AWFS fair offers business-management education track

The AWFS will offer business management seminars throughout its July 20-23 fair in Las Vegas, designed to move businesses up, over and beyond the hurdles of a bad economy, global competition and the tenacity of day-to-day challenges.

"Think Like an Entrepreneur" will be a workshop based on the tenets of Michael Gerber's "The E-Myth Revisited." The session leader will cover how business owners sometimes get in their own way when it comes to running a successful company. Targeted to smaller businesses, the three-hour program teaches "E-Myth's" powerful business development model, which is based on decades of hands-on experience coaching and training business owners.

The content of "Becoming the Next Generation Manufacturer" is based on a study of 2,500 U.S. manufacturers conducted by the Manufacturing Performance Institute for the American Small Manufacturers Coalition. The study provides a framework to drive manufacturing growth in the 21st century, based on world-class performance strategies. The session shares best practices in areas of need identified in the study.

The "Profitable Growth through Innovation" seminar is based on the successful Eureka Ranch business course. Taught by a certified Eureka Profit Coach, the session is designed to help participants think smarter and more creatively about how to develop more profitable customers, markets, products and services through innovative techniques designed to help individuals accelerate their growth pipeline.

"Arm Yourself with Financing Savvy" will reveal financial and tax information surrounding business loans. This seminar is complemented by free, daily presentations on the show floor by the Small Business Administration and the Service Corps of Retired Executives on related topics of preparing financial and business plans, the latest in loan offerings and more.

Other business topics include "The Art of Bidding," which will offer attendees a comprehensive spreadsheet as a takeaway and a hands-on lean manufacturing simulation workshop, which received a perfect score from attendees at the 2009 show.

Additional topics offered are "Social Media Bootcamp for Woodworkers," "Strengthening your Workforce from Within," "Listening to your Customer," and a session entitled, "Think Creatively! Business Strategies for an Evolving Market," which speaks to various ways to diversify your business, from a panel of business leaders speaking from experience.

The AWFS fair's College of Woodworking Knowledge offers seminars in eight different tracks and involves more than 50 industry experts prepared to further the knowledge level of attendees. Sessions range from 1-1/2 hours to an all-day training workshop. The full education program will be available in late March at www.awfsfair.org.