The LEE Group Presents its May 14 Small Business Workshop Focusing on Critical Issues for Success

DETROIT — April 10, 2015 – May is National Small Business Month, and Michigan has several hundred thousand small businesses and growing more every day. Mark S. Lee, president and CEO, The LEE Group, and a leading strategic marketing small business consultant, will present a Small Business Workshop – A Framework for Growth, Thursday, May 14, at TechTown, located at 440 Burroughs, in Detroit’s Midtown, from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
According to 2010 U.S. Census data, Detroit is the fourth largest city for minority-owned entrepreneurs with over 32,000 and approximately 75,000 across the State of Michigan. The Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy reported in 2014, there were 856,682 small businesses in Michigan with more than 1.7 million employees. Regarding women-owned businesses, Michigan is in the top ten in the nation with 261,400 according to the 2014 American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses Report. The report estimates that 1,200 new businesses a day were started by women in 2013, up from an average of 740 a day in 2012. Four out of 10 new firms are now started by women.

In a recent interview with DBusiness magazine, Lee said, “Small businesses really struggle to grapple with how to grow their business, how to focus on developing a strategic plan, and how to get access to capital or funding.” The workshop will provide resources, tools, and expert help for businesses struggling with these critical issues for success.

The workshop will feature presentation keynote speakers, panelists and break-out workshops with business leaders focused on small business financing, including, access to capital – traditional and non-traditional; strategic planning; marketing and how to leverage social media.
Speakers include:

  • Carolyn Cassin, President & CEO, Michigan Women’s Foundation
  • Dan Fuoco, Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, Interactive Marketing Manager
  • David Farbman, HealthRise Solutions Founder/CEO & Author
  • RJ King, DBusiness Editor
  • Juliana Perry, Vice President, Retail Business Banking Relationship Manager, Fifth Third Bank
  • Warren Morgan, Assistant Vice President, Financial Center Manager, Fifth Third Bank
  • Nicole Farmer, Ph.D., President & Founder, LifeLine Business Consulting Service;
  • Priscilla Archangel, Ph.D., President, Archangel and Associates, LLC; Leadership and Organizational Development Consultant.

The workshop is designed for individuals aspiring to start a business, businesses seeking new direction with particular emphasis on women and minority-owned business from across the region. The workshop fee is $40 and you can register at www.leegroupinnovation.com//index.php/workshop. In addition, participants will receive a complimentary continental breakfast and free parking is available.

Workshop sponsors/partners include: Fifth Third Bank, PNC Bank, State Farm, Cindy Fletcher Insurance Agency, Wayne State University’s Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, DBusiness, TechTown Detroit, Build Institute, Michigan Women’s Foundation and Inforum Center for Leadership.

About The LEE Group:
The LEE Group, MI LLC (TLG), is an independent integrated marketing consulting firm focused on providing marketing, branding, and communication solutions to clients. Additionally, TLG provides training and development to organizations in the areas of branding, re-branding and communications and has advised on how to effectively implement in an integrated fashion. Lee hosts a weekly radio show, “Small Talk with Mark S. Lee”, which is broadcast on CBS Detroit’s WXYT 1270 and nationally via cbsdetroit.com, and he pens a small business blog for Crain’s Detroit Business. For more information on The Lee Group, go to www.leegroupinnovation.com/