'Snellville Entrepreneur Summit' to Encourage, Promote Entrepreneurship

As part of the Jan. 15 Snellville Entrepreneur Summit – a quarterly event sponsored by the City of Snellville and the Snellville Entrepreneur Council, and coordinated by Economic Development Director Eric Van Otteren – Snellville entrepreneurs will once again have the opportunity to learn how to create successful, vibrant businesses in their hometown.

Snellville is gaining a reputation for being entrepreneur-friendly. Not only does the city have an online Business Toolbox that provides a roadmap for a successful business from conception to your first hire, they also offer valuable resources like peer advisory boards, one-on-one mentorship and seminars like the one coming up on Jan. 15.  

Peer advisory boards are useful for entrepreneurs who may not have a Board of Directors, but who do need feedback. These types of groups can be fairly hard to find and engage with, according to Van Otteren. Often, you need an invitation to be a part of one, or reach a certain revenue threshold. That’s where keynote speaker Dennis Daniels, a consultant who works with clients who run multimillion dollar businesses and has over 30 years of critical business experience, comes in.

“Daniels’ volunteer effort with our group gives Snellville a one-up,” said Van Otteren, “and offers an opportunity that isn’t often found.”

Aside from participating and organizing peer advisory boards, Daniels hopes to teach aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners how to create a marketing campaign that has more than just an attractive logo, catchphrase and a quick mention of a website and phone number.

That's something Van Otteren has recognized as a need for entrepreneurs -- marketing knowledge.

“Most businesses want to know how to get in front of more clients,” said Van Otteren. “Neuromarketing is a new way to do that.”

During the Summit, Daniels will discuss the concept of neuromarketing, a psychological approach to marketing that will set you apart from competitors.

“Neuromarketing brings in neuroscience to the art of marketing,” said Daniels. “It has to do with recognizing that there is a part of the brain that makes critical ‘buy’ or ‘no buy’ decisions. Understanding how that works will help you develop a marketing message that communicates vividly what you have to offer."

A successful marketing campaign that utilizes neuromarketing will have a direct message for your customers, according to Daniels.

“You have to make the message personal,” he added. “Make it clear that you understand their pain or their passion by making a bold claim that you can fix their problem or get them where they want to be.”

Successful business owners will speak during the Summit to discuss how neuromarketing has helped them succeed, as well as the obstacles they have faced as they grew their business.

The Summit will be held in the Community Room and Snellville City Hall from 6 - 8:45 p.m. If you are interested in starting, growing or maintaining your business, register on the city's website. 

For more information, e-mail economicdevelopment@snellville.org or call Eric Van Otteren at 770.985.3502.

For further reading:

• 'Snellville Business Toolbox' Revealed at Entrepreneur Summit
• Local Students Learn Entrepreneurship From the Masters
• Citizen Survey Results Show Positive Growth
• Students Win Funds for Business Ventures