If you’re in business, you might want to check out a virtual seminar next Thursday on Small Business Tech Day, says a Batavia business owner.
Paul Marchese, president of Marchese Computer Products Inc., said the free event will take place from 1 to 4:45 p.m. Its theme is, ““How to use current technology to maximize productivity and profits in your business while staying protected and secure.”
“This is the first ever event of its kind in Western New York. It took over a year to coordinate and there are going to be huge benefits to all that attend …” Marchese said Friday. “There is a huge opportunity right now for businesses to get more customers and capitalize on this changing economy.”
Speaking on Thursday will be Marchese. “Shark Tank” celebrity Kevin O’Leary, former FBI Counterintelligence Operative Eric O’Neill and best-selling business author Mike Michalowicz.
O’Leary is a staple on “Shark Tank” a show on which entrepreneurs can pitch him and fellow multimillionaire investors (called “sharks”) to help expand their business in exchange for a stake in the company. At age 29, O’Leary cofounded a software company that grew to acquire more educational software and eventually purchased Learning Company. Four years after that acquisition and adopting that name, Mattel bought Learning Company for more than $3 billion. During 14 seasons on “Shark Tank,” he has worked with more than 500 small business owners and invested his own money in 40 companies. He will speak on how technology can help small businesses beat out their competitors by adapting to salary increases and a labor shortage.
O’Neill is a former FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative. In 2001, he helped capture Robert Hanssen, an infamous spy passing United States intelligence to the Soviet Union and Russian Federation, the worst breach of that type in U.S. history. Since then, he has appeared on both CNN and Fox as a national cybersecurity expert and has worked one-on-one with businesses to help manage their online security. Hanssen’s capture led to Eric’s story being developed into a movie, “Breach,” in 2007 and writing his memoir, “Gray Day.” Now a highly trained attorney and investigator, he often keynotes on cyber threats. O’Neill will outline ways for business to be proactive rather than reactive. There are technologies and people the can be used now to ensure businesses stay protected, Marchese noted in a press release.
Having been a small business columnist at The Wall Street Journal and business makeover consultant for MSNBC, Michalowicz has since founded and sold two multimillion-dollar companies. He sold his first company to a private equity firm and his second to a Fortune 500 company. At age 26, he was awarded the New Jersey Small Business Association’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Since then he has created and wrote the book “Profit First,” which helps businesses attain early and sustained profitability to scale and grow faster. He followed that with “Clockwork” and “Fix This Next.” His latest, “Get Different,” is about “can’t-ignore” business marketing.
Michalowicz’s purpose is to eradicate entrepreneurial poverty and help business owners achieve long-term personal and professional goals. On Thursday, he will share how, given the current economy, businesses can have their best growth ever and make more money.
Marchese will be talking about safety and reliability, security, insurance and compliance.
“I’m going to be talking about how it all comes together. My speech is basically driving home that cybersecurity doesn’t have to be complex and confusing,” he said. “Most people don’t think about insurance, but that’s a driving force in cybersecurity. Our (Marchese Computer Products’) goal in this whole thing is to remove the burden of IT from our clients’ plates so they can spend more time growing their business. That’s been our goal since we started 41 years ago.”
“Ultimately, if I can help whoever gets on this seminar to do one thing better, I’ve succeeded,” he said.
“I’m truly excited about this event. We designed this for the Western New York Region. We sent postcards to thousands of people. The more the merrier. We have no limit to how many can attend,” Marchese said.
Sponsoring the virtual seminar are M&T Bank, Marchese Computer Products, N-Able and Datto.
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