GGCC Hosts Entrepreneur Breakfast on Partnerships

PHOTO| GGCC

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce continued its Entrepreneur Breakfast Series on Wednesday, February 10 at the Montgomery College, BioScience Education Center in Germantown. The series was entitled “Choosing the Right Partners.”

“The second Entrepreneur Breakfast was just as successful as the first which shows that we have struck a chord in the business community. It’s difficult for business owners to take time away from their business and we need to make sure that when they attend a Chamber seminar, they are getting a good return on investment. I’m confident that we have delivered.” –said Marilyn Balcombe, GGCC Executive Director.

The morning began with our keynote speaker Shahab Kaviani, Co-founder of Breezio, who spoke on “Choosing the Right Partners.” During his presentation, Kaviani said that your co-founder should have “common goals, values and a common vision.” And when looking for a business partner, look for someone with “complimentary skills & background.” He also recommended that you develop your strengths and know your weaknesses; recommending the book “Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder” by Jim Clifton.

He was followed by a panel discussion of entrepreneurs that included: Jerry Therrien, Owner, Therrien Waddell, Inc.; Robyn Quinter, President & Founder, Quinter Design and Devang Shah, Partner, Shah & Kishore, Each panelist shared their story, divulged how they chose their partners, what motivated them to take the entrepreneurial leap, and answered the question- what makes their partnership strong.

Over 70 entrepreneurs, business owners, and Montgomery College students gathered to discover what it takes to make a strong business partnership work. The truth is partnerships in business can be tricky. Frankly, most partnerships fail. Kaviani said “80-90% of startup’s fail.” However, the ones that succeed can achieve much greater levels of success more rapidly than if the same individuals went after the same goals alone.

The event was sponsored by Holy Cross Germantown Hospital & Montgomery College.

The GGCC is active in providing business-to-business networking opportunities throughout the year: a collective voice in local, regional, and state legislative affairs, professional development opportunities and other services that enhance the business environment.

The GGCC is located at 910 Clopper Road, Suite 205N, Gaithersburg, MD. To learn more about the GGCC visit us at www.ggchamber.org.

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About Laura Rowles

Laura authors the blog Your Success is Our Business on MyMCMedia. Laura is the Director of Events & Marketing for the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce - a member-based organization of businesses that have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic, commercial and industrial progress in our communities. The area's economic well-being is a result of the caliber of work that is done by the Chamber. The Chamber has a major impact on business, income and future growth of the area. My position at the Chamber - Director of Events & Marketing - affords me the opportunity to plan quality events for our Members and market the Chamber is a variety of avenues. At the GGCC, we typically have around 30 events each year including: breakfasts, lunches, after-five's, ribbon cuttings and special events. The consensus is we have high quality events with good energy. In 2012, we had over 2,040 people visit our events. Most our events are free to Members so securing sponsorships for all events. Additionally, I am responsible for planning networking, overseeing the budget and marketing of all events in order to make them successful. Lastly, I coordinate all marketing and communication efforts of the GGCC including weekly email blasts, its quarterly newsletter, all social media platforms, media relations and community outreach.

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