After running three businesses, I found that it was lonely at the top. After 35 years, I now know that it doesn’t have to be this way. There are events that come to Chicago like the Chase for Business Conference, which I attended on behalf of Chase Ink last week, where a star-studded lineup of professionals presented resources that can help every small business grow their company. Kudos!
The program included comedian, TV producer, actor, and business owner, Nick Cannon who hosted and interviewed local entrepreneurs on their “stories and scars”. Latina media superstar and women’s empowerment advocate Nely Galán showed small business owners that the number one emerging market in the U.S. is actually multi-cultural women. She emphasized how much family influences their buying decisions and what loyal consumers women can be. Nely made the point that “diversity is the right thing to do for your business”.
Shark Tank star and FUBU founder, Daymond John, told his amazing story.
His lessons included:
- Make money doing something you love.
- Entrepreneurs have a goal mentally and so set one that is within your reach with the resources you have.
- Poverty of the mind is permanent. Daymond showed us how to activate the power of broke.
- Make all your mistakes small.
- Know the customers in your market inside and out.
- Sharks invest people, not companies.
- Be able to describe your brand in two to five words (people have very short attention spans).
After Daymond’s presentation, look who I ran into!
With Frank Gruber of Tech.Co
Ink and Chase offer a suite of innovative solutions created to fuel your ambitious spirit and they can help you manage your business and seize every new opportunity. The best part, you get premium rewards for your business spending!
This post is sponsored by Chase Ink, Chase’s business credit cards for small businesses, and offers access to the broader suite of business services available throughout Chase for Business.
