Come learn how Dr. Charlie Turner raised $500,000 with only a pitch deck and an idea.  One year later, Charlie has built GWIG; an application that allows friends to refer businesses and other services they like to other friends. GWIG has started to scale, and is on its way to landing large corporate customers! In a world where searching for a new business is confusing and backwards, we all know that the best recommendation comes from a trusted personal contact. Come Learn how GWIG is changing the business referral landscape. Bio: Dr. Charles J. Turner is an optometrist with experience in start-up operations and challenges, having opened a successful business in 2007 that continues strong growth in Charleston, S.C. As a small business owner, Charlie was frustrated by the lack of technology that would allow him to capitalize on word-of-mouth referrals. Charlie started studying the referral process in an effort to reduce the friction associated with word-of-mouth referrals. Because he is a thought leader in his industry, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. (JJVCI) recruited Charlie in 2010 to join their Professional Affairs Consulting team. This doctor-to-doctor team provided clinical, scientific and practice management, and promotional insights nationally with the support of JJVCI. Charlie is a contributor to several national publications focusing on the business of eye care. Charlie has resigned from JJVCI and is taking an extended leave of absence from his small business in Charleston to devote 100 percent of his energies to GWIG.