‘Differentiating’ business focus of conference

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Success in a start-up venture begins with finding something that makes the new company or product different from what already exists. That important strategy is the theme for this year’s Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship event at Bowling Green State University. “Differentiate Yourself! Launch. Grow. Compete” will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 8 in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Participants will also have the opportunity to cast their votes for some up-and-coming young entrepreneurs.
 
Eleven established entrepreneurs will be coming to campus to impart their expertise on how to be successful through differentiation and the fastest way to grow a business.

This year, two high-energy keynote speakers will be featured. Manjit Minhas, the morning keynote speaker, founded Minhas Creek Brewing Co. in her native Manitoba, Canada. The company now produces and markets seven brands, including Minhas Creek Classic Lager. Starting as an entrepreneur at the age of 19, Minhas has grown her company into the 11th-largest brewery in the world through aggressive marketing, advertising and pricing strategies.

The luncheon keynote speaker is Steven Johnson, best-selling author of six books that blend technology, science and personal experience. His latest book, “Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation,” which was ranked one of 2010’s best books by The Economist, identifies seven principles that are key to the genesis of ideas and traces them across time and disciplines. A frequent guest on TV shows such as “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer,” Johnson earned a Newhouse School Mirror Award for his Time magazine cover story about how Twitter will change the way we think.

Nine successful entrepreneurs will present during the morning breakout sessions. Attendees can closely interact with the business leaders to gain their success tips. For a list of presenters, go to the Sebo Event website at http://sebo.bgsu.edu.

The Sebo Series has become one of the premier entrepreneurship programs in the Great Lakes region, attracting hundreds of attendees to each of the last seven events.

New this year to the program will be the interactive selection of winners of two competitions. In the Dallas-Hamilton B!G Idea competition, undergraduates will present their high-impact, for-profit business ideas, with the chance for a share of a $10,000 pool of scholarship money. In the Ron Whitehouse Business Plan competition, graduating seniors and recent graduates will present a business plan, with the chance to win cash prizes for seed money and in-kind services. Attendees will observe the presentations and then text their votes for the winners.

To register for the program or to read more about the schedule of activities, visit http://sebo.bgsu.edu. The cost to attend the daylong event is $100 per person or $750 per table of eight.
                           

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(Posted March 09, 2011 )