Small Business Matters

Connection Calendar

PRESENTED BY

June 1

By The Numbers

Want more information and resources on this week's topics, ideas and events? Go to www.cose.org/smallbizmatters.i

SOURCE: PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY GRAZIADIO SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Trust and Reputation

CONTENT PROVIDED AND PAID FOR BY THE COUNCIL OF SMALLER ENTERPRISES

TECH GROWTH: LESSONS FROM THE DEAL

Cleveland’s own OverDrive, Inc. recently sold for more than $400 million, a fantastic success by

any measure. CEO/Founder Steve Potash shares inside details on the company’s early days,

growth and lessons learned from the very fruitful selling of the company.

JUNE 1811:30 AM - 1 PM

Lockkeepers, Valley View

Cost: OHTec and COSE members $25; non-members $40

Register today at www.cose.org/events.

RNC SUPPLIER FORUM Find out how to become a supplier for the estimated $100 million spend for the 2016

Republican National Convention.JUNE 24

3:30 – 4:30 PMRenaissance, Cleveland

Cost: FreeReserve your seat at www.cose.org/rnc.

COSE WEBED SERIES: ENGAGING YOUR EMPLOYEES: HOW TO GET YOUR STAFF TO CARE AS MUCH AS YOU DO

Practical advice from Charlie Colon, global channel manager for Employee Engagement for Gallup, on how to change how leaders view their

work, employees and customers. JUNE 16

11 AM – NOON

Cost: FREERegister at www.cose.org/events.

Reserve your

spot today!

The 10th Annual COSE Small Business Convention is the largest small business convention in the Midwest, bringing hundreds of small businesses together to motivate and inspire success. After a popular move to Sandusky for last year’s event, COSE is bringing its signature event back to Cleveland October 21 and 22 at Public Auditorium and Conference Center.

This year’s convention promises an exciting lineup of highly sought-after keynote speakers, educational workshops, tons of networking opportunities and a trade show focused on help-ing small to mid-size business owners fi nd solutions to help them grow. Mark your calendar now and watch for details in future is-sues of Small Business Matters or visit www.cose.org/sbc.

COSE Small Business Convention Returns to Cleveland October 21-22

Technology innovations, shrinking product lifecycles and increased global competition have undeniably changed the way we do business. These fac-tors, along with higher customer expectations, also have dra-matically altered the customer relationship. Today, understand-ing and anticipating customer needs ahead of the competition is essential for all small busi-nesses to succeed.

It’s one thing to suffi ciently meet customer requests, but it is quite another to anticipate those needs in advance. “If you truly under-stand your customers today and what their vision is for tomorrow, you can better predict their needs,” says Christopher Finnecy, part-

ner at Trellispoint, a CRM business solutions consultancy fi rm in Brecksville. “By doing that you can not only improve sales and revenue, but you can set yourself apart from the com-petition, build loyalty and establish your busi-ness as one that values its customers.”

Don’t be afraid to invest the time and money in tools that can help you monitor and un-derstand customer buying hab-its and your sales relationships to help you make strategic de-cisions to personalize your cus-tomer interactions. “There are plenty of Customer Relation-ship Management (CRM) tools available for small business to use that don’t come with a large fi nancial commitment,”

Finnecy says. He cites Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Salesforce.com, and Infor CRM (former-ly SalesLogix), as the best of the breed in CRM solutions. “As you grow, the products grow with you, and they can be customized and tai-lored to your business needs and wants.”

52 TIPS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Runway Ready

Jennifer Hyman, Co-Founder, Rent the RunwayJennifer Fleiss, Co-Founder, Rent the Runway

Launched in 2009, Rent the Runway has transformed the retail industry by making designer dress and accessory rentals a con-venient and accessible luxury experience for millions of women. Hear how these Harvard Business School classmates joined forces and turned an idea into a nationwide venture with millions of customers, 250 employees and hundreds of designer partners – a true entrepreneurial success story.

Lessons in Leadership

Derreck Kayongo, Founder, Global Soap Project

From child refugee to U.S. citizen to fear-less visionary, Derreck Kayongo has served in leadership roles in some of the world’s most re-

spected non-government organizations. In 2009, Kayongo and his wife Sarah started The Global Soap Project, which focuses on repur-posing partially-used soap from hotels into new soap for needy populations, particularly in Africa. Hear how his passion and tenacity led to his success and how those lessons can be applied to successful business practices in the 21st century.

Strategies for Success

Robert Stepehens, Founder, Geek Squad

With $200, a bicy-cle and a subsequent collaboration with Best Buy, Robert Stephens transformed the small, cryptic world of tech support and made it

glamorous and accessible when he founded The Geek Squad in 1994. Hear his inspiring story of entrepreneurship, his perspectives on advancing technology, smart marketing and thoughtful business strategy, and what he thinks is the next “big thing.”

Introducing the 2015 COSE Small Business Conference Keynote Speakers

Check out www.cose.org/events for all the latest happenings.

THINK SPOT KEYNOTE SERIES FEATURING FRANS JOHANSSON, AUTHOR OF THE MEDICI EFFECT

In today’s fast-changing and unpredictable world, the rules are changing so fast that

the tried-and-true formulas for success are disintegrating. Hear best practices for standing

apart and developing a winning strategy.JUNE 24

5:30 – 8 PMRenaissance, Cleveland

COSE Members $30; Non-Members $40Reserve your seat at www.cose.org/events.

BIG IDEAS INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKERS EMPOWERING WORKSHOPS

#22: Anticipate Needs Ahead of the Customer

COSE Small Business ConventionOctober 21 and 22, 2015

Public Auditorium and Conference Center

Mark your

calendar!