2004 Expo Keynote & Featured Speakers
Welcome and Announcements Ballroom B
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- Ron P. Wacks, President, MHEA - 612.721.4249
Co-chair, Minnesota Small Business Expo & Conference
2003 SBA Homebased Business Advocate of the Year, Midwest Region
- Featured Young Entrepreneur - Joe Keeley, President, College Nannies & Tutors 2003 Global Student Entrepreneur Award Winner - 952.476.0613
- Keynote Introduction:
Bill Hermann, Entertainment Director, Blue Chip Productions - 952.440.1617
President, Midwest Association Of Professional Disc Jockeys |
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Keynote Presentation and Q & A
Adam Ginsberg, CEO - zBilliards, eBay Titanium Power Seller |
How to eBay Your Business to New Heights
Small businesses across dozens of industries — from accountants and jewelers to photographers and restaurant owners — are coming to eBay. With 80,000,000+ members and growing, eBay presents an unlimited opportunity for the small business owner and entrepreneur to maximize their earning potential. eBay is enabling small business owners to build a richer future - Adam Ginsberg will show YOU how you can be part of this incredible phenomenon called eBay.
Adam will talk about his extensive entrepreneurial experience and share what he has learned. He'll talk about the do's and don'ts of successful entrepreneurship, what strategies to use to move forward, and how attitude plays a role in your success. Adam will also share specific steps on how to make your product or service business more successful...and profitable by using eBay. eBay is not just for selling old things from the attic anymore. Learn how what works for Adam will work for you! |
Adam Ginsberg - #1 eBay Titanium Power Seller
is the "entrepreneur's entrepreneur" having extensive business and training experience across many industries. While still in college, Adam launched a direct sales career earning in excess of $25,000 in his senior year and was a key leader in building a young marketing company into a $200,000,000 international sales corporation, Adam consistently set National records and, more importantly, trained and developed countless sales reps and managers to become successful following in his footsteps.
In 2001 Adam began selling on eBay. In under one year he became the #1 seller in the Sports Category and was named the #1 new seller on eBay in 2002. Adam's commitment to success on eBay is demonstrated by his 99.6% feedback satisfaction score and his Titanium Power Seller Status, eBay's highest level. He has established several successful "Z" stores on eBay and his eBay business is projected to exceed $15,000,000 in 2003. Not just a "technology marketing wizard" Adam is an exceptional speaker and trainer.
He presents practical step-by-step formulas which are easy to follow and implement and his casual yet informative style draws significantly from his own inspirational success story. Not only will Adam provide "zTips" for attaining eBay success, but he will outline the tremendous business applications for eBay users (buyer or sellers), whether you're product-based, service-based or simply running "virtual garage sales."
Adam is currently touring North America training entrepreneurs on creating an eBay business and will keynote at eBay LIVE, June 2004 in New Orleans. Nearly 700 people attended his sold-out conference in Minneapolis on January 24th.
Adam graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Science in Management and a minor in psychology He has been featured in Billiard Digest, Kiplinger, Entrepreneur and Fortune Magazines. He has also been interviewed and been seen on CNBC with David Faber and ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Adam donated $20,000 in pool tables to the 2003 eBay Live convention for their annual silent auction. He has written "The zWay to eBay", a powerpacked instructional book detailing advanced selling strategies on eBay. Adam can also be seen live at his monthly beginning and advanced training seminars in Los Angeles.
2004 Expo Featured Speakers
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Featured Presention #1 - Ballroom B
David Kristal, CEO
Embers America Restaurants Joey's Only Seafood
Augeo Affinity Marketing |
The Independent Business: Managing for Growth and Improved Cash Flow
David Kristal will provide you with a number of resources and ideas dedicated to advancing the success of independent businesses. He will discuss strategies for surviving and thriving in the face of continually increasing competition and challenging economic times. He will discuss how the new age of credibility based marketing gives independent businesses a unique and better ability to control their own “sales destiny.” He will point out ways in which the playing field is leveling off and how independent businesses may take advantage of some of those trends. Ultimately, independent businesses must take advantage of the many resources which exist for them, and “become the change they want to see.”
Attendees will be provided with specific resources and tools to improve their overall operations. |
David Kristal is the CEO of a 60-unit restaurant company with two fast growing brands, Embers America Restaurants and Joey's Only Seafood Restaurants, Canada's fastest growing seafood concept now expanding into the US. He is also the CEO of Augeo Affinity Marketing, a full-service provider of an innovative loyalty marketing platform designed to maximize customer value and retention. Augeo currently supports over 12,000 restaurants in 35 states. Mr. Kristal is a graduate of both the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, and Stanford University's School of Law.
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Featured Presention #2 - Ballroom B
Barbara J. Winter, Self-employment Advocate, Author - Making a Living Without a Job
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The Happiest Business on the Block
Creating and running a business can be the richest, most exciting and creative experience of our lives—or an exercise in terror management. In this lively and informative session, self-employment advocate Barbara Winter will share strategies and techniques for making your business a vehicle for living the life of your wildest dreams. She’ll discuss proven ways to:
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Stay motivated when you work alone
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Re-energize your entrepreneurial spirit
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Keep your business vital and fascinating
Starting a business is, after all, just the first step. Growing your business is the ultimate challenge. Barbara will show you how to meet that challenge with style, grace and confidence. If you’re ready to run the happiest business on the block, don’t miss this presentation.
Every small business owner is ultimately responsible for their attitude and personal development. Taking care of the boss is a top priority for wise entrepreneurs, but it takes discipline to implement. Attendees will receive some new ideas and some pertinent reminders about ways to proactively stay inspired and creative—whether their business is soaring or not. |
Barbara J. Winter is a Minneapolis-based self-employment advocate who possesses a genuine pioneering spirit. She started her first homebased business in 1974 before there was a name for this movement. That company, called The Successful Woman, was one of the first personal development businesses designed exclusively to help woman tap into their dreams and potential.
Barbara's passion for all things entrepreneurial grew out of that early work. Today she publishes "Winning Ways," the longest running self-employment newsletter in the country. She's also the author of the bestselling "Making a Living Without a Job" and travels extensively conducting seminars on creative self-employment. Barbara is also a co-founder of the Dreambuilders Community, a global network of inspired business owners.
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Featured Presention #3 - Ballroom B
Scott Smith, President, BizStarz - One of the nation's elite, small business PR professionals |
Get the Media Exposure Your Small Business Needs and Deserves!
Small business owners will be provided with clear and concise information about generating local and national media attention for their businesses — no matter how small their company or budget is. The information will be presented in an upbeat, low-stress, easy to follow manner. Small business owners will be able to make immediate use of what they learn. Topics will include how to conduct your own PR campaign, how to hire a PR professional, what to expect, how to deal with rejection, how to prepare for media interviews, etc, etc.
In today’s increasingly competitive business environment, many business experts consider PR a necessary component of any company’s marketing mix. This philosophy applies to even the smallest of small businesses as exemplified by the HOMEBusiness Journal which stated, “generating publicity is vital to the long-term success of any business.” The highly credible, free media coverage generated by PR is extremely impactful, especially for businesses with limited marketing budgets. Legendary advertising guru David Ogilvy even acknowledged that positive media coverage is 600% more effective than paid for advertisements. |
Scott Smith is the president of BizStarz, a national PR firm for entrepreneurs that he started in 1995. BizStarz's clients and services have been featured by a variety of leading media organizations including CNN, BusinessWeek and The Wall Street Journal.
Scott is also known for fighting a well-publicized, six-year battle against Entrepreneur Magazine's efforts to monopolize the word "entrepreneur." In 1998, Entrepreneur Magazine sued Scott for using the word "entrepreneur" as part of his firm's products and services (BizStarz was "EntrepreneurPR" before being sued by Entrepreneur Magazine).
A lifetime entrepreneur, Scott has also held a variety of jobs, including firefighter, casino dealer, pharmaceutical sales representative, and national corporate hotel and convention sales director.
Scott was raised in the historic gold country of California's Sierra Nevada mountains, and is a national honors graduate of Behavioral Science from California State University, Chico.
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Featured Presention #4 - Ballroom B
Robert Stephens
Founder and Chief Inspector, The Geek Squad
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The Geek Squad Saves the World
What do you get when you take $200, a crazy idea, and love for all things technical? Learn how Robert Stephens took the boring world of computer support and made it famous.
Starring 1 Chief Inspector, 55 Special Agents, 25 Geekmobiles, The Rolling Stones, The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, 20,000 customers, and 35,000 messed up computers.
Don’t miss it!
Robert will cover seemingly mundane business details and how Geek Squad uses a different approach for maximum competitive effect. |
A native of Chicago, Robert left a scholarship at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990 to pursue a degree in computer science at the University of Minnesota. While attending the University, he landed a job fixing computers for the Human Factors Research Laboratory. Over a three year period, he rose to become head engineer of the lab while earning scholarships from the U.S. Navy and the FAA building flight and driving simulators. It was also during this time he started a computer consulting business.
In April 1994, after three years at the University, he formed The Geek Squad with $200. Now in its 10th year, The Geek Squad provides 24-hour computer support for individuals and businesses in the Twin Cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Phoenix. With over 45 Special Agents, The Geek Squad has serviced over 85,000 computer problems for clients such as 3M, Cargill, General Mills, The Rolling Stones, U2, and The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.
The Geek Squad story has been featured in numerous national media including CNN, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, People, Rolling Stone, and InStyle Magazine. Robert has been featured on MN Public Radio's Midmorning program twenty times and numerous times on TV newscasts. He's very in-demand as a technology expert and we are fortunate to have him at Expo.
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