Announcing the Small Business Shamen Conference!

Small Business Shamen Logo

Today we launch the official website for the Small Business Shamen Conference, April 4, 2012 at the Ice House. As we get going with a new business venture for VIA Studio I wanted to take a second and explain what the heck this thing is.

A quick overview.

The Small Business Shamen is a day of presentations and networking, centered around the changing world of small business. We feature both national and local speakers, intended to share stories, experiences and training designed to make you an more effective agent of change. Whether you own a business or want to make yourself more valuable in the workforce, this day is for you. Our keynote speaker is NY Times bestselling author, business consultant and social media guru, Chris Brogan!

Why are we promoting a conference?

As a business owner, I see the value in continuing education and professional development. I give my employees a stipend every year to spend how they see fit to attend conferences and seminars, and it’s proven infinitely valuable to VIA’s morale and knowledge base. Every time someone comes back from An Event Apart, there’s a gleam in their eyes that stays at least as long as the next soul-crushing client project (just kidding, we love our clients!).

I’m jealous.

The Shamen

That’s what this conference is all about. Jealousy. As someone who also wants to do a better job at leading my company I’ve been searching for worthwhile events. I’ve attended a few that I thought might help. Hell, I’ve even considered going back to school to pursue an MBA. At the end of the day, I’m jealous of my staff. They are amazing and I want to keep learning and growing along with them.

Unfortunately I don’t think it’s that easy anymore. The formula for success has changed. Real people running real businesses are dealing with unprecedented changes in all aspects of business, especially marketing & technology (VIA Studio’s specialty, hint hint). These days our work is not only the work of an interactive agency. We help with business process and efficiency, internal communication, and using innovations in technology and cloud computing to save our clients money and seriously impact their bottom line. We should also discuss the recession and how that affects business. Opportunity is knocking if your mind is open to change.

All this might be a hard pill to swallow from a company like VIA Studio. Not many people are going to hire us to restructure their entire organization. I’ll also be the first to admit we don’t have all the answers.

But gosh darn, I bet we can all figure it out along the way. Or at least help each other figure it out.

That’s the point of Small Business Shamen. You may be one or you might want to learn from one. Either way, come join us on April 4 and let’s get this bus moving again.

Check out the website to see what the day has to offer. It’ll be fun, informative, insightful, and educational.

~jason

PS – I want to thank all the people that are already working behind the scenes to make this happen. My staff, the speakers, the sponsors, and the others that volunteered their time on this because they also think this is a good idea and a needed experience.