I think it’s so great the Savannah Small Business Conference put on the by mayor’s office is free for attendees! I had the opportunity to attend this year, and I’m so glad I did. I picked up a few ideas on growing your business, met a few new friends, and chatted up my buddy Osman from Savannah Wood. We came up with a brand new product for his business, called “The Million Dollar Chair”. It would be a super fancy custom wood chair that costs, you guessed it, a million bucks.

Tagline?
“All it takes is one.”

Plus? Breakfast and lunch were included.

But more important than the free pastries I shoved in my cake hole were the tips and tricks I picked up from notable small business owners from Savannah. I found this event to be totally inspiring. I’m always looking for ways to help make Hearts and Laserbeams succeed, and this conference definitely gave me some steps to take in the right direction.

For those of you that couldn’t make it to the Savannah Small Business Conference, shame on you!

Just kidding – but you should go next year! To help entice you, I’m sharing the notes I took this week on the blog. Enjoy!

Workshop 1: Growing your Business

Speaker: Susan Speros, President / CEO of Speros Technology

• Manage
• Adapt
• Survive
• Maintain

Adapt to change – office tools and marketing concepts change, you need to adapt with it.

Don’t be afraid of change.

Hard work and integrity don’t change.

To grow a successful biz takes:

• Discipline
• Determination
• Integrity
• Innovation

 

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Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

You need to bring value to your customers. Examine it – ask them “How have I helped you?”

Surround yourself with great employees – choose employees that embrace new technology.

Your employees need to have the same passion you do. Invest in training, and surround yourself with business partners that you can bounce ideas off of.

Change is constant.

If you’re not innovating, your competitors will be. Business gets affected by everything, and you must be able to adapt at every turn.

Growing your business means asking yourself what can YOU do to innovate and become more profitable?

What is your social media strategy?

Social media hits the 20-40yr old range 50% better than other marketing media.

Companies that don’t embrace social media will be left behind as surely as the internet is killing print media.

Do the best or don’t do it at all.

Find ways to do a whole lot more with a whole lot less.

Mind your manners.

Go out of your way to acknowledge your customers.

Go out of your way to give the best service and solutions – show them you care!

There’s still a place for old fashioned practices and values. Hand written notes still have magic. Use them to say thank you.

Integrity counts yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Be accessible

Are you accessible and mobile? Do you view your business remotely via smartphone?

If you can’t respond instantly to your customers, they will go elsewhere.

Get involved in the community

By working to make things better, you will find ways to grow your business.

Don’t miss my other notes from this conference!

Savannah Small Business Conference 2013: Round Table Discussions

Savannah Small Business Conference 2013: Keynote Speaker Address