Entrepreneurs Can Get in the Spirit at Small-Business Conference

Finding and promoting the entrepreneurial spirit in yourself and your employees will be a featured topic at The Times’ Small Business Strategies Conference this fall at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“You have to feel like an entrepreneur before you get the tools,” said Bill Crookston, an associate professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business with the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Crookston will conduct two conference panels Oct. 18: “How to Cultivate the Entrepreneurial Spirit Within the Corporation,” from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., and “Entrepreneurial Boot Camp and Guerrilla Tactics for Business,” from 11 a.m. to noon.

Crookston, who calls himself a “recovering entrepreneur,” has been in business more than 30 years and is now a consultant who coaches companies and chief executives. At USC, his focus has been on marketing and selling start-up companies and buyouts.

Other institutions participating in the conference include UCLA and the Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance, a nonprofit corporation that aids high-tech businesses.

The Times’ Small-Business Strategies Conference is part of an ongoing effort by The Times to broaden its outreach to the business community.

Topics that are key to success will be presented in a variety of tracks: technology, financing, planning for growth, managing people, and marketing and advertising. Another track--Entrepreneurship 101--will cover basics such as how to decide what business to start and how to set up your company. Networking opportunities, an exhibit hall and free business advice on legal, accounting, marketing and finance issues will be provided by financial and business experts.

Registration is $99 for both days, $70 for one day. Information: call (800) 350-3211 or go to https://www.latimes.com/sbsc.