The Creative Coast | Cultivating the Innovation Economy in Coastal Georgia.

Automating the Customer Journey with Jamie Gilleland

At every turn, business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs hear terms like “automation” and “digital marketing” but precious few have any idea of the incredible value automation holds for even the smallest companies. Imagine a technology that allows seamless follow-up with prospects, nurturing emails to help convert leads, tasks that are automatically generated based on an event that did (or did not) take place, and “hands-off” invoicing, billing, and sales pipelines. THAT’S what automating the customer journey really is, and the best part? As powerful as it can be, the costs associated with implementing it are a fraction of what even a minimum wage employee costs, and unlike an employee, your automation software never needs a day off, never takes a holiday, and never quits with no notice. About the Speaker: Jamie Gilleland is an international speaker, best-selling author, and sales automation expert who has been involved in sales, marketing, and technology for decades. She is one of the most successful Keap Partners in the world whose strategies and campaigns have been used by some of the biggest names in the coaching industry for one simple reason – they work. While Jamie G. teaches the secrets of business and automation success through Keep It Simple Strategies, and as a trusted advisor to dozens of companies and businesses around the world, she’s also focused on far bigger conversations around life, health, and success. Partnerships and licensing agreements with industry leaders like Grant Cardone, Ryan Deiss, and Michael E. Gerber, have allowed Jamie G. and her team to show business owners and entrepreneurs how to grow their businesses in ways they've never imagined – not only through practical advice, but also, by outlining the exact steps to take to identify, set, and then exceed their business and life goals. Since 2021, Jamie has broadened her focus beyond “just” business success with the Jamie G brand to focus on life coaching. Besides teaching entrepreneurs how to successfully grow companies, Jamie shares a passion to show how important it is for every entrepreneur, especially women, to seek a far richer and fuller life – not just for family, not just for a career, and not just for some mythical “retirement plan.” Remember, you don’t know how what you don’t know, and if you aren’t sure where to start systemizing your own business and processes, you can never scale. Last year, Jamie and her brands helped to account for millions of dollars in closed sales and millions of hours in saved time– how much of that could have been yours? ________ About the Creative Coast Our Mission Our Mission is to catalyze the innovation economy in Coastal Georgia. The Creative Coast is here for the entrepreneurial, technology & creative community of the Savannah region. We build and support the creative economy in Savannah through education & social programs that connect and foster local innovation in both large and small companies. Our Vision Propelled by The Creative Coast, Savannah will be transformed into a vibrant hub for creative and innovative businesses, organizations, and individuals. Our History The Creative Coast was founded in 1997 by the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA), Chatham County and the City of Savannah to create/foster the creative technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through our activities, we strive to make an economic impact on our community, our city, the region and our state, through the creation of high-wage, high-tech and creative jobs. Learn more at https://thecreativecoast.org.

Growing Leadership Skills with Alia Freeman of Hostess City Toastmasters Club

“There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or influence. Those who lead inspire us.” —SIMON SINEK “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” —JACK WELCH “There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity and courage.” —FUCHAN YUAN Leadership means something different to everyone, but we can probably all agree that some of the best leaders share certain traits that make them inspirations and standouts from the rest. One thing is clear: true inspiring leaders don’t just become that way overnight. If you’ve attended a Toastmasters session, you’re probably familiar with the organization’s focus on improving communication skills, but you may not realize another facet of Toastmasters is growing leadership skills. It’s not a novel idea that communication and leadership skills are intertwined. However, Hostess City Toastmasters takes on a fresh approach to improving both and we’re going to discuss how to develop those leadership skills through practice and developing better communication techniques. In this Lunchtime Topic, we’ll speak with Alia Freeman, who is the VP of Membership for Hostess City Toastmasters about Hostess City Toastmasters tenets of leadership. Alia Freeman, is a Savannah native for the past 33 years. A great way to describe her is like salt of the earth that releases sound to empower our future. She wears many hats in life which involves her building, teaching, and empowering God’s people for His kingdom. She is a servant leader that finds joy in helping others through transition and transformation through stages of life, business, and beauty. She is a Master Cosmetologist of 9 years where she provides hair makeup services through beauty transformational services and bridal events. She also provides education that provides global visibility of textured hair by offering structural training tips as guiding tools for textured hair. As a podcast host, she provides tips weekly on her podcast The Fight to Unite, which creates an elevated mindset for salon professionals for growth development. She serves as VP Membership of Hostess City Toastmasters Club which positions her to lead in her community. Through all her endeavors they all provide a space for her to pull out the best in others.

Building the Future Workforce with STEAM Education with Ambria Berksteiner - Lunchtime Topic

In this Lunchtime Topic, we will be speaking with the Founder of Operation One STEM At A Time, Ambria Berksteiner. She is going to share her journey and share the importance of STEAM education. Learn about Operation One STEM At A Time, how to get you and/or your child involved in STEM education in Savannah and more! About Ambria: Ambria Berksetiner is an engineer by trade and the founder of Operation One STEM at a Time, a local 501(c)3 non-profit that works to educate, enlighten and empower young women of color to explore and pursue STEM careers. Berksteiner launched the organization in 2016 while attending Spelman College where she majored in mathematics. She had the realization that talented African American girls interested in STEM needed more exposure, encouragement, and relatable role models from the industry and wanted to provide young women with the same opportunities that led her to pursue an engineering degree. “When you don’t see yourself reflected back in an industry, it can be discouraging. The only reason that there’s a gap is because we need more people reaching out to young women and giving back. That’s the whole purpose of Operation One STEM at a time,” Berksteiner explains. Ambria Berksteiner pictured holding her STEM Ambassador of Savannah award, given to her by former Mayor Eddie DeLoach. Photo Credit: Amber Berksteiner Over the past six years, and while obtaining a bachelor’s of science in industrial and systems engineering from Auburn University, Ambria has continued to pursue this mission. She has partnered with local organizations, universities, churches, and STEM professionals from all over Savannah to offer STEM workshops and mentorship opportunities for children. She has worked with The ConneXion Church, Georgia Tech Savannah CEISMC, the Society of Women Engineers, and The Creative Coast to name a few. Her workshops provide hands-on, design-thinking, and problem-solving activities for youth to creatively learn about topics like circuitry, hydraulics, and more.

How to Sell Your Business ft. Brian Judson Senior Business Broker at Best Business Brokers

In this Lunchtime Topic, we’ll learn what it takes to have a sellable business, which is something you should consider from the launch of your company! More about Brian: Brian has been selling businesses in Savannah for more than a dozen years. He stays actively engaged with memberships in: – Savannah Area Chamber – Richmond Hill Bryan County Chamber – Savannah Downtown Business Association – Traffic Club – CFO Council – Savannah Estate Planning Council and Buy Local Savannah where he won the 2021 Business Advocate of the Year Brian’s volunteer activities have included sitting on the Savannah Historic District Board of Review and becoming a Master Docent for the Telfair and Jepson Museums. Currently Brian serves on the board for TEDx Savannah and mentors high school students in Gulfstream’s Student Leadership Program. ________ About the Creative Coast Our Mission Our Mission is to catalyze the innovation economy in Coastal Georgia. The Creative Coast is here for the entrepreneurial, technology & creative community of the Savannah region. We build and support the creative economy in Savannah through education & social programs that connect and foster local innovation in both large and small companies. Our Vision Propelled by The Creative Coast, Savannah will be transformed into a vibrant hub for creative and innovative businesses, organizations, and individuals. Our History The Creative Coast was founded in 1997 by the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA), Chatham County and the City of Savannah to create/foster the creative technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through our activities, we strive to make an economic impact on our community, our city, the region and our state, through the creation of high-wage, high-tech and creative jobs. Learn more at https://thecreativecoast.org.

How to Drive Engagement on Social Media ft. Kara Heater, Marketing Director at the Savannah Bananas

Is your social media falling flat? Perhaps you have some engagement, but could use more? In this Lunchtime Topic, Kara Heater (Marketing Director for the Savannah Bananas) will talk with us about the strategies she and team use to make the uniquely, famous baseball team go viral on social media. About Kara: Kara joined the Bananas in 2018 as a Marketing Intern. She is a Savannah native and loves nothing more than the sweet smell of the marsh on that evening ride home. Her favorite part of marketing is being able to build relationships with fans online and working with the rest of the creative team to create the content you see online.

Learn How to Start a Franchise Business with Danielle Stankiewicz

Are you interested in being self-employed, but don’t want to start a business from scratch? Have considered owning a franchise?

In this Lunchtime Topic, we’ll explore the process of starting a franchise business, including the advantages of owning a franchise, how to find the right business or industry, capital needs, financing options, and more!

Danielle Stankiewicz, who is a Certified Franchise Consultant (CFC) at Horizon Consulting Partners, joins us for the Lunchtime Topic on How to Open a Franchise Business.

About Danielle…

Danielle has a diverse background in education and experience. She possesses two bachelor degrees in the field of social sciences and a masters in psychology.

She began her career teaching public and private school before discovering she could make more of an impact working outside of the traditional school system. With a reputation for professionalism, she built her career as a private governess and high profile nanny. In 2018 she moved her life abroad, working and living in England and Hungary, before returning to the states to become an entrepreneur in the field of real estate and stepping into the world of publishing. She currently works as a certified franchise coach, helping others to achieve their dreams of entrepreneurship. She also continues in her passion of education, through writing and offering conscious parenting resources online.

How to Take Your Photography or Video Hobby to the Next Level | Lunchtime Topics

Have you been considering turning your photography and/or videography hobby into a business? With content being a huge need for many companies, there are A LOT of opportunities in these creative industries. Find out from a seasoned photographer and videographer how to launch a business in today’s market. About the Featured Guest… Tyler Edic is a video production entrepreneur and independent filmmaker. He was named “Best of the Year: Videographer” by Savannah Magazine in 2021 and “30 Under 30” by Destination’s International in 2020. Tyler holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcasting and Mass Communication and a Master’s in Business Administration. He relocated to Savannah in 2018 with his dog Lilly. Learn more at https://www.tyleredic.com/ ________ About the Creative Coast Our Mission Our Mission is to catalyze the innovation economy in Coastal Georgia. The Creative Coast is here for the entrepreneurial, technology & creative community of the Savannah region. We build and support the creative economy in Savannah through education & social programs that connect and foster local innovation in both large and small companies. Our Vision Propelled by The Creative Coast, Savannah will be transformed into a vibrant hub for creative and innovative businesses, organizations, and individuals. Our History The Creative Coast was founded in 1997 by the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA), Chatham County and the City of Savannah to create/foster the creative technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through our activities, we strive to make an economic impact on our community, our city, the region and our state, through the creation of high-wage, high-tech and creative jobs. Learn more at https://thecreativecoast.org.

How to Make Freelancers Part of Your Company’s Growth Plan ft. Matthew Mottola

- How AI and the freelance economy work together to transform work - The biggest advantages for startups to hire freelancers - Why there is an upward trend of more and more individuals moving away from w-2 work to 1099, contract work. - Whether or not companies should worry about or consider offering benefits to freelancers - How the recession is predicted to affect freelancing Is your startup hiring? If you are a founder seeking to grow your business – or even if you’re not ready to hire – Matthew will be sharing why and how you should hire freelancers to scale your business. About Matthew… Matthew Mottola is a leading voice and entrepreneur building the Human Cloud. For 10+ years he’s helped leaders embrace digital-first, remote-first, and freelance-first talent models across enterprise environments. He’s helped 100+ enterprises hire freelancers at scale, spoken across 75+ international stages, been nominated a top 50 remote work expert to follow, and featured in Forbes and Fortune to name a few. A couple highlights: Published #1 International New Release The Human Cloud with HarperCollins. Founded Venture L, a venture-backed SaaS platform that helped freelancers go from individual contributors to micro-agencies. Led the Microsoft 365 freelance toolkit, a tech stack enabling enterprises to scale freelance programs over $100m. In Matthew’s words: “My career looks like a dog chasing his own tail. I freelance, I help enterprises hire freelancers, I build software that connects the two. Literally thats it, and I’ve been fortunate to see how the best companies in the world scale their workforces strategically through freelancers and freelance programs. You can find his weekly insights through the Human Cloud newsletter, podcast, or his Forbes Contributor Post. If you want to get along immediately, mention his dog Luca or his hometown scholarship the Newburyport Community Award. Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmottola/

Tracking the Right KPIs for Your Marketing Program ft. Phillip Scroggin

8 Things to Consider Before Starting a Business ft. Tim Mercer

01:41 - Tim Mercer shares his entrepreneurial background 04:52 - Tim shares why he's passionate about this topic 06:43 - (1) The Physical & Mental Drain of Entrepreneurship 10:55 - (2) Do you have the ability to embrace risk 13:31 - (3) Expect to be a salesperson 16:34 - (4) Do you have a market for your products or services? 18:38 - (5) You may be better offer buying a business than starting from scratch. 20:31 - (6) Do you personally have enough money set aside to support yourself? 28:13 - (7) Have you determined an exit strategy? 30:55 - (8) Expect to be fearful at times Connect with Tim at https://timtmercer.com/