospitality & Production
What we provide.
Our production and travel teams manage every detail from the principal's home city through the return flight. Standard terms below; specifics tailored per engagement.
Air Travel
One Business or First Class round-trip flight from the city of the speaker's choice. A second Economy round-trip is available for a traveling companion.
Lodging
Accommodations at a Good Soil Host Hotel, from the night prior through the night following the Forum.
Ground Transportation
Covered across the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex: airport to hotel, hotel to venue, and return. Dedicated liaison coordinates itinerary.
On-Site Hospitality
Catered meals and refreshments at the venue throughout the Forum. Private green room, dedicated point of contact from arrival through departure.
Production Support
Full A/V and stage management. Content alignment, brief development, and question prep in partnership with the principal's team.
Compensation
Honorarium negotiated per engagement. Standard structure: deposit prior to the event, balance wired or ACH'd post-event.
Media & Amplification
Appearances are captured professionally and distributed across the Good Soil ecosystem and TDJE's owned channels. Edited clips and transcripts are provided to the principal's team for post-event use. Press coverage is coordinated through TDJE communications.
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Speaker Ambassador
What we ask.
Speakers serve as Good Soil Ambassadors in the weeks leading up to the Forum. We provide a full playbook, native content, and creative assets. Expected commitments:
Social Promotion
3 to 5 posts across the speaker's own channels in the lead-up to the Forum. Captions and creative supplied.
Announcement
One collaborative post announcing the speaker's participation. Produced and scheduled by the Good Soil team.
Media Interview
At least one interview in support of the Forum: radio, print, online, or television. Coordinated with the principal's communications team.
Registration Assets
Bio, headshot, and social handles shared at registration. Standard turnaround, handled by the principal's office.
Podcast (Optional)
Guest appearance on The T.D. Jakes Podcast, recorded before, during, or after the Forum. By mutual agreement.
Livestream (Optional)
Featured segment on the Good Soil HQ app in support of the Forum. By mutual agreement.
Key Dates (Indicative)
~60 Days Out
Content alignment call with the principal's team. Topic, format, and framing locked.
~45 Days Out
Travel finalized. Flights and accommodations on file. Firm deadline per speaker agreement.
Week Of
Production walk-through. Final brief, optional rehearsal, press windows confirmed.
Oct 8–10
Forum weekend. Liaison owns every detail from curb to stage.
Note: Speakers agree not to present at another event in the Dallas–Fort Worth area within 30 days before or after the Forum. Full terms are covered in the speaker agreement.
