SOBCon Northwest is coming to Portland in September for its second year. The three-day conference scheduled for September 28th – 30th has just announced two additional speakers from Portland, who are getting national attention. The conference agenda is ALREADY packed with amazing speakers, check-out the full schedule for all the details.

Marry Me Maybe?

Similar to the ‘Call Me Maybe’ pop song sensation this summer, Gina Morris helped to produce a YouTube sensation. With now over TWENTY-FIVE MILLION views (and counting), ‘Isaac’s Live Lip-Dub Proposal’ can officially wear the title of VIRAL VIDEO. She’ll be at SOBCon NW for a one-on-one interview about the inspiration behind the video and how it feels to be in the national spotlight.

Gina is the owner of Radish Underground, an indie fashion boutique in Portland. She’s a self-proclaimed entrepreneur with experience in public relations, event planning and visual merchandising, and also teaches workshops and classes.

Fifty Shades of Heathman?

SOBCon NW is also thrilled to present an interview with  Chris Erickson, General Manager of the Heathman Hotel. The Heathman has recently become a media darling due to a mention in popular fiction novel ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’. The notably erotic tale of kinky trysts, many of which are set at the Heathman, has skyrocketed up the charts and fans are ALREADY flocking to the Heathman’s Facebook page.

Chris was also recently featured on Fox Business discussing new ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ hotel packages and the bars new signature cocktail, ‘Fifty Shades of Gin’. He claims that not only has the book boosted buzz but has also increased revenue. He’ll be on hand for the Portland SOBCon NW event and perhaps will even be able to give attendees the scoop on the movie!

Exclusive Networking Event (and Free Professional Headshots)

Also added to the docket is an exclusive networking event scheduled for September 28th from 7pm – 10pm at The Heathman, sponsored by Vitamin T.  Currently only open to conference attendees and speakers, this promises to be THE networking event of the season.  AND, as a special gift, SOBCon and Vitamin T will are offering free professional headshot photographs to all who attend.  Stay tuned for more details on the nights festivities.

About SOBCon

SOBCon NW runs from September 28th -30th and is one of the best learning forums for startups, small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs in the US. This is the conferences second year in Portland, and will be taking place in the heart of the city, at the Urban Studio in the popular Pearl District.

The theme this year is Starting Up Strategically, and the 2 1/2 day event will include:

• 6 highly interactive and innovative Mastermind Models that will address the key elements to startup success
• 2 interviews with startup & small business influencers
• 2 panel discussions with the entrepreneurs and investors that are leading the way
• “Give Back Sunday”, where we help non-profits with our know-how and insights
• Full breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturday, full breakfast on Sunday

Attendance will be limited to 100, so sign up early to reserve your seat.

About the post author, Lisa Peyton

Lisa Peyton is a leader in the field of digital marketing. Based in Portland, OR, she serves as executive editor at ThoroughlyModernMarketing.com and FacebookAdvanced.com. Her services include social media coaching, content strategy and digital marketing consulting.

 

With continuous Google algorithm updates, it’s quite an effort for online businesses and bloggers to keep their website content in compliance and in the top ranks in search engines. How can you create content that works for your branding and marketing, while still being search engine friendly?

That’s why we’re glad to have content marketing and SEO copywriting expert (and Sobcon alum), Brad Shorr of Straight North Marketing, join us as guest host for our July Sobcon Twitter chat on July 19. Brad will help us demystify some of the SEO ins and outs as we discuss these questions:

1. Anything in recent Penguin Google algorithm updates that should concern content marketers?
2. What use of keywords and tags raises search engine alarms?
3. Other than keywords and tags, what are some SEO-friendly content strategies?
4. Any analytics that are best to watch in determining SEO effectiveness?
5. Are there tools or methods for checking SEO compliance of content?
6. What is Google Authorship & are there any tips for using it?

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to make your content more Google and SEO friendly.

Join us for our Sobcon Twitter chat on Thursday, July 19, 2012 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Central Time.

This is the second in a series of videos from the recent SOBCon Chicago 2012 – a special conversation between SOBCon Co-Founder Liz Strauss and digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist Brian Solis.  Brian, who lives in San Francisco, is the author of “The End Of Business as Usual”, and host and curator of the popular Pivot Conference in New York.

Liz brings out the “real” Brian Solis, and prompts him to bust a couple of myths -check out the video for more.

His key takeaway:

“When you are persistent you can outlast resistance”

Want more SOBCon? Join us in Portland this September 28-30 – save $200 if you sign up before June 15th

 

We’re pleased to present a series of videos from the recent SOBCon Chicago 2012 – this first edition features Rick Turoczy talking about business positioning.  Rick, who lives in Portland, is the editor of the popular startup site  @siliconflorist and is the co-founder of @PIEpdx. the Portland Incubator Experiment.  His key takeaway:

“There is no weak position, there’s only weak positioning. There’s always opportunity no matter what position you’re in”

Enjoy the rest of Rick’s wisdom and experience, and if you want more, don’t miss SOBCon NW in Portland this September – yes, Rick (and PIE) will be there.

 

With the economy still in a state of flux, there are surely a lot of folks that are thinking about career transition, and some are making that leap from employment to entrepreneurship. Those who already have their own businesses may be trying to execute a graceful business pivot. Seems like everyone is in transition! You won’t want to miss our May 17 SOBCon chat, guest hosted by career transition and entrepreneur coach Catherine Morgan of Point A to Point B Transitions Inc.

Catherine works with individuals out of professional services, financial services or technology who are in career transition or are looking to establish and grow their own successful consulting or coaching practices. She has been helping people get to their Point B for more than 15 years.

We’ll be asking Catherine to answer these questions to launch our discussion on making successful career transitions:

• How do you know if you should make a career move or just re-energize your current job/business?
• Are there techniques for figuring out what the right next step might be?
• What are some ideal first steps to making a major change in your job/business?
• What are some common mistakes people make in transition?
• Any advice to those who haven’t made a career change in many years, but want to?

Make 2012 the year you start working toward Point B in your career. Mark your calendar for the SOBCon Twitter chat on May 17 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. CDT.