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December Master Event - Small Businesses Finish First: Why Owning One Can Change Your Life (For Good!)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (PT)

Pasadena, CA

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Ticket Type Sales End Price Fee Quantity
December Master Event   more info Ended $25.00 $0.00

Event Details

Small Businesses Finish First: Why Owning One Can Change Your Life (For Good!)

Join us for a lively panel discussion with four Los Angeles-based business owners
who took the plunge and got on the entrepreneurial wagon to launch and grow
their dreams. Moderated by SMARTY founder Amy Swift Crosby, come hear
how to transition out of a day job into uncharted territory, how to set the stage
for doing it right, how a retail store functions, how a service business thrives,
how to manufacture and sell a product successfully and finally....how do you
do it all with kids, a family, and still have a life?!?

Panelists:

Amy Swift Crosby:
Founder, SMARTY
www.smartypeople.com
SMARTY founder Amy Swift Crosby has a long, seasoned career as a copy writer and brand strategist working with iconic players like Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren, Bath and Body Works and L'Occitaine. She founded this community for entrepreneurial women in  order to provide vetted resources to serve free agents who want to connect the dots among like minds who share best practices and who can be supportive along the way.

Natasha Sunshine:
Founder, Byu-ti Salon
www.byu-ti.com

Natasha Sunshine is an entrepreneur, educator and hairstylist to the stars.  As Founder of Santa Monica’s premiere hair boutique, Byu-ti Salon (pronounced Beauty), Natasha has run her fingers through some of Hollywood’s most notable manes, including that of Ivanka Trump, Molly Sims and Eva Herzigova.

Known in the Los Angeles and New York City fashion circles for her keen sense of style and unique approach to hair therapy, Natasha not only created a six-step consulting system for helping her staff identify and meet her client’s needs, she has also developed her own seven different hair care products, to supplement the line of top notch goodies already in use at her salon.

When Natasha is not helping people feel fabulous from the inside out, or making herself camera-ready for a television appearance (most recently, The Rachel Ray Show), she is encouraging business owners to maximize their entrepreneurial potential at SMARTY.


Christine Benidt:
Founder, Bristols 6

www.bristols6.com
Christine is the creative and operational force behind Bristols 6, the premiere maker of innovative dressing accessories and fashion fixes since 2002. Designed with high quality and high style, the collection sells in top retailers world wide. Celebrity clients include Rihanna, Jennifer Aniston and Rachel Zoe and they are regularly featured in top media outlets such as E! News, People and Elle magazine.

After getting a degree in art & design, Christine turned her passion for snowboarding into a lucrative career in the fast growing action sports market, growing from a Sales Representative to World Brand Manager then parlayed this knowledge into trend forecasting. After 12 years of "working for the man", a friend approached her to start a new company. Christine jumped at the chance to apply her business savvy to a brand of her own.

From raising funds to creating winning sales strategies, Christine is inspired by all things entrepreneur. Her 18 years experience in progressive lifestyle driven markets, has made her an innovator in consumer based products and a successful sales & marketing strategist with a focus on creating and capitalizing on consumer trends.


Karie Reynolds:
Founder, Grand Avenue PR

www.grandavenuepr.com

For nearly a decade, Karie has utilized her extensive experience in public relations and marketing to help businesses build both their brands and their bottom line.  She has worked with large companies, start-ups and non-profits including Stride Rite, Timi & Leslie, Scandinavian Child, Yo My Booties, Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, Chrysalis and many more.  Her strategic, hands-on approach has garnered her clients national media exposure in a variety of broadcast and print outlets including Access Hollywood, EXTRA, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, People Magazine, Redbook, InStyle Magazine, American Baby, Baby Talk, and more.

In 2006, Karie co-founded Grand Avenue Baby and Grand Avenue PR.  A trusted resource for celebrities, tastemakers and media, Grand Avenue Baby brings together a unique, handpicked selection of products.  Grand Avenue PR offers lifestyle public relations and marketing for women’s lifestyle brands with an emphasis on mom & baby, home and fashion.  Agency clients benefit from individualized, targeted media campaigns and the added exposure gleaned from Grand Avenue Baby’s reputation for bringing together the best in the mom & baby category.

Since launching her consulting business in 2000, Karie has worked with many women and small business owners and is excited to bring her experience and enthusiasm for building businesses to SMARTY.

Peggy Wong
Founder, bluepoolroad and studio/pw

www.bluepoolroad.com and www.studiopw.com

Los Angeles based award-winning designer and former deputy art director for Martha Stewart, Peggy Wong launched a minimalist and eco chic stationery line, bluepoolroad in early 2009. Over a decade of experience with some of the world’s most recognized brands (from Victoria’s Secret Beauty to Target), Peggy has traversed the nuances of typefaces, logos, and photography with fluency.

When it came to her own brand, Peggy drew on a lifetime of visionary aesthetic collages. "Growing up on the actual Blue Pool Road in Hong Kong, I was influenced and fascinated by buildings, lines and shapes, colors and textures…" The overall look and feel of the collection became a blend of clean and modern typography with classic but unexpected colorways. Peggy’s art direction and photography, featured on her blog, tells the visual stories Peggy encounters in her day-to-day experiences and punctuates bluepoolroad’s creative offerings.



Wednesday, December 9, 2009
7 - 9pm
Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91101
Parking is located behind the store, and additional (paid) parking is located in the area.


Members, please email eschuber@yahoo.com for Member code.