Vend Raleigh’s 3rd Annual Illuminate Conference is on October 3, 2014 in downtown Raleigh. It is open to all Mom-owned business owners and future business owners. This day-long conference features speakers, workshops, networking and more! Still need to purchase your ticket? Get it here before it’s too late.
When I was planning the launch of Little Details, my friend told me about an upcoming conference called Illuminate. She wasn’t really sure what it entailed (she had heard about it from another friend), but said it was a conference for “mompreneurs”. I didn’t even know what a mompreneur was, so I thanked my friend for the suggestion, but decided that the conference probably wasn’t for me.
A few weeks passed and I had forgotten all about the conference. I was busy purchasing supplies for my business, and trying not to give my husband a heart attack in the process. Right around that time my friend sent me a reminder to look into Illuminate. It was happening that weekend, and she really thought it would benefit me.
I checked out the conference website, and I got really excited about Illuminate as I started to learn more about it. And then I noticed that there was a fee to attend. Granted, it was a small fee, but I barely had anything left in my budget! Did I really need to spend any more money on a business that my husband and I weren’t even sure was going to work out?
After reading about what I would learn, the answer was yes! I needed to invest a little bit of money into my business. And I’m so glad I did! I walked out of the conference overwhelmed, but more excited about my business than ever! I came home and told my husband that I easily would have paid more money to attend Illuminate, because I got so much information!
Despite the ticket fee, I feel like Illuminate actually saved me money in the long run. I hadn’t even printed a business card when I attended the conference, and I’m so glad! One of the topics we discussed was branding, and after Illuminate, I felt like I had a better handle on how I wanted to brand Little Details. This branding knowledge prevented me from having to potentially redesign and reprint all of my marketing materials, because I know I would have made some mistakes without this knowledge.
I learned about taxes and how to become a legit business. You know, actually registering my business with the state and collecting the dreaded sales tax. That wasn’t even something that was on my radar before Illuminate. But now I can rest easy knowing that I’ve always been legit, so I don’t have to worry about any fines or fees.
I also got tips and tricks to help promote my business. Most of the things I learned were ways to promote Little Details for FREE! I was already maxed out financially, so I came in with the mindset that advertising was going to have to take a backseat. This information was exactly what I was looking for, and helped me get a head start without having to break the bank.
I’m so glad my friend insisted that I attend Illuminate. The information I received was invaluable compared to the ticket price I paid. By paying that small fee, I invested in my business, but more importantly I invested in myself. Little Details was no longer just a hobby…it was a #RealBiz!
Register for Illuminate today!
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