SPEAKER: Patti Serrano

Nationally renowned public speaker and business trainer on entrepreneurship

The knowledge of business and startups for Patti Serrano took form on the beaches of Southern California and Hawaii. She was raised there and grew up with an afinity for the ocean. It wasn’t an accident that Serrano met Tom Morey, the inventor of the now worldwide phenomena, the Morey Boogie, on beach in Hawaii in 1970. Their paths didn’t cross again until the mid 1970’s when they both ended up a block apart from each other in Carlsbad, California.

Serrano wanted to go to Law School, but Morey had other plans for her which was to utilize her skills in dealing with people, organization and loving the ocean. In the early 1970’s he was in the development stages of producing a “Boogie Board” today called a Bodyboard. Morey convinced Serrano to take the board on the road and visit Surf Shops to show them the wonders of this product.

Serrano found out real fast that selling wasn’t her forte and developed her “No Hat Sales Method” which she teaches today in her business training company called The Entrepreneur Club. Everything that could happen in those early days happens with most startups. She will share with you what to be on the look out for and how business is like the ebb and flow of the tides, so aptly called Organic Marketing. This simple foam product created careers for pro athletes, a multitude of manufacturers, media and spans the globe today in events for pro’s and amateurs.

Serrano spreads the good word of entrepreneurship and the obstacles that a company might incur when setting out on that course. The good news is the by-products of owning your own company is vastly popular in this day and age. Now is the time to get your tool box ready and embark on that path.

MODERATOR: Joy Milkowski

Founder of Access Marketing Company

Joy Milkowski is the Founder of Access Marketing Company where she specializes in bringing search engine marketing and web marketing intelligence to her clients in a way they can understand and measure. She has over a decade of marketing, sales and professional copywriting experience in a variety of areas including tech, industrial, direct to consumer sales, commercial real estate ventures, professional and collegiate athletics and Internet-based marketing. In addition, Joy trains small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to leverage the power of search engines as an advertising tool to reach their audiences.

PANELIST: Bill Miller

Entrepreneur

Bill Miller was a key player on the creative team at Fallon Worldwide, a Minneapolis ad agency that he helped grow from $10 million in annual billings to over $300 million. He was the lead creative on a long list of national brands, including, Federal Express, Audi, Sprint PCS, Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal, U.S. West, Magnavox, Rapala Fishing Lures, Northwest Airlines, Lee Jeans, Aveda, Ameritech and many more.

Miller’s ‘Perception/Reality’ campaign for Rolling Stone Magazine is recognized by Ad Age as one of the top twenty ad campaigns of the 20th century. Recently, Disney hired Miller to write the narrative voice of their most treasured asset, Mickey Mouse.

As a measure of consistency, Miller has won nearly every award in the ad business; numerous Clios, One Show Pencils, a Winged Man from London and a Gold Lion from Cannes. Miller’s work has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal, The Harvard Business Review, Communication Arts Magazine, the Art Directors Club of New York, The One Show and the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Currently, Miller is stirring the passions of people who are pursuing their dreams. His core business, is a global network of creative talent and entrepreneurial resources, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"I used to make big businesses bigger, says Miller. "Now, I start them from scratch."

PANELIST: Brett Greene

Marketing Executive

Brett Greene is a marketing executive who has been engaged in digital marketing services since 1999. He has developed integrated marketing strategies tied to business objectives for client companies ranging from tech startups to multi-million dollar corporations. These strategies served industries including retail and ecommerce, mobile applications, social media tools, cloud-based applications, events, entertainment, manufacturing, software developers, finance, education, non-profits, government, and publishing.

The digital marketing strategies and campaigns Brett has created include elements of social media, online advertising, search engine marketing, email marketing, website conversion and usability audits, and mobile marketing. By applying these digital production and brand strategy management techniques, Brett creates premium consumer experiences to build digital brands.

Brett advises Techstars and UpstartLA startup companies including BlipSnips, SpotInfluence & FanMix and blogs about social media marketing strategy & life at Huffington Post and Blind Influence. He has spoken nationally for organizations including Blog World, Pod Camp, Davinci Institute, Pivot Guild and Denver University's Daniels College of Business MBA Program. You can also connect with Brett and his 49,000+ followers on Twitter at @brettgreene.

HOST: Steve Baker

Senior Fellow, Business Advisor and Author

Steve Baker is a small business advocate with a passion for business and a drive for success. As a founder of successful companies, a corporate executive and business advisor, he has over 25 years of experience developing and launching new businesses. He has led companies in every phase of business cycle from startup to exit in both private and public sectors. He guided one of his startup companies through a successful public offering of stock (IPO) and achieved revenues of $500 million.

Steve directs business development and strategic marketing, and has taken companies from startup to millions of dollars in revenues in such diverse industries as international travel, financial software, franchising, manufacturing, ergonomics, medical devices, migraine headache treatment, and an international medical wellness resort.

As a small business advocate, Steve thrives on the challenge of solving problems that impede business growth and success. As a Senior Fellow at the DaVinci Institute, a futurist think-tank, he enjoys helping entrepreneurs succeed. He is the author of the award winning book Pushing Water Uphill With A Rake and is a frequent public speaker to business groups and university students, discussing entrepreneurship and ethics.