Carl Britton Lewis - Speaker, Storyteller, ERP Veteran

The Signature Keynote

What I Learned When No One Thought I Was Listening

A keynote built from a lifetime of overheard wisdom - the lessons Carl collected from heroes, mentors, friends, and total strangers, and what happened when he finally put them to work.

Keynote

Carl Lewis hosting his podcast, What I Learned When No One Thought I Was Listening

Listen. Learn. Live.

Most of the advice that actually changed Carl's life didn't come from a stage or a book. It came quietly - from a father who died too young, a mentor who said one sentence that stuck, a stranger at a trade show who was right about everything.

This talk is Carl paying that forward: real stories, honest lessons, and a simple framework your audience can use the next morning - listen closer, learn faster, live it out loud.

ListenLearnLive

HeroesPart one

MentorsPart two

FriendsPart three

StrangersPart four

More Talks

Practical topics, told like stories

Carl speaks the way he works: no jargon, no fear-mongering, just hard-won lessons from thousands of hours inside small businesses and their software.

ERP Doesn't Have to Be Terrifying

Buying and implementing business software is one of the scariest things a small company ever does. Carl has walked hundreds of owners through it - and built a company model with no salespeople, free implementation, and a five-year price lock to prove it can be humane.

For owners, CFOs, and operators

Member Success Is a Daily Practice

Customer success isn't a dashboard, it's a habit. Carl shares the metrics, checklists, and honest conversations behind keeping small-business clients healthy for the long haul - and what most companies get backwards.

For success, support & delivery teams

The Shop Manual Method

Carl restored a 1965 El Camino and wrote his own shop manual along the way. It changed how he documents everything - ERP processes, onboarding playbooks, even family history. A talk about turning what you know into something that outlives you.

For builders, tinkerers & knowledge-keepers

Carl Lewis leaning on his 1965 Chevrolet El Camino with his Dalmatians Ozzy Osbourne and Axl Rose sitting calmly beside him

Carl, the '65 El Camino, and Ozzy Osbourne & Axl Rose - restored, modified, and loved

About Carl

Curious by default. Helpful on purpose.

Carl Britton Lewis is Director of Member Success at Stellar One, an ERP company built for smaller businesses. He spends his days making sure the people who trust Stellar One with their business actually succeed with it - measuring health, hunting down friction, and telling the stories the numbers can't tell by themselves.

He got here the long way: decades in business software, a garage full of projects, a camera bag, a wall of guitars, and a family tree he's still mapping. Same curiosity, different day.

"Create. Solve. Share. Encourage."

Home base: Portland, Oregon
Day job: Director of Member Success, Stellar One
On stage: Keynotes, breakouts, podcasts & webinars
On paper: Repeat author, multiple publications
Off stage: El Camino, Nikon, Guitars, Genealogy
Riding shotgun: Ozzy Osbourne & Axl Rose, the Dalmatians

The red 1965 Chevrolet El Camino at golden hour by the barn

The '65 El Camino

A dream that called for 56 years and a desire to pass down a piece of history became a reality and a proud day, winning two awards in the first three classic car shows. Carl and his El Camino just fit one another. Harlem, his grandson, says it's his inheritance.

Nikon D850 with AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 lens

Photography

Ever since watching Colorado's aspens turn gold, Carl has kept a Nikon close. After losing his camera in Mexico, his wife rekindled his love of photography years later. From Hawaii and Puerto Rico to Disneyland and Oregon, Carl has captured treasured memories. Though he loves the stage, he also cherishes life's quiet moments behind the lens.

Carl's five guitars: Martin D-28, Yamaha NTX1, Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster, Epiphone ES-339, Gibson Les Paul

Guitars and Ballads

With 5 guitars, there is always one that asks to make music with an amplifier and a PA system loud enough to entertain the neighbors and friends on a summer evening. It's always been about the song, but a guitar adds simple and beautiful harmony.

Axl Rose and Ozzy Osbourne - so much energy, so much love

Axl and Ozzy

Growing up, dogs always belonged to someone else, chosen by someone else. Three years ago, Axl came to us at just 8 weeks old; two years later, Ozzy, already 12 weeks old and in need of a new home, joined our family. Although they love Katherine the most (so does Carl), they bring so much energy, joy, and love every day.

On the Air

Stellar Talks

Carl hosts Stellar Talks, a webinar and podcast series for business owners and CFOs - honest conversations about running a smaller business on modern ERP, told through the people actually doing it.

Recent episodes follow the full ERP Implementation Journey, stage by stage, plus deep dives on the questions owners actually ask - pricing, sales tax, go-lives, and what nobody warns you about.

Next live episode · Oct 13, 2026 · 4:30 PM PT

Carl interviews Ted Baker - serial entrepreneur - on what it really takes to start a new venture.

Carl Lewis in conversation at meetings and industry events

Off Stage

Stories & Songs

Some nights the talking goes acoustic. Carl takes a stool, a Martin D-28, and a room full of neighbors, and does the same thing he does from a keynote stage - tells the truth in a way people can carry home.

Different room, same goal: leave people a little more encouraged than you found them.

"A good set and a good talk have a lot in common. Read the room, keep it honest, and always leave them humming."

Carl Britton Lewis on a stool with his Martin D-28 guitar, playing a small room from a rustic bar stage

Booking

Put Carl on your stage.

Carl is booking keynotes, breakouts, panels, podcast guest spots, and webinars for 2026 and 2027. If your audience is full of small-business owners, ERP teams, or people who like a good story with a practical punchline, he'll fit right in.

Email directly:

cblewis54@hotmail.com

What organizers get

A story, not a slideshow. Every talk is narrative first, takeaways always.
Zero jargon. Plain language your whole room understands.
Things to use Monday. Frameworks and checklists, not vibes.
Easy to work with. Prompt replies, flexible formats, shows up early.
Decades of receipts. Real implementations, real clients, real lessons.

Some of the best lessons arrive when nobody thinks you're listening.