Enlight! Entrepreneur Forum

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014, 1:50 – 5:30 p.m.

“I really enjoyed the ability to network and meet other entrepreneurs throughout the entire event. The information sessions were really great for developing my skills within my own company. All in all it was a great experience! I had a fantastic time and learned a lot.” – Calgary-based entrepreneur.

Exclusively for young entrepreneurs, the Entrepreneur Forum offered exciting speakers and breakout sessions covering the topics most important and relevant to young entrepreneurs, in their own words. Kunal Gupta, Founder & CEO, Polar presented a keynote address to an audience of young entrepreneurs, followed by three invaluable breakout sessions:

Selling in Today’s Market: Skills & Mindset

Facilitator:  Warren Coughlin, Business Coach

Young entrepreneurs love to create new products and services, to market and promote their ventures, to make a difference in the lives of their customers and to build good teams. But what they often don’t love is the one thing that makes all of the rest possible: selling. In this session, you’ll learn:

  • Why and how sales can be one of the most honourable activities you can pursue
  • How to succeed in sales AND feel great about it
  • How to identify where you are already skilled and where you are weak in sales skills
  • The seven stages of any sell and what you need to know to successfully pass through each one
  • A simple five-part formula that will immediately improve your sales performance

Fail Proof Finances: Don’t let the money stuff sink your business

Facilitator:  Shannon Simmons, CFP, Founder, New School of Finance

Businesses fail sometimes, but not because they are unprofitable. It’s often due to a lack of working capital (cash flow) and/or improper accounting methods (surprise tax bills, unpaid sales tax etc.). As the saying goes, Sales is vanity, Profit is sanity and cash flow is reality. In this hands-on, interactive session, we will cover:

  • How an entrepreneur’s  taxes are calculated (HST vs. income tax)
  • Quick tips on tracking revenue and expenses for cash flow and taxes
  • Creating a budget from your income statement
  • Forecasting (sales, direct costs, overhead)
  • Understanding financial ratios

Beyond the Business Card: Connecting & Collaborating

Facilitator:  Vicki Saunders, CEO, SheEO

Increasingly, in a hyper-networked world, your network is your net worth.  Yet, a lot of people hate networking. Networking events are often designed for ‘salesy’ extroverts in a sea of people making small talk. If that works for you, it’s great. But if it doesn’t, this session will help you hack the traditional way of networking and give you strategies to build a highly valuable network of people you like, that like you.  This session will help you create the relationships you need to be successful in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of effort in a way that works for your style. It’s networking on your own terms.  We’ll practice:

  • How to tell your story and introduce yourself in a compelling way
  • Tips and tricks for finding your tribe (the people you like, who like you)
  • Following-up, staying in touch, and continuous engagement