Unit of 1 - Panel Discussion: The Cheap Revolution

Tuesday, September 20, 2005 • 8:00 – 10:30 am
Villanova University Campus
Health Building, Room 200, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085

Global access to a vast network of talented professionals and stunning advances in Information Technology is changing the way business is done. A growing pool of free information is just a mouse-click away. Fierce competition among service providers is heating up in all but the most specialized niches. Like it or not, The Cheap Revolution is here.

In this panel discussion we examine the questions:
- What are the driving forces behind our changing business world?
- What's different today from 2-3 years ago? 5 years ago? 10 years ago?
- How should we as service providers respond?
- How you can your business best take advantage of The Cheap Revolution?

Join us Tuesday, September 20, 2005 (8:00 - 10:30 am) at Villanova University (Health Building, Room 200, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085) for this important conversation. The future of your business just might depend on it!

RSVP online by clicking here to pay at the door or you can puchase your ticket through PayPal now. Panelists:

Lee Devin, Dramaturg and author of "Artful Making - What Managers Need to Know about How Artists Work"
Lee Devin graduated from San Jose State College and took his PhD at Indiana University. He taught at the University of Virginia, Vassar College, and Swarthmore College. In 1970, he founded The Theatre at Swarthmore. An experimental acting class in ensemble techniques, the first practical arts course offered for academic credit at the College, led eventually to an independent Department of Theatre Studies housed in a state of the art building. He retired from teaching in 2002. In 1975 he became a member of the artistic staff of the People’s Light and Theatre Company, acting, teaching acting, and doing dramaturgy. With Rob Austin of the Harvard Business School he wrote "Artful Making: What Managers Need to Know about How Artists Work". It’s about using theatre techniques to do creative work in business, replacing industrial teams with knowledge work ensembles.

Jennifer Guinan, President of Sage Strategic Marketing
Jennifer Guinan, president of Sage Strategic Marketing, offers 19 years of experience in marketing, communications, and PR for companies and organizations large and small. Guinan’s background includes national and international marketing and communications executive management and strategy, PR and media relations, and consulting. Her experience spans multiple industries from financial, healthcare, and life sciences to technology segments including software, networking, telecommunications, embedded systems, and wireless. She has developed M&A communications strategies, executed crisis management campaigns, successfully launched a number of startup companies, and strategized and implemented company repositioning, product launches, and issues campaigns.

David Newman, Founder of UNCONSULTING
David Newman is the founder of UNCONSULTING, helping independent professionals take the struggle and mystery out of marketing their services. David uses an innovative combination of 1-on-1 training, consulting, and coaching to help individual clients achieve their unique successes. David’s specialty is helping people get more done, make more money, and rediscover the joy of business. David’s work has appeared in print in The Philadelphia Business Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer, Business Digest, and on fastcompany.com. He also writes a regular column for Business2Business magazine. David is the co-creator and co-host of Business Matters, a weekly radio show debuting in 2005.

Skip Shuda, Startup and Entrepreneur Advisor, Team and a Dream, Wharton SBDC Early Stage Practice
Skip Shuda is the founder of Team and a Dream, which helps early stage technology companies to get to the next level. In addition to Team and a Dream, Skip is active in the Wharton Small Business Development Center’s Venture Initiation Program and Early Stage Practice. For over 20 years Skip has been an innovator in the use of new technology to enhance the growth and profit potential of early stage software, service and technology companies. Skip assists entrepreneurs through leadership coaching, technology and methodology audits, product definition, management of software initiatives, staff planning, market definition and sales/proposal assistance. His research interests include business and software patterns, agile methodologies and entrepreneurship.

Moderator:
Small-business expert Andrea Michalek is the managing director of Unit of 1 and will be the moderator of “The Cheap Revolution” panel. Michalek is a Philadelphia-based technology management consultant. She specializes in building products and services that make complex technology problems as simple as they should be. Examples include: PDF converter: Fast PDF and News/RSS engine: Topular. For more about Michalek, see www.1800cto.com.

Details:
What: Unit of 1 Strategy Session
Topic: The Cheap Revolution
When: Tuesday, September 20, 2005, 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 am
Where: Health Building, Room 200, Villanova University, Villanova, PA
Cost: $10
RSVP: Click to RSVP
Parking: Once you RSVP, you'll be emailed a free parking permit for Villanova University

Agenda:
8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Check in and Open Networking
8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Unit of 1 Introductions
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Panel Discussion – The Cheap Revolution
10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Open Networking

Sponsors for the event include:

Team and a Dream (www.TeamAndADream.com), helping early stage technology companies to get to the next level,
Villanova University (www.villanova.edu), and
1-800-CTO (www.1800cto.com), a consulting firm focused on providing interim technology leaders to software companies.

About Unit of 1:
Unit of 1, founded in 2001, is a group of independent contractors, free agents, and business owners who all run micro-businesses. The group supports all members in running more successful practices by sharing lessons learned, advice, and horror stories. Unit of 1’s networking meetings are a popular way to network with a virtual peer group of other business owners and get actionable advice for running a business.

The typical audience of Unit of 1 networking events is made up of business owners from diverse disciplines including management consultants, graphic designers, human resource professionals, writers, lawyers, financial advisors, technology gurus, etc.

About Team and a Dream:
Team and a Dream helps very early stage technology companies get to the next level. The firm increases the momentum of technology startups by filling management and knowledge gaps. Using experienced, executive-level expertise, template-ready intellectual property and affordable muscle for execution, the packaged expertise of Team and a Dream fills startups’ gaps in technology, marketing, sales, operations, staffing and executive search, and funding.

About 1-800-CTO:
1-800-CTO provides services that assist technology companies in launching first versions of products. Our clients include both startups as well as established companies re-launching or creating new product lines. With time-tested planning methodologies, leadership practices, and even technology components, we can help you effectively launch your software product.