“Launch Greenville 2010” was a full day seminar packed full of information and connections for entrepreneurs, startups, small business owners, and professionals. On Saturday, April 17^th we met at the Carolina First Center in Greenville, South Carolina to focus to Sales, Marketing and Best Business Practices for local businesses. “Launch Greenville 2010” was a team effort, special thanks to the sponsors, speakers, panel members, and attendees the event who made the beneficial for the business community.

• Keynote Speakers – Marketing, Best Business Practices, & Sales

1. Trey Pennington began “Launch Greenville 2010” discussing Marketing which is a hot topic for many businesses starting out. He discussed several ways to use Social Media and other marketing tools to get your name out.
2. Jake Hayes continued the conversation on using best business practices. More specifically “The Greatest Idea Ever” and how we have beliefs that can hold us back in business. He gave several examples of how we can overcome those myths and be successful in our businesses. If you have the best product ever it doesn’t mean it will magically sell itself you have to have a sound business behind it.
3. Dan Waldschmidt wrapped up the morning with an energetic keynote on explosive sales. “I am ALL I need to succeed” was a phrase he encouraged everyone to say to themselves. He reminded us that some days are harder than others but we need to continue being edgy and diligent in business.

• Building Connections – “Launch Greenville 2010” was just as much about making valuable connections within the local business community. Each one of the keynote speakers, sponsors, and panel members were accessible the day of the event as well as after the event to the attendees. We want to the entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals to have the ability to connect with people that can help them not just for a day but to establish an on going relationship as they continue growing their businesses. We had networking time at the beginning of the day during registration and breakfast, at breaks, lunch and at the end of the event so the attendees could speak directly with the people who can help them.
• Panel Members – Marketing, Sales, and Business Owners

1. Marketing Panel consisted of Trey Pennington as the moderator and Olivier Blanchard, Kim Madden, Kamran Popkin, Jay Handler, and Amy Wood as the panel members. It was a dynamic panel and we noticed quickly that the “hot” marketing topic was Social Media based off the questions the audience was asking the panel. We received a lot of valuable feedback and ways we can implement marketing into our business.
2. Sales Panel had Dan Waldschmidt as the moderator and Russ Davis, Brett Arp, Cass Tyson, and Robert Griffin as the panel members. The sales panel offered quality information on sales techniques and tactics that businesses and professionals can easily apply to their businesses. They spoke on a variety of topics from cold calling to networking and many more.
3. Business Owner Panel was Jake Hayes as the moderator and Frank Mobley, Dan Wooster, Terry Weaver, Courtney Tessler, and Neetu Patel as panel members. They touch on a wide range of topics from setting up your company to training to customer service and many more insights pertaining to the business owner directly. Many businesses start small and as they grow the dynamics on the team change which means the business owners needs to adapt to those as well.

• Sponsors – we are truly thankful for the sponsors who helped us make this event possible. Each sponsor has the desire to see the business community grow. We encourage you to check out the following companies as they are here to help you: Business Black Box, WORD 106.3, Infusion Web & Video, InSource Executives, Enterprise Launch, HubSpot, BizFilings, FranchiseMart, Edward Jones, Nimlok, Bit Tyrant, Immedion, Upstate Town Planner, Marks Family Services, and the Greenville Chamber.  A special thanks to  Sabadie Photo and Wilder & Associates for snapping the great “Launch Greenville 2010” event  pictures that are posted on our sites.
• Giveaways – there were over $14,000 in amazing giveaways throughout the day at “Launch Greenville 2010”. The attendees won magazine subscriptions, business books, radio advertisement spots, products, online subscriptions, memberships, coaching sessions and many more incredible items that benefit the growing businesses within our local community. Giveaways were generously donated to “Launch Greenville 2010” from sponsors, speakers, and local businesses that sincerely want to help business in Greenville and the surrounding areas.

What next? We received positive feedback from those that participated in the event from the attendees to the sponsors and speakers. The next “Launch Greenville” is already in the works. We are dedicated to helping businesses grow and look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event. If you would like to receive more information about our regular monthly events or be a part of the next “Launch Greenville” please contact us at info@EnterpriseLaunch.com

It is exciting to see businesses grow in our community. Enterprise Launch will be at “The Grow Expo” on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at the Carolina First Center. We will be bringing back our Business Owner Panel for the event and they will be sharing more business insights with the community at 3:00 PM, hope to see you there. It is our goal to bring valuable insights and connections to local businesses therefore “Launch Greenville” will be a regular event in this area and we are looking to expand to other areas as well.

As a business owner what is a hot business topic you would like to hear more about that will help you grow your company?