Entrepreneurship

Tara is the founder of Marketing Artfully, a 12-year-old company that creates cutting-edge marketing strategies for small businesses. Tara’s primary responsibilities are speaking with small business owners, conducting workshop trainings, and consulting with clients. With a B.A. in Psychology and 10+ years of “in-the-trenches” marketing experience, Tara’s background prepared her for helping small business owners grow their market share and profitability with “real life” marketing ideas and lead-generating tips.

Alan Siege, CEO/Owner of Small Business Management Consulting, which focuses on small firms. SBMC helps companies increase profits by improving the way they tell their business story. He has been featured in NY Newsday, CrainsNewYork, American Express OPEN, Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, and Good Housekeeping. He is an instructor for the NYC Department of Small Business Services Entrepreneur Boot Camp, a Kaufman Foundation Certified Facilitator for its FastTrac programs offered by NYC, as well as an adjunct Professor at the Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at New York University.

As CEO of MyCorporation Business Services, Inc., Deborah Sweeney advocates to protect personal and business assets for all consumers. With her extensive experience in the field of corporate and intellectual property law, Deborah can provide insightful commentary on the benefits, barriers, and who should consider incorporation and trademark registration. She also has extensive experience in the start-up and entrepreneurial sector as she has been involved in the formation of hundreds of thousands of MyCorporation’s customers.

Deborah joined MyCorporation in 2003 after serving as outside general counsel for 5 years. She received her Juris Doctor and Masters in Business Administration degrees from Pepperdine University and is a member of the American Bar Association. She also serves on the Board of Regents at California Lutheran University.

Deborah has served as an adjunct professor at the University of West Los Angeles and San Fernando School of Law in the area of corporate and intellectual property law. Because of her extensive knowledge, Sweeney has long served as a speaker and panelist on legal issues affecting new-to-the-world and growing businesses.

Ms. Sweeney is also well-recognized for her written work online as a contributing writer with some of the top business and entrepreneurial blogging sites. Her account with Forbes has featured articles with upward to 25,000 views. She also regularly contributes to American Express, She Takes on the World, YFS Magazine, Empower Me! Magazine, and Business Insider, among others.

Beth Goldstein, president of Marketing Edge Consulting Group and adjunct professor, Boston University School of Management.

Author, consultant, trainer, and founder of Marketing Edge Consulting Group, Beth Goldstein has empowered hundreds of entrepreneurs to successfully grow their companies. She helps companies understand how their customers think, what they value, and what influences their purchasing decisions, and then uses this knowledge to create targeted business-development programs that drive revenue and fundamental growth while increasing profitability and customer loyalty.

Her first book, The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Toolkit (McGraw-Hill) is used in 30+ cities around the U.S. to teach business owners the critical skills they need to accelerate growth. In addition to running her consulting practice, Beth conducts small-business growth workshops around the U.S. and abroad, teaches entrepreneurial marketing at the Boston University School of Management where she is the faculty director for the school's Online Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship Program (recognized by Fortune Small Business Magazine/CNN Money as one of the top 5 e-learning entrepreneurship programs in the US).

Peter Shankman, vice president and small business evangelist for Vocus

PR Week Magazine has described Peter Shankman as “redefining the art of networking”, and Investor’s Business Daily has called him “crazy, but effective”.

Shankman is a spectacular example of what happens when you merge the power of pure creativity with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and a dose of adventure, and make it work to your advantage.

An author, entrepreneur, speaker, and worldwide connector, Peter is recognized for his radically new ways of thinking about social media, PR, marketing, advertising, and customer service.

Peter is best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, (HARO) which in less than a year became the defacto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline, offering more than 200,000 sources around the world. HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world and sends out more than 1,500 queries from worldwide media each week. In June 2010, less than two years after Peter started HARO in his apartment, it was acquired by Vocus, Inc.

Diane is an internationally recognized business and leadership development coach, author, speaker, and workshop facilitator. As a certified professional coach and president of Seize This Day Coaching, Diane helps businesses and organizations operate more constructively and profitably. She evaluates, encourages, and guides her clients.

Diane is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Council of Smaller Enterprises in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as the Chairwoman of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.

In her book, Lemonade Stand Selling, Diane offers a straightforward, common sense and clear guide to the sales process. Through her internet radio show, Accelerate Your Business Growth, Diane brings valuable, actionable information to her listeners.

Diane is a contributing expert on a variety of business websites including Small Business Trends, American Express Open Forum, Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, COSE Mindspring, and Top Sales World.

Susan Solovic is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur, as well as the CEO and co-founder of ItsYourBiz.com (formerly SBTV.com). Solovic is an ABC news small business contributor, as well as a regular expert guest on Fox Business, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC and local affiliates throughout the country.

An attorney and author, her books include The Girls’ Guide to Building a Million Dollar Business, The Girls’ Guide to Power and Success, and Reinvent Your Career.

It’s Your Biz with Susan Solovic is a syndicated radio show that airs nationwide more than 47 times each weekend, with a an estimated listenership of 1.2 million people.

Vanessa Wakeman is the driving force behind The Wakeman Agency. Based in New York, its clients span the globe. It is an award-winning agency that produces innovative, high-impact special events and PR campaigns for a diverse roster of organizations committed to social change.

Vanessa launched The Wakeman Agency in 2003 to provide public relations and event management. She has been quoted by PR Week, The New York Daily News, ABC Eyewitness News, Selling Power, Smart Money magazine, Westchester magazine, New York News Day, Philanthropy Journal magazine, and a host of other outlets.

Alan Siege, CEO/Owner of Small Business Management Consulting, which focuses on small firms. SBMC helps companies increase profits by improving the way they tell their business story. He has been featured in NY Newsday, CrainsNewYork, American Express OPEN, Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, and Good Housekeeping. He is an instructor for the NYC Department of Small Business Services Entrepreneur Boot Camp, a Kaufman Foundation Certified Facilitator for its FastTrac programs offered by NYC, as well as an adjunct Professor at the Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at New York University.