Upcoming Events Archived Events Before and After: Feb 25 - Feb 21 - Jan 28

SME Morning Workshop & Luncheon

Location: Metropolitan Ballroom, Hwy 394 & 100 - 5418 Wayzata Blvd. Minneapolis 
Directions

Members-Only Roundtable
Essential Qualities and Capabilities of the Sales Team Leader
Don Johnson, Managing Partner, Don L. Johnson Enterprises

What does it take to lead a sales team to success? What can you do to become a more visionary, inspiring and effective leader?Join Don Johnson, author of Lion Taming: On Being a Visionary Leader, and fellow SME members as we discuss how to bring out the best in ourselves and others.

Milt Adams

Morning Workshop
Self-Publishing for Career Advancement and Secondary Income
Milt Adams, Beaver's Pond Press, Inc.

Ever stop to wonder why the world treats a book author differently than the mere mortals who clamor for his/her autograph? If you have something worthwhile to say or expertise that's valuable to convey to others, you're already on your way to your next career level. Publisher Milt Adams (BeaversPondPress.com) has coached and mentored over 300 personas just like you who have become self-published authors. Come and learn You'll be immersed in details of every aspect of book publishing, and how to use it for your own career growth and "fattening" of your bank account.

Who will benefit?

• Persons on any rung of their career ladder
• Persons with knowledge/expertise on any subject matter
• Persons with ordinary writing skills
• Men and women, young and old, working or not working
• Persons looking for a new life experience
• Just about anyone at all

You will learn:

• What skills are required
• How much effort is involved
• How ordinary people have discovered their hidden writing abilities
• The mechanics of publishing a book
• The real publishing world, devoid of myths
• The low cost, affordability of self-publishing

You will take with you:

• A full understanding of the entire process
• Answers to most publishing questions you might have
• A fresh appreciation of the emotional rewards that a published book will bring you
• Facts to help you decide whether to publish or not
• 10 reasons to self-publish versus searching for a traditional publisher
• Eagerness to begin your climb to the next level of your career

Presenter: Milt Adams, Beaver's Pond Press

Venture Magazine wrote: "The real significance of Milt Adams and Beaver's Pond Press is its contribution to decentralization of the book publishing industry. It's part of a growing pattern that's breaking the stranglehold of New York on what gets into print."

St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote in a feature article: "Entrepreneur Milt Adams, 'mentor and coach' to authors who want to self-publish, began Edina-based Beaver's Pond Press when he was 70. His company's motto is: 'Your regional, small press alternative to indifferent, large publishers and less-than-satisfactory vanity presses.'"

View the Beaver's Pond Press website at www.BeaversPondPress.com and you will want to join him and hear more "live."

Eric Strauss

Luncheon Presentation
Branding on a Budget: The Crazy Carrot Story
Eric Strauss, founder and CEO, EntrepreneursForHire

Branding is about owning a configuration of words, images, and ideas about a product or service in the minds of your customers and prospective customers. Effective branding ties into our emotions, is consistent and clearly identifiable, and is built up over a period of years, not months.

With a bit of creativity and imagination, you can establish and build your brand for a fraction of what others are spending. Branding on a budget is about realizing maximum results with minimal expenditure. It's something every company, big or small, should strive to accomplish.

Come hear Eric Strauss talk about some of the lessons he learned while creating the brand for the Crazy Carrot Juice Bar on a shoestring.

Eric P. Strauss is a marketing, public relations and business strategy consultant. He assists companies in launching and growing their businesses. Eric writes business plans, develops business and marketing strategies, creates media kits, writes press releases, and promotes companies to their investors, partners, and the media. He recently launched EntrepreneursForHire, LLC as a marketplace for Twin Cities' independent professionals and the growing businesses that depend on their services.

Prior to his latest adventure, he founded the Crazy Carrot Juice Bar, Inc. - a company he grew to five locations, 65 employees, and annual sales approaching $1,000,000. Eric raised $1.5 million from a variety of sources to develop the concept and generated more than 175 media placements for the Crazy Carrot in fifteen months, including feature articles in Entrepreneur, Business Start-Ups, Nation's Restaurant News, Future Magazine, Young Entrepreneur, Ventures, and others. Having been through the process himself, he is well suited to assist other emerging businesses in formulating their business plans, developing their brands and marketing plans, and implementing effective public relations and media relations strategies.

Eric serves as a board member of the Minnesota Entrepreneurs, Inc., is secretary and treasurer of the Wedge Co-Op, one of the country's largest and most successful member-owned cooperative grocery stores, and works with a variety of entrepreneurial businesses in advisory roles. Eric graduated from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in June 1995 with a Bachelors of Science in General Management with an emphasis in Small Business and Entrepreneurship

GET THE MEMBER-RATE REBATE AND SAVE UP TO $50!

Not a member yet? Register at the non-member rate and join SME less than 30 days after the event, and we'll apply the difference between the non-member rate and the member rate to the cost of your membership. Just send us a copy of your membership application along with your receipt for "non-member" registration. You'll get up to $50 off the cost of membership.