COSE Small Business Conference Helps Small Businesses Thrive

CLEVELAND, Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council of Smaller Enterprises' (COSE) Small Business Conference – one of the nation's largest, most comprehensive education and networking events created solely for small business – is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, October 19 and October 20 at the I-X Center in Cleveland.

This year's Small Business Conference features two energetic and inspiring keynote speakers – Daymond John, creator of the iconic urban fashion brand FUBU and panelist on the ABC Reality TV Show, "Shark Tank," and  Jeffrey Rapport, a digital marketing, sales and e-commerce expert who's the founder and chairman of Marketspace LLC.

"Now more than ever, entrepreneurs and small business owners need to work together.  Peer-to-peer interaction, learning and idea sharing are all important and valuable as we look to develop new strategies to make our businesses successful," said Phil Stella, owner of Effective Training and Communication, Inc. and chairperson of the COSE Small Business Conference Committee.  "The content for this Small Business Conference was designed and developed by small business owners who have been in the trenches and understand the challenges of running a small business."

The conference includes 50 breakout workshops in the areas of sales, marketing, HR, money, social media, technology, as well as personal and professional development.  Business owners can also benefit from a 75-plus exhibit business-to-business trade show, countless networking opportunities, interactive learning labs, and peer-to-peer roundtables on topics pertinent to small businesses.  

Other exciting components of the 2011 Small Business Conference include the COSE Ten Under 10 Awards, recognizing the top ten Northeast Ohio businesses with less than ten employees, and four hands-on learning labs featuring topics such as social media, QuickBooks, and database management.

The Conference is free to the first attendee from a COSE member company. Additional representatives from the same company are invited to attend for only $75. The non-member price for the Conference is $499. Breakfasts, lunches and parking are free with registration.

For more information or to register, call (216) 592-2222 or visit www.cose.org/sbc.

About COSE
COSE is one of Ohio's largest small business support organizations, striving to help small businesses grow and maintain their independence. Comprised of more than 15,000 member companies, COSE has a long history of fighting for the rights of all small business owners through group purchasing programs for health care, workers' compensation, or energy, advocating for specific changes in legislation or regulation to benefit small business, or providing a forum and resource for small businesses to connect with and learn from each other. (www.cose.org)

SOURCE Council of Smaller Enterprises