Small Business Entrepreneur blog

Another entrepreneur interview

2009-06-29T20:31:21Z

After the interview with Don Daszkowski, the About.com Guide to Franchises I now had the chance to interview Andrew Markou, an entrepreneur that also deals with selling, buying or starting a business. Here is what I found out:

Cristian: Andrew, welcome on Entrepreneurship interviews. You are running an online publishing business, what is it?

Andrew: We run a number of websites in the entrepreneur space and have been doing so since 1996. We like to think that the whole business is greater than the sum of each website as we are able to cross-refer pertinent and engaged traffic between them.

Find out the rest over the Entrepreneurship Interviews blog.

Good article on investor pitching

2009-06-09T05:20:08Z

Truth to be said I’m not an expert on investor pitching. I’m all pro self funding, but yes sometime you need some outside cash, especially if the business you are planning to start requires larger funds.

Scott Gerber from Entrepreneur.com had an interesting article on Investor pitching -which I enjoyed because is not the regular theoretical article that say more or less the same thing and then leaves you unprepared. The article starts by describing a pitch failure: how they tried to get $15 million without selling a single product and they failed.

And, as I learned on my own, if everything goes right, you learn little. When it goes bad, your mind records everything and turns it into a source of knowledge.

The article talks about 6 essential steps in pitching an investor. As usual I will add my comments:

An elevator pitch is vital. Well, I’m watching from time to time a TV show where people come to pitch a group of investors. I would say about 90% of the pitches fail because the entrepreneur fails to explain shortly what is his business about, why it does need the money, and how it will make money for the investors. You know what they are doing? They come with a 30 pages Powerpoint, which they realize it’s too big and filled with un-important stuff the moment they open it. You can see that from the way they are turning slides, going fast over some.
Inspire confidence with facts, not fiction. What Scott is saying is that when you pitch someone for money you should first show that you sold your first product, cashed some money in and generally everything works. I remember I’ve been pitched once to invest some money in a product and the pitch went and said: “nobody did this product before. That’s why we are sure it’s going to be successful when we will start selling.” I didn’t not invest.
Have a grasp of reality. Meaning that the income projections should be realistic. I’m amazed on how entrepreneurs usually make their pitches: if we just get 2% market share, then we will be reach and all go home with $100 million. If you remember that each entrepreneur pitches these investors with the same projections and way of estimating revenues you will realize how throwing some sense and reality in your projections could actually help win the pitch.
Prove that you are a fiscally responsible manager. Spend like your spending from your own pocket – nobody wants to overspend, especially in these times of crisis. The investors will want to know how they money are spent, and for sure they aren’t going to buy you a Porsche.
Demonstrate that your business can crawl before you say it can walk. A proven business record, and wish to invest in one product line it’s always better than expanding out of control. Usually you first want to see it works, and if it does, it’s not a problem to expand.
Choose not to be the smartest person in the room. If you feel like you know everything and the investors are a clueless source of money, then you are wrong. They might now know the business in-depth or might not fully understand the very technological aspects of a business. But remember something: they have a feeling of what could fly and what it doesn’t. In fact this is what put them into the position to be pitched – they have a good sense of good businesses and sometimes that’s all it takes.

Well, Scott said everything better than I could ever say it in the original article.

I would add some ideas of my own:

Never pitch for to little money. If you only need a small amount, maybe you shouldn’t pitch investors but banks. Simply put, investors don’t look for businesses that will bring them $50k in the next 3 years. It doesn’t worth their time (of course, unless the investor is your mom)
Speak with someone that did a pitching before. The insights you could get from an entrepreneur that have pitched before, successful or un-successful will teach you what to expect, what to say and what to avoid. It’s far better than reading any book.

NOW IS THE BEST TIME FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS

2009-06-07T06:38:36Z

Entrepreneur Robert Tuchman Guides Readers Who Are Young, Bold and Ready or Forced to Break Free From the Pack and Pursue Their Passions

NEW YORK, New York, June 2009 – “There’s no time like the present” may be a cliché, but clichés exist for a reason. As decades-old corporate warhorses continue to go belly-up, even the most tried and true “safe” career paths—say, the Bear Stearns trainee program or climbing the General Motors management ladder—are no longer guaranteed. The landscape is now perfect for young, resilient workers to quit waiting around for an economic recovery and recruiters to come knocking and instead direct their ambitions into their own ventures.

In Young Guns: The Fearless Entrepreneur’s Guide to Chasing Your Dreams and Breaking Out on Your Own
(AMACOM; May 1, 2009; $21.95 Hardcover), Robert Tuchman shows young professionals how to start and succeed in their own business, giving examples of many entrepreneurs under the age of 35, from mortgage giants to PR moguls, who thrived in the face of adversity. There is no better time to take a chance than when you’re youthful, bold and have very little to lose—and he knows from experience.

“A seismic shift is happening in the economy, with the tone moving toward an entrepreneurial world,” says Tuchman, who started his own company in the economic downturn in the mid-1990’s. “New forms of life are springing up, making possible ventures that seemed impossible just a short time ago.”

When Tuchman graduated from college in 1993, he entered the stockbroker trainee program at Lehman Brothers but quickly realized his professional path in the rat race would leave him unfulfilled. Armed with one phone, a fax machine and his tiny, one-bedroom apartment, at the age of 25 he funneled his passion for sports and business into his own company, Tuchman Sports Enterprises (TSE). Within two years, TSE was named to the annual Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest growing privately held companies and as one of the top 100 promotion agencies by Promo Magazine. TSE, which was started with no money and no investors, sold for millions of dollars to Premiere Global Sports in 2006. Last year, TSE (now known as Premiere Corporate Events) earned more than $70 million dollars in sales.

“I can’t tell you how many people warned me against veering off the safe route at Lehman,” says Tuchman. “But I knew I had the drive and resiliency to make something else happen for myself instead of spending years being apathetic in my job, never knowing if I’d make it to the top. And given what ended up happening to Lehman and other corporations, playing it “safe” might have left me unemployed, broke, and in a career that I hated.”

In Young Guns, Tuchman shares practical strategies for not only getting a business only up and running but also ensuring its staying power:

“This is the moment to turn your passion into something tangible,” says Tuchman. “You’re in control of setting the rules for your life’s agenda. If you feel the drive in your gut, got for it now.”

About the Author:

Robert Tuchman is the Founder of TSE Sports & Entertainment, a company he started out of his one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan at the age of 25. TSE has gone on to appear on Inc. 500’s list of America’s Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies. Tuchman now serves as President of Premiere Corporate Events, a division of Premiere Global Sports. A frequent guest on “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” he has also appeared on CNN, the “CBS Morning News,” BET, and has been the subject of features in USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Entrepreneur. He lives in New York City.

Tuchman’s Tips for Young Entrepreneurs

The Small Business Administration’s latest statistics show that a new startup has about a 50 per cent chance of surviving for five years or more. Robert Tuchman’s advises entrepreneurs to start doing the following early on to ensure a company’s longevity:

1. Do business from home. Save money on renting office space by doing business out of your own living space. Install a separate phone line or purchase a cell phone for business use only. Print your own letterhead and business cards. Your clients will never suspect that “Suite 12-B” is really “Apartment 12-B.”

2. Try to fund it yourself, or mostly yourself. It pays to go after the least amount of funding that is necessary. When you’re starting out, it feels good to say that some venture-capital firm invested millions of dollars in your idea. But a few years down the road, when you’re doing well, it will not feel so great to know that you own only 25 percent of your company.

3. Put a positive spin on things. Does the timing of your entrepreneurial project coincide with you having been recently laid off? Don’t include that in your pitch to customers or investors. Nobody wants to think they’re doing business with someone who’s only there because they have to be.

4. Build a culture of action and enthusiasm. During your first year, you will face a lot of questions about your experience. The best—and probably only—way to overcome them is to impress clients with your vigor and dynamism. If you want to be perceived as youthful, forward-thinking, and results-oriented, be proactive! Reward your people for taking the initiative. You’ll have a huge competitive advantage over established companies. Many clients will pay, and even take a bit of a risk, to get young, energetic minds on their side.

5. Stay balanced. During the first year, and all the years thereafter, you will have to find a way to achieve balance. Basically, this means avoiding the temptation to work eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, without a break. Find an outlet—a hobby, an amateur sport, or an exercise activity—that gets your mind off work and relieves stress. It’s essential to maintaining perspective and the energy you need to keep your business thriving.

Social Entrepreneur’s Cup Finalists Announced

2009-06-05T18:55:04Z

Social Venture Partners is proud to announce the four finalists for its Social Entrepreneur’s Cup awards. The Social Entrepreneur’s Cup is a competition to find Minnesota’s most innovative and effective social entrepreneurs. The four finalists compete for recognition and cash awards as part of the Engaged Philanthropy Conference that takes place on Thursday, June 18 at the Graves 601 Hotel in Minneapolis. The Social Entrepreneur’s Cup was created to seek out, celebrate, and promote Minnesota’s most innovative and effective social entrepreneurs and the non-profit organizations they lead.

Bill Drayton, the founder of the Ashoka Foundation and a leading social entrepreneur himself, describes a social entrepreneur this way: “Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. They are ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-scale change. Rather than leaving societal needs to the government or business sectors, social entrepreneurs find what is not working and solve the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading entire societies to take new leaps. Over the past two decades, the citizen sector has discovered what the business sector learned long ago: There is nothing as powerful as a new idea in the hands of a first-class entrepreneur.”

Each of the finalists will make live presentations before the judges and conference attendees vying for cash grants and consulting assistance from Social Venture Partners. The winner of the competition will receive $20,000 as a general operating grant and 40 hours of consulting services from the experienced entrepreneurs and managers who make up Social Venture Partners. The second place winner wins $5,000 and 20 hours of consulting services from Social Venture Partners. The other competitors will receive a $1,500 honorable mention award. Sandra Vargas, the president of the Minneapolis Foundation, presents the winners their awards at the concluding ceremony and reception.

Judges for the competition are: Kate Barr, Executive Director, Non-Profits Assistance Fund; Terry Barrerio, Executive Director, University of St. Johns Entrepreneurship Center; Trista Harris, Executive Director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice; Sean Kershaw, President of the Citizens League; Melissa Stone, Director, Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute; Greg Tehven, co-director of Students Today Leaders Forever and the 2008 Social Entrepreneur’s Cup winner; and Jeff Tollefson, former venture capitalist and current Executive Director of Genesys Works.

The Social Entrepreneur’s Cup finalists represent the spectrum of social needs including education, health, homelessness, and sustainable energy. Each of the finalists has a fascinating story of innovation and hope to tell. The four finalists are:

Admission Possible

A college education remains the best pathway out of poverty and into a middle-class life. Admission Possible helps promising low-income students enter college by providing ACT and SAT test preparation services and admissions and financial aid consulting. Each year, approximately 200,000 low-income students in the United States graduate from high school prepared for college, but don’t go. At no cost to students Admission Possible provides four critical services to help them prepare for admission to college: 1) ACT/SAT preparation; 2) college applications preparation; 3) Financial aid assistance; and 4) Guidance in the transition to college. Since 2000, 99% of Admission Possible students have earned admission to college, and nearly 80% are continuing to work toward their degree or have already graduated.

Admission Possible was the first college access program in the country to use AmeriCorps members to “coach” their students. Starting as a 35-student pilot program in 2001, Admission Possible’s program is now in 17 Greater Twin Cities high schools and serves 1,300 students across five school districts. In fall of 2008, Admission Possible expanded its program to high schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Rural Renewable Energy Alliance

Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) installs solar heating systems for low-income families that qualify for public heating assistance. While Heating Assistance is a vital safety net for the lowest income Minnesotans, it isn’t a permanent solution for generational and cyclical fuel poverty. RREAL home solar heating systems saves low-income families money while reducing carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions; localizes energy production; and creates green jobs in impoverished communities in northern Minnesota. The solar heating systems installed by RREAL offset as much heat in one season as a family receives through heating assistance.

RREAL manufactures and sells of one of the most efficient solar air heat collectors on the market. The income from sales of its solar heating systems allows it to subsidize installations of systems in the homes of low-income families. RREAL is working with Community Action Programs to replicate their work across Minnesota.

RREAL’s goal is to install Solar Air Heat in residences, businesses, and industry throughout Minnesota and beyond not only as a solution to fuel prices, but for the reduction of greenhouse gases, keeping energy spending local, the creation of local employment, and energy independence.

Hearth Connection

Homelessness is a social ill that Hearth Connection knows how to solve. Hearth Connection’s network of supportive housing providers houses over 1,300 men, women, and children, 92% of whom now live in their own homes. Homelessness is expensive for taxpayers because the homeless go to hospital emergency rooms, jails, detox facilities, and other expensive services. The Hearth Connection’s outcomes are impressive. Extensive research demonstrates that Hearth Connection use public resources more productively and is breaking the cycle of homelessness.

The Hearth Connection solution to homelessness is to finance, develop and manage a network of supportive housing providers that houses people with long histories of homelessness. They provide support for the homeless and help them get treatment for mental illness, addictions and medical problems.

Homelessness is difficult for government or charities to solve alone because both the problem and the solution are complex. As an intermediary, Hearth Connection brings together faith communities, non-profit social service agencies, housing developers, neighborhoods, philanthropy, hospitals and all levels of government. Hearth Connection’s special contribution is rethinking the problem of homelessness by taking it on systemically.

Apple Tree Dental

The top unmet health care need for low-income Minnesotans is dental care. Annually, an estimated 20,000 visits to emergency departments in Minnesota are for dental infections that could have been prevented. Apple Tree Dental addresses this problem in a whole new way. Apple Tree Dental provides comprehensive dental services for almost 15,000 low-income Minnesotans enrolled in Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) including Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare.

Recognizing that traditional dental clinics were not reaching people with the greatest needs, Apple Tree created the “Community Collaborative Practice Model” as a three-way partnership among a group dental practice, community organization and an on-site dental care team. The Community Collaborative Practice Model brings care to low-income people where they live or receive other social services and teaches healthy habits while delivering preventive and restorative care. Dentists and dental hygienists work together like doctors and nurse practitioners, with hygienists providing on-site education, assessment and triage services. The Community Collaborative Practice Model extends the reach of the dental workforce by allowing dentists to focus on restorative care while hygienist practitioners provide earlier disease prevention that reduces painful infections and expensive treatment.

About the Conference Host Organization: Social Venture Partners Minnesota (www.svpmn.org)

Social Venture Partners Minnesota is an engaged philanthropy organization that leverages the money and talents of its members to promote philanthropy and improve the lives of ‘at risk’ children and youth in Minnesota. Our members are successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and professionals skilled at growing organizations with a heart for making a better world. We are business entrepreneurs working alongside social entrepreneurs to solve social problems.

Social Venture Partners follows the venture capital model of patient, long-term investment combined with hands-on assistance to transform the social entrepreneur’s vision into reality. We invest financial capital, social capital, and intellectual capital in the nonprofit innovators we support. Social Venture Partner members gain satisfaction from giving of their talents, as well as their money, forming personal relationships with the nonprofit staff they work with and the children served by the nonprofit. Through our youth program, SVP Teens, we prepare the next generation of philanthropists.

SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE SURGES

2009-05-03T07:20:06Z

Riverwoods, IL, April 27, 2009 – Economic confidence among small business owners rose to its highest level in 14 months in April as more of them see the broader economy and the conditions for their own businesses improving, according to the latest Discover® Small Business WatchSM. The monthly index increased more than 10 points, rising to 88.5, up from 78.2 in March and the highest since the Watch hit 90.8 in February 2008. April’s mark represents the third consecutive monthly increase in economic confidence among small business owners.

“While we saw confidence rise almost across the board, small business owners who have been open less than two years showed the most enthusiasm for the economy that we’ve seen in that category since June 2007,” said Ryan Scully, director of Discover’s business credit card. “At the same time, the economic environment is challenging. Most owners still rate the current economy as fair or poor and continue to keep business development spending on hold.”

The number of small business owners who say the economy is getting better nearly doubled to 31 percent, up from 16 percent in March and the highest level in this category in two years. The number of owners who see the economy getting worse continued to decline. It dropped to 51 percent in April, down from 69 percent in February 2009.

Yet while the anticipation of improvement is on the rise, 91 percent of small business owners still ranked the current economy as fair or poor, a figure that has been constant for eight months.

April Highlights:

•    32 percent of owners see economic conditions for their businesses improving, up from 24 percent in March; while 40 percent see conditions getting worse, down 7 percent from the previous month; 22 percent say it’s staying the same and 6 percent weren’t sure.
•    58 percent of owners say they have not experienced temporary cash flow issues in the past 90 days that have caused them to hold off on paying some bills.
•    21 percent of owners say they plan to increase spending on business development over the next six months, unchanged from March; 46 percent plan to cut spending and 30 percent will make no changes.

About the Small Business Watch

The Discover Small Business Watch is a monthly index measuring the relative economic confidence of U.S. small business owners who have less than five employees, a segment that consists of 22 million businesses producing more than a trillion dollars in annual receipts. The Watch is based on a national random survey of 750 small business owners. It is commissioned by the Discover Business Card, which strives to offer the best business credit card for American small businesses, and is conducted by Rasmussen Reports, LLC (www.rasmussenreports.com), an independent survey research firm. The numeric index is calculated by assigning values to responses to a set of six consistent questions. The base value of the Watch was established at 100.0 based on surveys conducted in August 2006. In addition to generating the index, the Small Business Watch surveys small business owners every month on key issues, and polls 3,000 consumers four times per year to gauge purchasing behavior and attitudes towards small businesses. For past results and survey data, visit www.discovercard.com/business/watch. For information on Discover Business Card, visit www.discovercard.com/business.

Small Business Symposium May 19

2009-04-28T05:06:38Z

The event will be held May 19, 2009 at the SBDC center at Raritan College at Branchburg, NJ. The agenda for the day begins at 8:00am with networking and check-in, followed by a Town-Hall style meeting and breakout workshops filled with roundtable discussions.

“Entrepreneurs drive this country’s economy” stated Eric W. Leaman, Director of The Organization for Entrepreneurial Development.

OED is a 501(c)(3) NJ-based non profit dedicated to fostering entrepreneurism. ‘Each big business’ in the headlines today started as a passion of an entrepreneur. Yet those we serve consistently voice frustration that the innovation, energy, and contributions of this group of business owners go largely unnoticed by many in government. A favorite citation of his is Ronald Reagan’s comment, “Entrepreneurs are the forgotten heroes of America.”

In addition to providing up-to-date information about government and banking resources available to small businesses, this symposium promises to provide everyone who attends with an opportunity to identify their unmet support and resource needs. Most importantly, participants will begin working together to help each other survive and prosper during the current economic crisis.

This event is open to ALL entrepreneurs, whether running an established venture or a start up venture in need of guidance. Registration for the event is being capped at $25 per person to maintain accessibility to all business owners in this difficult economy. Registration is available at www.oedglobal.org/Support_Grants/May192009.htm.

For more information regarding the Symposium or the mission and background of the Organization for Entrepreneurial Development, please contact OED Director and Trustee Eric W. Leaman at 800-767-0999 or via email to eleaman@oedglobal.org.

Start-ups do better with young employees

2009-04-26T17:09:59Z

I think it should be somehow obvious that a start-up might have easier access to young employees. Of course, if you can afford to hire seasoned employees that’s excellent, but let’s see what are the advantages of hiring young.

First, as you are just starting up it’s harder to get experienced people on board. I said this before, employees feel they take a risk when leaving other well established work places. But there are other factors to consider as well.

Think about the company culture. Right, you don’t have one yet, so establishing one with young employees is easier. And then there is the level of expectations: young employees don’t necessarily expect to have a company car, the latest PC nor the best payment in the industry.

After exiting my last company I’ve already started thinking about the next (if you are an entrepreneur, you know that once you have the entrepreneurship bug is hard to live without). Of course, one of the first things you have to consider when starting a company is the initial investment – in my case I’m one again thinking about an It company so I’m quite sure to say the biggest expense is the cost of the employees. So what can you do to control the expenses and reduce the initial investment? Hire young, it’s cheaper. Of course, on the long run I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again cutting costs on the human resources is not wise because the loss of productivity and results might eventually kill the business, but in the beginning you anyway don’t know if your business is going to hold water so why not hire young?

Then again, in the beginning for sure the office will not be a real office building, and probably some of the furniture will be old. The location however is important, as I want to hire young it should be next to an University. I’m putting my bet also on the young exuberance and willing to prove themselves. I will hire young, so why wouldn’t you?

I still look for one answer: what should be the new company doing?

Merchants and Affiliate Marketing Experts Discuss New Money Models In The Current Economy

2009-04-23T18:58:28Z

Latest strategies on stretching online marketing dollars highlighted at virtual e-commerce show

New York, April 2009 – Affiliate marketing industry’s top global experts share their insights on how online marketing strategies need to shift in 2009 at eComXpo on July 8-9. They will discuss the latest online tools that both merchants and retailers need to consider to drive ROI and remain competitive in the current landscape.
A key session at the event is a presentation by Chris Anderson, Editor-In-Chief of Wired, talking about developing money models in a cashless economy.
“The internet has enabled lots of businesses and business models to go digital. And one of the economic advantages of digital is that the marginal costs of manufacturing and distribution are zero, or close to it.
This means that you can now experiment with giving away one thing to sell something else. It’s no surprise that virtually all businesses on the internet are based on ‘free’ in one way or another,” said Anderson.
Joining the ranks is Rohit Bhargava, Author of Personality Not Included, who shares his innovative strategy on how merchants can use Twitter to generate sales within 30 days. Talking about his
presentation, he says, “There’s a growing trend of online retailers using Twitter to promote direct sales and therefore it is important to use it right.” He also added that the increasing role of individuals and
personality in driving higher sales and customer loyalty mean that marketers need to change the way that certain pages and processes work in online retail to increase customer loyalty.
eComXpo features a combination of presentations and panel discussions on a variety of topics including social media, marketing accountability, m-Commerce, content optimization, affiliate management and
incentivizing, search marketing, new customer acquisition, channel attribution, RSS marketing and black hats vs. white hats.
Debra Haym, Executive Director of eComXpo at New York based conference organizer, Worldwide Business Research, said, “The research for this conference with high caliber marketing executives
indicates an intense interest in seeking out the opportunity to discuss many pressing and urgent issues of the day. We have worked hard to create a speaker line up to provide the best catalyst for fresh thinking and energized debate. We expect eComXpo to provide an exceptional platform and that, going forward, it will be viewed as having been a significant and influential gathering.”
eComXpo is 100% virtual and free. For additional information on eComXpo, please visit:www.ecomxpo.com
# # #
Notes to Editors
For further information on eComXpo or Worldwide Business Research, please contact:
Josephine Andrews on +1 646-200-7448
Worldwide Business Research (WBR) is dedicated to meeting and exceeding the needs of its customers around the globe. It is the world’s biggest large-scale conference company and part of the
Penton Learning Systems group, one of the world’s leading providers of strategic business intelligence with 16 offices worldwide. Working in partnership with key industry leaders, WBR organizes highly
focused conferences that deliver timely, objective, accurate information and business solutions to its conference delegates. WBR is equally committed to ensuring that its conferences facilitate informal
information gathering and networking.

Thought for the evening: Are you a start-up guy?

2009-04-22T20:28:31Z

I was reading an interesting piece of article By David N. Feldman: The Entrepreneur’s Lament: Moving Beyond Boredom :

“The most common cause of boredom is when a business grows to where it becomes harder to consider it “entrepreneurial.” More bureaucracy and formality creep in, multiple layers of management lead to way too many committees, meetings, and the like. This can be unbearable for the entrepreneur who is used to simply diving into something new. Often MEGO (my eyes glaze over) sets in as the founder sits in meetings listening to well-intentioned employees drone on about concerns and risks associated with whatever the issue is.”

Are you happy only when you start something new? When you have to work all the way up from nothing? And as soon as things settle don’t find a good reason to continue?

Just got the Ideablob T-shirt!

2009-04-19T08:58:54Z

If you remember back in January I was a Featured Guest advisor on Ideablob.com . Well, I was very happy to find in my mailbox a T-shirt from the Ideablob/Advanta guys!

Nice!

TiEcon 2009 Puts the Bold Entrepreneur Center Stage

2009-04-08T04:34:55Z

TiE Silicon Valley announced today that TiEcon 2009, the world’s largest conference for entrepreneurs, will take place at the Santa Clara Convention Center, May 15-16. TiEcon is two action-packed days of rich dialogue, networking and deal making with thousands of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, industry executives, and thought leaders.

TiEcon 2009 is themed “The BOLD Entrepreneur,” focusing on dynamic individuals who are able to adapt to changing conditions and create their own future despite downturns and uncertainties.

“History tells us that in every economic downturn a new group of innovative businesses is born — Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and Disney just to name a few,” said Gary Gauba and Shaukat Shamim, both TiE Silicon Valley Board Members and Co-conveners for TiEcon 2009. “Entrepreneurship is the real stimulus package our economy needs and TiEcon 2009 is just the spark to jumpstart bold entrepreneurs and pull us out of this recession.”

In its 16th year running, TiEcon will facilitate unprecedented networking and business opportunities, along with energizing keynote addresses from some of the nation’s most respected and resilient leaders including Hans Morris, President of Visa Inc., Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit and Reid Hoffman, Founder, Chairman and CEO of LinkedIn.

“In today’s rapidly changing world, it’s critical that small businesses continue to innovate,” said Brad Smith, Intuit president and chief executive officer. “Intuit shares TiE’s mission of helping entrepreneurs innovate, grow, and prosper in every economy, and we are honored to participate in TiEcon 2009.”

TiEcon 2009 will feature five session tracks focused on key market segments: Consumer Web, Internet Infrastructure, Cleantech, Wireless, and Software. These sessions will provide entrepreneurs with the tools, insights, connections and inspiration to launch a business, grow a team, or join a budding start up. In addition, TiEcon 2009 will unveil three new programs that are specifically designed to address the current economic climate:

– TiE50 — The 50 Hottest Startups. This year’s TiEcon will showcase
50 of the most promising startup companies across the conference’s five key
market segments. Attendees will get a broad overview of these markets as
well as an insight into the winning strategies of the 50 companies chosen
through rigorous screening and community polling.
– PowerConnect — Networking with a Segment Focus. TiEcon 2009
introduces a premium networking program to connect attendees with industry
experts, entrepreneurs, and VCs in the five key market segments outlined
above. Through small group sessions and interactive panels, participants
will gain industry insights as well as 100+ relevant connections in their
area of interest.
– Business Bootcamp — Taking it to the Next Level. TiEcon 2009 will
provide hands on training to help bold entrepreneurs combine technical
ingenuity and groundbreaking strategy with the practical aspects of
managing a company. Battle-tested industry experts will lead four boot
camps focused on: raising funds, addressing legal issues, building teams,
scaling sales, and creating buzz through PR campaigns.

Past TiEcon events have featured eminent speakers including: Steve Ballmer, Carly Fiorina, Eric Schmidt, Jim Clark, Larry Ellison, Thomas Friedman, Narayana Murthy, Ted Turner, Bill Campbell, Scott Cook, John Doerr, Vyomesh Joshi, Robert Ingram, Thomas M. Siebel, Dr. Sashi Tharoor, Peter Thiel, Meg Whitman, and many more.

Register for TiEcon 2009 today by visiting www.tiecon.org or calling 408-567-0700. Early Bird registration starts at $195 for TiE members and $320 for non-members.

About TiE

TiE is a global, not-for-profit, non-political, and non-religious organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurs across its international network sponsored by top venture capital firms and Fortune 500 corporations. TiE is spread across 53 chapters in 12 countries comprising of 1,800 experienced entrepreneurs and business executives as charter members, 12,000 aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals as members.

Media Contacts Sima Thakkar 408-567-0700 ext. 226 Email Contact Kathleen Gratehouse 415-963-4174 ext. 2 Email Contact

Franchise Expo Partners With Original SoupMan to Create “Stimulus Package”

2009-04-06T20:00:41Z

Hall of Fame Legend Reggie Jackson to Give Away SoupMan Franchise!

NEW YORK, New York, April 6 /PRNewswire/ – North America’s largest Franchise and Business Opportunities Expo and New York’s own The Original SoupMan, makers of the legendary soups of Al Yeganeh, who inspired the “Soup Episode” on Seinfeld, joined forces today to announce a stimulus package contest to help one lucky winner realize their dream of owning their own business. Interested applicants can apply online by submitting, in 100 words or less, their story detailing the reasons why they should be awarded ownership of a brand new Original SoupMan franchise. The winner will be announced by Hall of Fame slugger, Reggie Jackson, at the opening of the New York-New Jersey Franchise Expo, April 18, 2009, 10:30 a.m., at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, in Secaucus, NJ.

“With many people out of work and Americans unsure about how to create a solid financial future, we wanted to help the economy one person at a time and create a contest that can do just that. Original SoupMan so graciously stepped to the plate and immediately wanted to be on board”, states Fred Cox, President of National Event Management. “A franchise is the easiest and safest way to become your own boss and create financial stability. In spite of the current credit crisis, many franchise companies have financing options available to new business owners. By buying into a franchise one buys into a proven concept and exponentially increases one’s success rate”.

The contest kicks off today, Monday, April 6, 2009. For more information, visit www.franchiseexpocontest.com. All entries must be submitted by April 13, 2009 at 12 Noon EST.

The New York-New Jersey Franchise Expo also provides valuable educational resources and a wide range of advisors and suppliers for current and future business owners. The show includes free daily seminars from reputable and insightful professionals, including the Small Business Association, that have information that entrepreneurs need to know. Topics include: “Securing a Loan for Business Start Up” and “Legal Aspects of Buying a Franchise”.

“Small businesses – the stores that employ a dozen people – those will be what ultimately turns this economy around,” said Robert Bertrand, President of The Original SoupMan. Bertrand said the idea of waiving SoupMan’s standard $35,000 franchise fee for someone who has the entrepreneurial drive to succeed but might lack the financial resources to fund an entire start-up is, “a stimulus package that just makes sense.”

The Franchise and Business Opportunities Expo, a member of the International Franchise Associations suppliers group, takes place Saturday, April 18th & Sunday, April 19th at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, 355 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, New Jersey. Hours of operation are Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 11am-4pm. Admission is $10. For more information, visit www.newyorkfranchiseshow.com.

About The Franchise & Business Opportunities Expo

The Franchise & Business Opportunities Expo is produced by National Event Management. National Event Management is the producer of 27 annual business ownership events across North America showcasing over 1,700 businesses to 65,000 prospective business owners each year. For more information on National Event Management visit www.nationalevent.com.

About The Original SoupMan

Founded in 1984, legendary soup man, Al Yeganeh, set the standard for delicious, world-renowned soups at his New York City location, Soup Kitchen International. Now, with the international growth of his franchise, The Original Soup Man, Al and his team will give the whole world the opportunity to experience soup as it was meant to be. The company also sells the Original SoupMan soups in Grab-n-Go packages in the frozen food aisle of grocery stores nationwide. To learn more, visit www.ORIGINALSOUPMAN.com. For franchise information, call (877)-SOUPMAN

Interview with young entrepreneur Ohad Rosen

2009-04-01T19:34:37Z

Ohad Rosen is the co-founder of http://www.CelebritiesFans.com (the world’s largest database of free celebrity addresses) and of http://www.Jewishop.com (a leading online store of Judaica items and Dead Sea Cosmetics). Also, he is the co-owner of several domains in Montenegro and other internet websites in Israel. Ohad serves as the VP Marketing of http://www.JerusalemOnline.com which broadcasts video news from Israel in English.

On other fields, Ohad sits in the board of directors of the Israeli Photography College (http://www.pck.co.il) and was elected to the city council of my hometown few months ago.

Read the interview with young entrepreneur Ohad Rosen here.

Reviewing Dave Pollard’s book: Finding the Sweet Spot

2009-03-31T04:31:26Z

I will start by saying that I find reviewing this book a little bit challenging. I’ve spent the last 2 days or so re-reading some chapters to see if I’ve got everything right – the book talks about a new way of doing business and as with everything that talks about doing things differently it might be a little hard to swallow at first. While in the beginning I’ve read it with a little disbelief, last Friday I realized I might be onto something (in fact the book is) because while I wasn’t ready to recognize it, all I’ve talked with my colleagues at work in the last week was in fact a reflection of the impact the book had on me.

The book talks about the “Natural Enterprise” - a new type of business that emerge – a subject that is made more and more valid by the current crisis and the changes that need to be made. There is only one way to read the book – don’t jump chapters – everything makes more sense when you turn the last page.

I think I’ve actually got interested in what the book is saying after reading the story of a dog that was treated badly by the owner and still, he returned day after day at home, because he didn’t know anything differently. Slowly the book goes on saying that we, like the dog, keep on doing jobs that we don’t like because we don’t know anything differently. Then you realize the meaning of the book subtitle: “A guide to finding where your gifts, passions and purpose intersect”.

So there is a way to turn your hate for the job you have into a happy story by forming what the book calls “natural enterprise” – a better way to make a living. “Natural enterprises are flat, nonhierarchical, independent cooperative organizations with a shared Purpose, complementary Gifts and Passions, uncommon core capacities and a shared vision”. “A sustainable self-organized, self-managed community based business partnership in which a group of people agree to make a living together as collaborators and peers, strive to attain what each member needs to achieve for this or her personal well being”.

The book has 3 major chapters:

Discovering what you are meant to do – what are your passions, gifts and purpose
Creating natural work – how to apply your passions, gifts and purpose to create a new business
Making it sustainable – the way the new enterprise would work.

I now have to come back to the story with the dog. That put me into heavy thinking the entire week. What if the values we are trying to achieve throughout our lives like getting a home, car, having a family with a dog or being in a top management position are just limitations imposed by the society? What if my destiny of being a middle manager is completely wrong and I didn’t actually found my real destiny yet? Am I going to be 50 when realizing I’ve spent most of my life worthless?

What if the book is right?

Overcoming the Economy Draws Mixed Advice

2009-03-30T19:00:02Z

Over the past week I have been in contact with Jacob Webb from http://everydayentrepreneurship.com . As you would expect, we naturally touched the subject of crisis and how it changes the entrepreneurship. Here is what Jacob says on the subject:

A debate is emerging around the question, “What should entrepreneurs do in an economic recession?”. Some are bent on reminding entrepreneurs to conserve, cut and trim down the bottom line in an effort to survive until prosperity returns. Others, such as myself, are more optimistic and see how an economic recession has positive by-products that can help position small businesses as stronger competitors once the economy rebounds. Bhaskar Chakravorti, for example, just published an article in the Wall Street Journal about “How to Innovate in a Downturn”. Peter Drucker even discussed in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (1985) how changes in industries and market structures is one of seven systematic sources of innovation for entrepreneurs.

The knee-jerk reaction to managing economic changes may not be the right strategy. Managers are happy to freeze capital commitments, attempt to lower operating expense, conserve cash, manage working capital or reduce exposure to risk. Many entrepreneurs even revert to an earlier strategy of focusing on their core. But when their core is innovation, well, that’s a bitter pill some find hard to swallow.

This issue appears paradoxical in nature. After all, how can you budget for new product development if the economy obliges a hefty slash to the budget? Or to quote Chakravorti, “When the focus is on near-term profitability and moving toward leaner organizations, it is difficult to simultaneously invest in entrepreneurial activity with longer-term and risky payoffs.” But that’s just the problem–entrepreneurs who have difficulty seeing the forest through the trees let the immediate crisis distract them from pursuing long-term priorities. Experienced entrepreneurs accept that they and their organizations are not immune to challenges and that a downturn–like increased competition, unavailable funding, breach of partnership contracts, or the reverse engineering of intellectual property–can be overcome through the use of proper principles of management. Fortunately, Chakrvorti lists three fundamental principles for managing the downturn:

1. Entrepreneurs must target downturn needs such as superior value relative to existing players or provide good substitutes for the necessities that consumers have to forego.

2. A common outcome of downturns is an abundance of underutilized resources that may be available at a relatively low cost.

3. This conventional response to tough times creates an opening for entrepreneurs who can meet the profitability challenge by re-examining the whole business model—a process that might involve customer acquisition or retention, or pricing innovations without adversely affecting costs or profitability.

Jacob Webb
Everyday Entrepreneurship
http://everydayentrepreneurship.com

Jacob Webb is a co-founder of NewLook International, Inc., a Salt Lake-based manufacturer and international distributor of decorative concrete products and other surface-enhancing solutions. He was Vice President prior to beginning his MBA program and was responsible for fund raising, distribution development, organizational management, brand management, strategic development, and executing various corporate initiatives.

Crisis or no crisis, young entrepreneurs find their way

2009-02-21T17:44:27Z

Andrew Banks from NEWS.com.au contacted me last week with an extraordinary story which I found to be eloquent to what I have experienced myself lately doing interviews with entrepreneurs on www.entrepreneurship-interviews.com. More and more young entrepreneurs start a business while still at school, finding innovative business ideas and taking the plunge in times where seasoned entrepreneurs are holding back.

From the NEWS.com.au site:

“MIKE Jarocki is 19. Last month, he made $25,000 from the business he started less than a year ago. Alana Maybus started an online gift store when she was 10 “just for something to do”. She now has customers across Australia. And 16-year-old Mathew Carpenter might be studying for the HSC, but that hasn’t stopped him from starting his own consumer electronics business.
They are among a driven group of young Australians setting up their own businesses before they hit the big 2-0.”

Crisis or no crisis, young entrepreneurs find their way to deal with tough business environments and are the best candidates for creating the tomorrows big empires and fortunes. If they manage to be successful now, there is a big chance that they will follow a path of explosive development as things will get better.

Here is the rest of the story.

Interview with young entrepreneur Matthew Turcotte (16)

2009-02-15T20:16:00Z

Still in school and think you found a way to make money from what you love? This is called entrepreneurship, and done right it’s perfectly valid to make them both. Matthew Turcotte is 16 and a junior in High School. He started a business – he does sites for the city authorities and customers around the small town where he lives.

Cristian: How did you come up with the idea to start a business?

Matthew: About 3 years ago, my uncle was running for county sheriff and asked me for assistance with a website for h is campaign. I agreed and with a little research I was able to get his site up within a few weeks. A few weeks later, I was at church when the local Town Supervisor came up to me and asked me what I had been up to. I told him about the website that I had helped my uncle with and he mentioned to me that the local town was interested in having web renovations done for their website. After a few months of work and research I had the Town’s website completed. Creating websites was fun and I loved being paid to work in my own home. It has been to dream to run my own business since the 1st grade, and I saw this as an opportunity to work for myself and be an entrepreneur.

Curious to know how this works? Read the interview here.

Interview with young entrepreneur Patricio Quezada (17) – running a business while at school

2009-02-11T18:44:41Z

Patricio is a young entrepreneur from USA that found a niche – IT learning classes for Hispanics – and made a business from it. We also talked about learning from books and the desire to be your own boss, business coaches and the plans for the future.

Cristian: You told me that books like Toilet Paper Entrepreneur (written by Mike Michalowicz) had an important role in becoming an entrepreneur. But how important is school?

Patricio: School to me is important. Not a big fan of the curriculum and the goals behind today’s education but it’s important. The experiences you can gain are priceless and worth taking advantage of.

He is still 17 and in High school, so how does school work together with running a business? Read the rest of the interview to find out.

Interview with young entrepreneur Lior Levin from Israel

2009-02-09T05:37:57Z

Lior is a young (23) entrepreneur from Israel working on a start-up called Veedda since october 2007. He has been named one of the most promising young entrepreneurs in Israel for 2008 by TheMarker business magazine (Israel). Also, he is the founder of a group called YIE which gathers all young Israeli entrepreneurs under the age of 30 that have a start-up and is sponsored by a local VC firm called Giza. He is also the co-founder of Oogiot – a group blog, first of his kind in Israel where we gathered some of the best people in the internet industry here in Israel and wrote in Hebrew about web related ventures.

Read the interview and find out more about Veedda here.

Teen Entrepreneurs Invited to DC to Hear Millionaires Speak

2009-01-31T20:06:10Z

Internet icon Yanik Silver and teen business coach Shonika Proctor are challenging teens to apply for a free pass to the Underground Online Seminar: a weekend conference where people like GoDaddy.com`s Bob Parsons and billion-dollar shoe empire Zappos.com`s Tony Hseih will share how they built profitable online companies.

“10 kids will be a part of it so they can take their businesses to a whole new level of sophistication and profitability,” says Yanik Silver, who himself started with a few hundred dollars, and has made over thirteen million dollars in less than eight years with only his wife as a part time employee.

Yanik Silver’s seminars and books have attracted millions of subscribers and followers through over a dozen different websites. He is convinced that this economy is the best time to start a web-based business from home. “I’m still blown away how many people are job hunting – even after being disappointed repeatedly with the shortcomings of employment,” Yanik says.

Shonika thinks today’s teens are different. “Teens will conquer the world if you show them how,” she says.

Last week Yanik and Shonika announced the teen scholarship program, and have already received applicants from around the world. The teen that have applied have all different kinds of companies. Many of them are making great money through companies that they run from a bedroom in their parent’s house.

The Underground Online Seminar
February 20-22
Washington, DC

http://www.undergroundonlineseminar.com/challenge/
www.renegadeceos.com

I’m a Featured Guest Advisor on Ideablob.com

2009-01-12T20:54:02Z

Ideablob is a supportive community where entrepreneurs and small business owners share and grow their business ideas. Every business, every invention, every new product, every new marketing campaign starts with an idea.

I’ve recently did an interview with Ami Kassar, Chief Innovation Officer of Advanta and ideablob.com and he said: “Like seeds, ideas need to be nurtured in order to grow…they need attention, support and exposure. Ideablob helps provide this exposure to a large and supportive group. People submit business ideas; community members give and get advice and then, each month, the community votes for the best idea to win $10,000. The contest affords a great platform for advancing your business and marketing yourself. And, the contest is an innovative concept – an “American Idol for Small Business” on the web – frontrunners change daily and it’s fun to be a part of this dynamic process and to support your peers in their endeavors.”

So what are the ideablob advisors? Ami says: “We feature different guest advisors every week, and we look for knowledgeable entrepreneurs who give valuable feedback to our users. This week’s adviser is Tom Taulli. Tom is an analyst, author and the founder of BizEquity.com. Besides writing for Forbes.com, Motley Fool and MarketWatch, he also has a weekly column for the AOL Small Business Channel. Tom is the author of various books on finance, including The Complete M&A Handbook (Random House) and Investing in IPO’s (Bloomberg Press). In addition to his writing, he has appeared on high-profile television venues such as CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg TV, and has been quoted in the various print media sources such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and LA Times.”

Glad that I’ve made it as a featured guest Advisor on Ideablob, even if it’s only for a week!

How fast is your business growing?

2009-01-05T20:32:24Z

Contrary to the popular beliefs, starting a new business its not the most difficult thing. It’s more important and difficult what you do next. Of course, if you already started a business probably you worked hard to find that excellent business idea to ensure your success, but as soon as your business starts it will have a life of it’s own. Even if you have carefully planned everything, there is no saying what direction it will take – maybe you will end up doing something completely different because if you are smart enough you will steer your business to the most profitable activities.

The direction and what you will end up doing it’s not really important after all. Most importantly is how fast it’s going one way or another. Most people start a business to fulfill a very personal desire. So how fast is good, is very fast good or bad?

It can either grow too fast either too slow and neither are good. Let’s see why.

Going too slow
Usually bootstrapped companies have the tendency to grow slower. Lack of investment money means you can’t go out and rent a huge office space and hire the second day. Hardware, know-how and man power might be missing. Marketing budget is scarce so you can’t get a lot of customers. Or simply you can’t expand production.
Besides the obvious risks like your competition going faster and killing your market, the most dangerous risk (mostly because it’s hidden) is … loosing interest. If for you, the entrepreneur, it takes too long to meet your targets (whatever they are) you will miss the essential force to make things happen and eventually your interest will fade away. If you plan to have 20 employees in the next 2 years (because this makes everything worthwhile for you) and you only have 2, that means a painfully death of your business. Painfully not because it’s not profitable or anything, but because it doesn’t serve your desires.

Going too fast
Going too fast usually happens when you find a good niche, a big customer or a growing market. Going fast will get your desires fulfilled soon, so what’s wrong with that? It can be bad in more ways. First if you get what you want too fast, you might lose interest after. Maybe if you get that million dollars in the bank you won’t feel the desire to keep running your business, right?
On another layer, going fast can be a sign of un-natural growth. Usually is related to getting a big customer that brings you good growing business. The bad things happen when you need to expand so quickly that you need to get expensive finance, hire not so efficient people, or simply spend too much as you feel money are coming your way fast, and then, for a reason or another that big customer goes away. Or simply the market is shrinking. Guess what, now you have way too many employees, too much office space or too much production. This spells disaster.

To make things even worse, there is no saying when you go too fast or too slow. Usually you realise this when something goes wrong. So how fast is your business growing?

How friendly should you be with the customer?

2009-01-05T06:14:43Z

When you are a small business what would you do for customer retention? How will you make faithful customers, and repeated sales? Of course, quality, or maybe the better price would make customers come back and ask for more, but what about friendship? When would you stop calling your customer Sir?

The thing that comes to my mind right now is the classic barbecue that you are supposed to have with your customer in order to get the contract signed (saw this in some US movies). Why is important to have a personal bond with your customer?

Getting friendly with the customer should have some advantages:

It’s getting you more sales. If the customer will consider you as his friend, chances are that the next time he will need something he will look no further than you. Friendship is a special breed of customer loyalty.
The customer friend can spread the word about you and get you more customers. Word of the mouth is probably one of most powerful marketing tools a small business can use. It comes for free
Problems with quality, delivery or anything else? Well, the friend customer can close an eye on it, and you can get things settled over beer.

Getting friendly with the customer should have some disadvantages:

Margins can be low. Well, if the customer is your friend, you won’t charge him too much right? This also happens with older customers as well – as your business grows the older customers don’t bring the best business because the newer ones are able to pay more.
Sometimes you are forced to provide more than the regular service. Because they are your friends, the customers will feel entitled to ask a little bit more.
It’s never good to make business with your friends. Words of wisdom say that if you make business with your friends either your friendship or your business will eventually suffer.

But in the end is it a good idea to get friendlier with your customers? I think it depends. If you’re running a small bank it doesn’t work. But if you have a small grocery store, or a hair styling business it seems like the right thing to do. It anyway depends on yourself and the way you make friends and not really a business decision. You can however make a business decision from the way you talk, deal and behave with the customer – that should be a good enough framework.

My article featured in the SME Philippines Magazine

2008-12-12T17:03:50Z

I had a big envelope in my mail today, and surprise, surprise, it’s the SME Philippines Magazine. Page 15 – my article about hiring in a small business have been published !!

Sometimes getting published on paper feels better than the online thing!

eComXpo – January 28-29, 2009

2008-12-15T18:44:27Z

Merchants and Affiliate Marketing Experts Focus on
Recession-Proof Marketing Strategies –
January 28–29, 2009

Untapped profit opportunities from affiliate marketing

highlighted at virtual e-commerce show.

New York, December 2008 – Leading marketing experts from around the world will gather at the virtual eComXpo conference to discuss affiliate marketing strategies in a weak economy. eComXpo, taking place on January 28-29 2009, will address new challenges for affiliate marketing and the future direction it will take.

eComXpo speaker, Joe Pulizzi, Founder of Junta42, and the recipient of 2008 Custom Media Innovator of the Year award, said: “There are strategies to keep revenue up and find hidden opportunities in a downturn economy. By staying focused on the customer, not the market, you will see a jump in your profit even in current trying times.”

The program features a combination of presentations and panel discussions on a variety of topics including social media, m-Commerce, search marketing, new customer acquisition, site analytics and affiliate management.

Nazya Ayaz, Executive Director of eComXpo at New York based conference organizer, Worldwide Business Research, said: “The research for this conference with high caliber marketing executives indicates an intense interest in seeking out the opportunity to discuss many pressing and urgent issues of the day. We have worked hard to create a speaker line up to provide the best catalyst for fresh thinking and energized debate. We expect eComXpo to provide an exceptional platform and that, going forward, it will be viewed as having been a significant and influential gathering.”

eComXpo is 100% virtual and registration is free. For additional information on eComXpo, please visit www.ecomxpo.com
# # #

Worldwide Business Research (WBR) is dedicated to meeting and exceeding the needs of its customers around the globe. It is the world’s biggest large-scale conference company and part of the Penton Learning Systems group, one of the world’s leading providers of strategic business intelligence with 16 offices worldwide. Working in partnership with key industry leaders, WBR organizes highly focused conferences that deliver timely, objective, accurate information and business solutions to its conference delegates. WBR is equally committed to ensuring that its conferences facilitate informal information gathering and networking.