The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center has announced the complete lineup of presenters for the fifth Small Business Summit, which will be held Thursday, April 6, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., at the Warren County Armory Civic Center in Warrenton.

The Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, the Warren County Economic Development Commission, and the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center are partnering with the college to organize the event, which has the theme, “Driving Your Business: Staying Ahead of the Curves.” CenturyLink is the presenting sponsor. Other co-sponsors are Halifax Electric Membership Corporation, the Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer, The Daily Dispatch, The Warren Record, WARR 1520 AM and WIZS 1450 AM.

The summit kicks off at 11 a.m. with an interactive session entitled “Google – Get Your Business on the Map,” led by Craig Hahn, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County. Participants are encouraged to set up a free Google/Gmail account prior to this workshop, if they do not already have one. Hahn will help local businesses “claim” their listings on the leading search engine, which will help their customers find up-to-date information. He will also review free tools that Google has available for increased visibility.

During lunch, the keynote address will be presented by Tammy Crowley-Deloatch, a nationally certified personal trainer and president of New Day Fitness in Roanoke Rapids. Her discussion is entitled “Put Your Dreams to the Test,” in which she describes a dream as “an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it.” She will ask participants a series of key questions that provide a powerful learning process that greatly increases the likelihood of success in achieving their dreams.

The afternoon features a pair of interactive sessions led by Chisa Pennix-Brown, CEO of Lady Bizness, based in Greensboro. Pennix-Brown has 15 years of experience in business coaching, community outreach, and social media insight. Her most recent accomplishment is becoming the author of “The 90 Day Focus: Your Action Plan for Success.”

In the first seminar, “Business Apps Made Easy” (1-3 p.m.), Pennix-Brown will teach participants how they can save time and money using mobile apps that help with marketing, syncing calendars, saving content, and creating multiple posts on their social media accounts. Attendees are encouraged to bring their iPhone or Android phones or tablets along with their logins and passwords for existing social media accounts.

The second seminar is “Facebook Made Easy” (3-5 p.m.), in which participants will learn how to use Facebook pages to brand their businesses and engage customers. Pennix-Brown will cover how to start a page from scratch; how to schedule messages that save time; how to automate their marketing and keep people on their page; and apps that integrate to make their businesses stand out.

The purpose of the Small Business Summit is to engage, empower and enrich participants to help make their small businesses more successful through innovative marketing practices. “We welcome all aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and non-profit leaders to participate in this inspirational, educational and motivational experience with us,” said Tanya Weary, director of the VGCC Small Business Center.

All sessions during the summit are free of charge. Lunch will be provided free of charge to the first 100 registered participants by CenturyLink. After that point, lunch is $10.

For more information, contact VGCC Small Business Center Director Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–