2017 Connections for SuccessWestchester, Oct. 17, 2017 -Westchester County and Putnam County Executives, the Westchester County African American Advisory Board and the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board hosted the third annual Connections for Success Summit on Thursday, Sept. 28 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Tarrytown.

Designed with entrepreneurs and small business owners in mind, the event focused on overcoming day-to-day issues in finance, marketing, branding, collaborating, and human resource management. Nearly 200 people attended the 1-day multi-track business academy, attending interactive, hands-on workshops and learning skills vital to improve their career and start or grow their small business.

“Hearing real life success stories and networking with successful people in business, helps me keep the eye on the prize and continue even when things get rough,” stated Sonja Brown, who attended the Summit.

From personal branding, setting up google ads, and understanding small business bookkeeping to hiring, training, raising capital, marketing and collaborating, attendees walked away with practical advice they could implement immediately to improve their career or enhance their business.

“The Connections for Success Summit is driven by our awareness that small businesses are the vehicle by which people who have dreams of advancement can realize their aspirations and offer a richer economy for our community,” stated Barbara Edwards, Chair of the Westchester County African American Advisory Council. “This summit was inspired by our assessment of the needs of people who were having difficulty accessing the opportunities, capital and support to realize their business goals. So, we developed partnerships and collaborated with people who could provide the help that was needed in a centralized way.”

Keynote speaker André Taylor energized the lunch crowd, focusing on how to maximize opportunities that may be disguised as obstacles. “Opportunity doesn’t always come in a beautiful neat package,” stated Taylor, a pioneering entrepreneur and author of a half-dozen books on succeeding in the game of selling and founder of Taylor Insight Worldwide. “You need to be ready to recognize it. Entrepreneurs are in an enviable position because even if you feel you are struggling, people admire you because 90% of the population won’t do what you are doing, following your dream.”

Taylor went on to provide a formula for success wrapped up in the acronym READY:

R = Real Time – be ready to respond quickly to a client, the market, industry trends; react in real time, it puts you in position of strength

E = Entrepreneurial – your business exists to make money for you; invest your energy into figuring out how to leverage opportunities to make money

A = Agile – come up with new ways and new approaches to do things; the world moves quickly so you need to be agile in your approach to your business

D = Dynamic – how big, loud and significant can you make your business? Can you go all in? Conviction will help you figure out ways to make things happen and to grow

Y = Youthful – appear youthful in your process of getting things done, look for new opportunities and try them out

Taylor emphasized, “Don’t give yourself any way out of a challenge; you’ll be stronger for it and see opportunity where others see struggle.”

The Connections for Success Summit was developed by the African American Advisory Board and organized in collaboration with the Leadership Resource Group, the Urban League of Westchester and the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Development Board, under the auspices of Westchester County and Putnam County Executives.

Photos of the day

Connections for Success Summit 2017

Connections for Success Summit 2017

 

Connections for Success Summit 2017

Connections for Success Summit 2017

 

Connections for Success Summit 2017

Connections for Success Summit 2017

Connections for Success Summit 2017

Connections for Success Summit 2017

 

Connections for Success Summit 2017

Connections for Success Summit 2017

 

Connections for Success Summit 2017

Connections for Success Summit 2017

 

Connections for Success Summit 2017

Connections for Success Summit 2017

 

Connections for Success Summit 2017

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