I attended Small Business Summit 2009 on Feb 3rd in New York. This was my third time ( hat trick !). The conference is organized by Ramon Ray, Small Business technology guru who writes on Technology for Small Business for SmallBizTechnology.com with Marian Banker of Prime Strategies, a small businesses consulting firm.
Every time I attend this conference attended I am amazed by the energy of both the presenters and the audience. The conference is well planned and the agenda for the Small business conference filed with topics that are tuned to both the novice small business owner and the expert. This is a refreshing focus from conferences that cater to experts only. I met several small business owners and persuaded them to give me a video interview which will be published on the Network Solutions Blog soon.
Small Business Entrepreneurs: Regina Furfy ( http://www.gourmetible.com) and Jill Frechtman ( www.fretzels.com )
Opening keynote at the Small Business Summit was by Bob Pearson- Dell VP Communities and Conversations @BobpDell. The subject of the keynote was "Keeping Customers: It’s The Relationship (First) Not the Product" .
Bob Pearson's recap of the Summit at the Dell Small Business Blog. I want to thank Bob for giving me a impromptu video interview. Bob told me about 3 things that are new at Dell.
- Dell has started twitter only deals at @DellOutlet
- Dell has a new Facebook page for Small business for Social Media Education http://www.facebook.com/dellsocialmedia
- Dell is planning on a B2B community.
Marian Banker moderated a panel "Tips for Thriving When Customers Spend Less"
My buddy and Network Solutions colleague Harry Brooks gave a talk on "Your Online Presence: More Important Than Ever" . This was a step by step explanation of what Search Engine optimization is and how to do it yourself. The talk also laid out the guidelines for the right questions to ask if outsourcing the project.
Harry Speaks all around the country and you can sign up for a SEO seminar here
Harry brooks then became the buffer as he sat between Microsoft office Live's Michael Schultz and Google's Jonathan Rochelle on the panel 'How We Keep and Nurture Loyal Customers" Moderated by my good friend Brent Leary.
I had a long and interesting conversation with Anita Campbell of http://smallbiztrends.com/ . One tip that she gave me was to think about Blog posts as questions that you are asked and answer them. We discussed Network Solutions' Small Business community and web developer efforts and I was thrilled when she mentioned Network Solutions In her recap of the Small business Summit.
Others who covered the summit
Steve Fisher: http://blog.networksolutions.com/2009/coverage-of-the-4th-annual-small-business-summit-in-new-york/
Anita Campbell : http://smallbiztrends.com/2009/02/pictures-from-small-business-summit.html and http://www.ebusinesspractices.com/2009/02/report-from-small-business-summit/
Dell Small Business Blog: http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/smallbusiness/archive/2009/02/10/small-business-tech-summit-09-the-importance-of-connecting-with-your-customers.aspx
Staci Wood : http://www.smbtrendwire.com/2009/01/27/small-business-summit-value-customer-service/
Geekly Times : http://www.geeklytimes.com/?p=544
Laurie Mccabe http://lauriemccabe.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/reading-the-top-trends-barometer-at-the-2009-small-business-summit/
Jonathan Rochelle : http://jrsays.com/2009/02/small-business-summit-in-nyc.html
Sanford Dickert : http://sanford.blogspot.com/2009/02/small-biz-technology-summit-panel-one.html
John Jantz http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2009/01/20/meet-me-in-manhattan/
Centernetworks; http://www.centernetworks.com/small-business-technology-summit
Old friends I met at the Small Business Summit
Michelle Riggins of BatchBlue
And Pam O' Hara of Batch Blue - Contact , Communications and task management software
I had the privilege of taking the train in the esteemed company of Steve Fisher
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