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Savannah Small Business Conference 2013: Round Table Discussions
One of my favorite parts of the Savannah Small Business Conference was that they got so many great speakers! The round table discussions were chock full of major locally owned businesses.
- Moderator: Bea Wray, Executive Director โ The Creative Coast
- Gary Brand, President โ Brand Ferland Advisors
- Lori Collins, President โ Savannah Coffee Roasters
- Sylvester Formey, President โ Vanguard International, LLC
- Ruel Joyner, President โ 24e
As the participants introduced themselves, Lori Collins said a phrase that quickly became the motto of the day:
โSavannah punches way above its weight.โ
And Sylvester Formey followed that up with another gem:
ย โCustomers donโt buy what youโre selling. They buy what they need from who they like.โ
-Sylvester Formey
Hereโs some of the comments and Q and A the team shared during the round table discussions:
Biggest mistakes made in business?
โIn general, focus more on creativity. Business owners stick at it, but if itโs not flowing easily, use some creativity.โ โ Gary Brand
โToo little capital, canโt get where you need to go.โ โ Sylvester Formey
Sylvester also mentioned one of the biggest mistakes he made in business was he forgot he had a little boy and girl, and spent too much time on the road. โDonโt forget the family.โ
How does a small business get funding?
โSmall business rearistance โ find out what resources are out there and use them.โ โ Lori Collins
How can small business prepare for emergencies?
โWhen things go wrong, donโt speak about it. Engage professionals and think about what you say.โ โ Lori Collins
What are you doing now that you didnโt do in your past?
โFocus on the whole brand, and communicating now in ways we didnโt in the past. Communicate your brand vision. You need a web presence. Soft sell things via video. People want content, they want to be educated. Build your brand/army that way.โ โ Ruel Joyner
How do you combat big box stores?
โSmall is the new big. Being nimble & customer service is how you can battle em all day. As a small business, you can throw things on the wall to see what sticks.โ โRuel Joyner
โFocus on what you can do and whatโs your point of difference. If the local area supports the local business, weโre better off.โ โ Lori Collins
Tips for service providers on how to find clients
โWork on your process. What do you use to keep promises to clients?โ โ Gary Brand
How can small business get to big corporations for procurement?
โLook into the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Councilโ โ Sylvester Formey
โAsk What can I do for you? When you put your hand out and help folks, theyโll find you.โ โ Ruel Joyner
Parting Encouragement from the Round Table Discussions
โLess hours and hard work, more creativity.โ โ Gary Brand
โShop downtown.โ โ Ruel Joyner
โLifeโs too short for bad coffee. Start with your why, know your why.โ โ Lori Collins
โAct dyslexic. When they say no, you tell them it means ITโS ON.โ โ Sylvester Formey
Don’t miss my other notes from this conference!
Savannah Small Business Conference 2013: Growing Your Business
Savannah Small Business Conference 2013: Keynote Speaker Address
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Freelance illustrator Steph Calvert is an award-winning artist with 24 years of experience working as a creative professional. She is based in McDonough, Georgia, just south of Atlanta.
Steph Calvert has expertise as aย childrenโs book illustrator. She is an expertย surface pattern designerย forย art licensingย and createsย line drawingsย for publishing and product design. Steph has years of additional expertise as aย mural artist, creatingย original art, andย logo designย for small businesses. She is currently querying literary agents with her first author/illustrator book projects.
Writing CLIENTS INCLUDE
Moonfrye.com
OC Weekly
Educational Highlights
National SCBWI Conference, 2023
Illustration Summer Camp โ The Highlights Foundation, 2021
Make Art That Sells, 2017
BFA in Computer Art โ SCAD, 1999