Contributed by Carolyn Acker, Infusion Marketing Supervisor
Look, no matter how long you’ve been a small business owner–there is always something you can be doing better. Too often small business owners get caught up in running the daily gauntlet. They forget to invest in growing and improving their businesses. That’s why conferences, like the Small Business Summit 2008 which I attended last weekend, are such powerful tools for breaking out of the same old rut.
As I left the conference Monday night my mind was spinning. What an amazing opportunity to be part of the true small business community! I don’t see how anybody can walk away from a conference like that uninspired. I left my hotel anxious to start incorporating the dozens of tips “successful” small business owners were more than happy to dish out to their peers.
Here are just a few of the ideas I left the conference with:
Ramon Ray, editor of Smallbiztechnology.com and author of Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses, spoke about:
- Email is not CRM
- TECHNOLOGY IS AN INVESTMENT not a cost
- Web 2.0 is no joke
- Outsource if you don’t know how to do it
- Don’t Technologize a Bad Business Process
- Mobility is Critical
Anita Campbell CEO of Small Business Trends, LLC, ran a panel discussion that included tips on:
- How to grow your business
- Choosing the right employee
- What to do after you get funding
- Creating a positive business culture
Brent Leary of CRM Essentials LLC had insightful tips on the growth of small business.
The real excitement of entrepreneurship is not in the daily grind of managing a business. It is the potential of the business, waiting to be unleashed. It is in realizing possibilities and incorporating them. The real excitement comes from watching a simple idea transform into greater profits. It is in feeling that YOU can take on the world and conquer it. And, if you no longer feel that way…it’s time to attend the next small business conference. (There’s nothing quite like 400 small business owners in one little room to bring out the entrepreneur in you!)
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Allen Taylor
Comment by Allen Taylor — February 20, 2008 @ 11:35 am
I also attended the Small Biz Summit in NYC and was energized by it! The trend that I believe is so exciting about small biz marketing and operations is that basic trust and collaboration between biz partners is bubbling to the top of the priority list. It’s necessary as an information and opportunity finding strategy, and it’s necessary to communicate better with customers. Thanks for the post!
Comment by Greg Fox — February 25, 2008 @ 8:38 am
I’m excited to be a part of the Infusion conference next week!!! Ramon
Comment by Ramon Ray — February 27, 2008 @ 12:10 am
I enjoyed every moment of Ramon Ray he had a lot to offer and I came home with a long list to do…
Looking forward to next years conference.
Meny
Comment by Meny Hoffman — March 18, 2008 @ 8:13 pm