Moving your business to the next level: upcoming conference explores winning business strategies

Black Enterprise, March, 2004

It isn't enough anymore to think outside the box--you have to back it up with winning strategies and specific courses of action. This year's Black Enterprise/General Motors Entrepreneurs Conference, held May 12-16, 2004, at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas, will explore effective ways to think outside the box and strategies to take your business to the next level and beyond. A number of sessions and workshops will help you develop a plan of action. Whether your concerns are personal or business-related, our conference has something for you.

With our ongoing Black Wealth Initiative focusing on personal finances, BLACK ENTERPRISE recently revised its Declaration of Financial Empowerment principles to put a hard-hitting emphasis on the importance of homeownership as a key financial tool toward building personal wealth. In fact, this year's conference kicks off with Steven Sanders, president of MDL Capital Management Inc., bringing to life the concept that owning a home goes beyond the American dream.

Thriving at this particular junction of the economy requires entrepreneurs to employ a savvy strategy to improve their bottom line, efficiency, productivity, and infrastructure. We offer useful information in a variety of areas. Here are but a few sessions and workshops that we've developed to help you reach beyond the boundaries of your business.

Staying ahead: the diversity advantage. New to the conference agenda is a session on diversity as a business imperative. As the Latino, African American, and Asian American populations continue to contribute to the "browning of America," companies must reflect these demographic changes. They must adapt their marketing messages to appeal to these untapped segments of society. Carlos Montemayor, vice chairman of the Hispanic division of GlobalHue, and Susan Au Allen, president of the Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce, join our Features Editor Alan Hughes to discuss how entrepreneurs can grow their enterprises by hiring and doing business with other minority groups.

Legal strategies: how your business can survive bankruptcy. Well over a million Americans suffer the trauma of bankruptcy every year. Join Eric Eaton, BE's chief financial officer, and a handful of CEOs from the country's top black companies to discuss how to avoid or survive the ordeal.

While these are only a handful of workshops and sessions that are planned--and we have more than 15--one of the staples of the Entrepreneurs Conference is the annual Town Hall Meeting. This year we look at what black America should do with its vote. Our Town Hall panel includes: Armstrong Williams, syndicated journalist; Deborah Mathis, commentator of America's Black Forum; Julianne Malveaux, president and CEO of Last Word Productions Inc.; Kwesi Mfume, president and CEO of the NAACP; Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA.); and a host of other important dignitaries within the world of business. James Brown, of Americas Black Forum, and Lester Holt, anchor of NBC Weekend Today, will moderate the panel. On average, the Town Hall Meeting attracts most of the attendees as well as local residents not registered for the overall event.

For more information or to register, visit. our Website or call 800-543-6786. Now through April 23, registration is $495. Onsite and late registration are $695.

--The Editors