Education Specialist Trained by eBay at the ASBDC in Orlando
I had the pleasure to attend the Association of Small Business Development Centers 29th Annual Conference that was held in Orlando Florida, September 14-17, 2009 at Rosen Shingle Creek Convention Center
The front of the brochures read:
Small Business:
- · Our Strength
- · Our Vision
- · Our Future
EBay held a strong presence on the trade show floor. Fantastic location the booth was in as everyone entered the room you could not miss the large words reading “eBay.” Below the classic eBay words was the Education Specialist logo showing full support for the event.
I had the honor to be a presenter on Wednesday morning speaking for an hour and half talking about the Education Specialist program and the advantages it has to offer for Small Businesses around the country.
I explained the benefits for each of the leaders running the Small Business Development Centers in their community. These instructors were from all around the United States and each one of them does have the opportunity to become an Education Specialist Trained by eBay.
I further explained how they can reach out to their local area and teach the residents how to increase their income. They can also teach local businesses how they can open up the front doors of their brick-and-mortar buildings to the world’s largest online marketplace.
As an Education Specialist trained by eBay they can help nonprofits raise more funds and show current eBay sellers how to sell for the nonprofits.
The eBay opportunities can benefit many different areas for all small businesses, including the eBay drop-off store and the local trading assistant.
I thoroughly enjoyed reaching out to those that were seeking information and wanted to know more about the eBay Education Specialist Program.
The first guest speaker was Guy Philips: Head of North America Small Business for Visa. He shared a story how Visa has been helping Small Businesses with the loan process and showed a film of a success story that was very encouraging. Kim Ima from Manhattan NY can be seen driving around the city in her “Treats Truck” where she sells her special treats from her adorable truck.
The second guest speaker joined us directly from Capitol Hill: Karen Gordon Mills. She is the administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, “SBA”, appointed by President Barack Obama.
I found it also interesting that she was the Tootsie Roll heiress.
Her message was very encouraging. She reminded me of Meg Whitman with her words of confidence, as Meg is another political voice that I admire, full of wisdom!
My favorite ending to this event was the salute given to Donald T. Wilson: President and CEO of the Association of Small Business Centers. I had the pleasure to speak with him several times during the event and didn’t learn until the end that he was retiring. All I could think of was how proud his family must have been with everything he had accomplished over the last 10+ years. He is a great example for our youth and for all those wanting to start a business. His dedication to the ASBDC was amazing as several of the directors shared stories about this highly respected man going above and beyond. He was a man with a vision and his vision had come into being. This organization had gained significant growth during his leadership.
Other general session speakers included:
- Eric S. Groves, Senior Vice President, Global Market Development Constant Contact.
- Jason Cutbirth, Managing Director, Administaff, Inc.
- Justin Kitch, Chief Growth Officer, Intuit, Inc.
- Harris Rosen, Founder and President Rosen Hotels and Resorts
There were over 1400 members in attendance. I was told it was the largest turnout they had ever had.
Everyone I spoke with was there to learn and was eager to bring back all the new ideas they had learned at this conference.
I look forward to getting more emails from each person I had the pleasure to speak with. Many were on the path to become Education Specialist trained by eBay. I did meet a few other Education Specialists that were teaching eBay directly from their Small Business centers. It was a joy to hear about how the program has been helping people in their area. I know firsthand how rewarding it is helping others succeed.
To learn more and/or seek out a center in your area, visit the site online at: ASBDC.us.org I love their motto: "Your Success is Our Business"
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