Milton To Host Inaugural Small Business Symposium

MILTON, GA -- The city of Milton is gearing up to host its first-ever Small Business Symposium at its new City Hall.

The event will be held on Thursday, June 15 in partnership with the Crabapple Community Association and the Milton Business Alliance.

The half-day symposium will conclude with the Milton Business Expo, highlighting Milton home-based businesses. Booth space is available to any Milton business with a valid Milton business license, however. The cost of a booth at the Expo is $30 and reservations must be made by Friday, June 9.

To reserve a booth, email sarah.ladart@cityofmiltonga.us. You can register to attend the symposium by clicking here.

Hear's a schedule of events planned during the symposium:

• Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Lunch & Learn (keynote speaker: Kathy Swahn, executive director of The Drake House)
• 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Breakout Session 1
• 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.: Breakout Session 2
• 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Breakout Session 3
• 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Milton Business Expo in City Council Chambers

As executive director for The Drake House, Swahn is responsible for the organizational management, fundraising and assets management for The Drake House, a crisis housing and empowerment program for homeless single mothers and their minor children. She served as chair of the "Securing Our Future" capital campaign, which successfully raised $1.5 million.

Under her leadership, the assets of the organization have increased by 40 percent. Since opening in 2006, The Drake House has served 390 families with almost 900 children in their 15 unit apartment complex located in Roswell.

Topics for the breakout sessions include:

• Financial Wellness, presented by Anna Pomykala, senior financial services representative with Foresters Financial Services: Pomykala will cover the unique retirement options available for those who are self-employed and their employees, highlighting the features and benefits of the different retirement options available.
• Local Government Policies, presented by Milton Finance Director Bernadette Harvill and Milton Zoning Manager Robyn MacDonald: Harvill will cover compliance policies and the daily operations of revenue collections and disbursements, while MacDonald discusses the city's codes and ordinances related to permitting and project development.
• Business Taxes, presented by Dianne Lyle, financial program manager with The Edge Connection: Lyle will share knowledge on how to prepare new businesses for financial success, helping improve personal credit scores, preparing accurate and real world financial projections, starting to building business credit, and access capital.
• Social Media 101, presented by Jamie Fulsang, program director at The Edge Connection Women's Business Center: We all know about Facebook pages and putting out the occasional tweet, but there is an art in managing your social media presence. Fulsang will highlight the few simple things you can do to grow your presence while still having time to run your business.
• Marketing & Branding, presented by Trevor Atkins, director of print operations at Cornerstone Printing: Atkins will discuss the importance of a strong brand and marketing effort in taking a company's profits from red to black.
• Websites 101, presented by Iris Vogler of Actual Characters Web Design: Volger will share how to best tell your unique story through your webpage, and explain the importance of making sure the back end support is in place to help be seen by new customers to drive revenue and exposure.

For more information on the upcoming symposium and how you can participate, email Sarah LaDart at sarah.ladart@cityofmiltonga.us.

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