SMARTY SD presents: So, You Want to Be an Entrepreneur?

Date: Thursday, September 22nd
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm, doors open at 6:00pm for networking, panel starts at 7pm
Venue: Symbolic Motor Car Company
7440 La Jolla Blvd. 
La Jolla, CA 92037
SMARTY Member Price: FREE
Non-Member Price: $15

The idea of being your own boss and building wealth around something you love is a compelling force toward the pursuit of entrepreneurship.

But where does it all begin? You’ve got a great idea…so now what? How does one take an idea from the beginning stages of innovation to successful implementation?  

Join us as we get intimate with three successful, local entrepreneurs to find out their “Secret Sauce” and how they have turned their ideas into lucrative businesses.

Panelists:
Erik Groset - President & Co-Founder, Zipbuds
Harmony Walton - Founder & Owner, The Bridal Bar 
Melissa Hart Woods - Founder & Creator JW Tumbles & The THRIVE METHOD

About Erik Groset of Zipbuds
As many of us have often wondered, are entrepreneur's born or do people evolve into being one? In Erik Groset’s case, he is literally a natural born entrepreneur. His great grandfather, John P. Groset, invented and pioneered the ice cream cone-making machine. Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, Erik began his business ventures early on as a professional Kool-Aid salesman at the ripe age of 7, selling hundreds of dollars worth of Kool-Aid by the gallon to thirsty construction workers. His various business endeavors have evolved over the years including the launch of one of the world’s first websites for selling/trading virtual goods and information within online games. 

Erik has been honored by being inducted into the Young Inventors Internationals hall of fame. In 2007, Erik became the President and Co-founder of Digital Group Audio (DGA). He strives to bring innovative products to the market from the perspective of the consumer. When DGA came to fruition, his goal was to create products made by the customer for the customer, an ideal that continues to be exemplified in all products that DGA creates.

You may even be a proud owner of one of Erik & DGA's top product lines, Zipbuds, as seen on the Ellen Show and featured in The New York Times.

About Harmony Walton of The Bridal Bar 
Harmony Walton is the founder of The Bridal Bar, a group of complimentary wedding libraries where couples experience concepts that come to life with the convenience of one central location, with some of the best in bridal represented.

In 2003, at the age of twenty-four, she founded the concierge-like company that has since chaned the way local couples plan weddings. After much success and attention from Hollywood clientele and major media outlets, Harmony later licensed the store model into two additional markets. In 2010, The Bridal Bar grew again, licensing the brand into the home goods sector with the launch of Bridal Bar Home by Jennifer Adams, the first registry product line for the company. In 2011, The Bridal Bar expanded its reach once more with the launch of Jet Fete by Bridal Bar, a destination wedding site dedicated to the growing trend of weddings abroad.

Built on a shoestring marketing budget, Harmony's notable accomplishments include media placements in 100+ outlets including the Associated Press, The New Yorker, and People Magazine, and a celebrity client list that includes Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, and many more. She's a noted bridal expert who regularly speaks to audiences across the globe on both wedding trends and building a valuable brand. Harmony is also a contributing writer to a handful of national and regional bridal publications, and is the previous editorial director and senior producer for a national wedding television show.

About Melissa Hart Woods of JW Tumbles & The THRIVE METHOD Business Growth Strategist, Melissa Hart Woods, has helped countless clients through her ability to take the bird's nest of information that overwhlems and separate it out into manageable blocks, creating solid stepping stones to keep business moving forward.

She helps people dissect what's in their head and determine what will support the most outrageous success possible both in life and business.

Melissa has an extensive background in business success, after building a local business from the ground up, franchising it internationally, and then selling it, to working as the Head Coach in a International Coaching Organization, she knows exactly what it takes to grow businesses successfully. As the founder and creator of the THRIVE METHOD, this is Melissa's most successful endeavor yet, a compendium of her knowledge and experience highlighted by her mission statement, "To bring innovation, inspiration, and enormous success to every business person on the planet!" 
  

Members email Elise at elise@smartypeople.com for the Member discount code.