An event designed to give entrepreneurs the information, connections and resources they need to succeed is returning to Red Deer for a second year.
Success 4 Business Expo will take place Oct. 9 at Westerner Park. It will again feature exhibitors that provide services and products to businesses, and presentations by experts on a variety of business topics.
But organizer Brenda Kolasa said Success 4 Business Expo 2014 will offer an expanded format and new elements.
The approximately one-dozen presentations will cover such topics as brand management, incorporation, information technology, temporary foreign workers, taxes, banking, common business mistakes and minimum wages under the Alberta Employment Standards Code.
Ruth Kelly, president and CEO of Venture Publishing Ltd. — whose roster of publications include Alberta Venture and Alberta Oil magazines — will speak on “Pathological stubbornness, irrational optimism and risk tolerance: lessons I have learned on my entrepreneurial journey.”
The exhibitors will run the gamut from legal and accounting firms to staffing agencies and business associations.
“Companies that are there to help small businesses grow,” summed up Kolasa.
New this year will be a panel of leaders forum, where successful entrepreneurs will answer questions about their paths to success.
Panelists will consist of Dan Murdock, co-founder of The Doormasters Inc.; Sonia Sawyer Schaab, co-owner of LA Radio Group Inc.; Jeremy Jablonski, president of the Coverall Shop; Andrea Fox and Diana Knapton, owners of Babycakes Cupcakery; and Ajoy Joseph, president of Milano For Men.
Kolasa is also introducing a Start-up Entrepreneur Award for the owners of new businesses that have been operating for approximately 15 months or less and who are between the ages of 18 and 39. The winner will receive a $1,500 cash prize, $500 worth of graphic design services and six months of business coaching.
Attendance at Success 4 Business Expo is free for those who register in advance. The cost to take in the presentations is $70 for a full-day pass, $50 for three presentations and $20 for Kelly’s keynote address only. These prices will increase to $90, $65 and $30 respectively after July 31.
The full-day admission includes 15 minutes of private mentoring from experts in various business fields.
July 31 is also the deadline to apply for the Start-up Entrepreneur Award, with application forms available online.
A longtime Red Deer businesswoman, Kolasa operates a visual branding company and has served on the boards of the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce, the Red Deer Leads Executive Association and the Rotary club.
More information about Success 4 Business Expo 2014 can be found online at www.success4business.ca.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com