NewsLocal News

Actions

Annual Straight Talk Conference helps aspiring and current entrepreneurs, small business owners

Posted at 6:17 PM, Jan 25, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-25 18:17:42-05

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs got together under the same roof Saturday morning to learn from one another.

The 24th annual Straight Talk Conference brought people like Channing Hill to the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center to network and participate in various seminars.

"I think starting my own business, creating jobs for people, allowing for other people to grow, is something that drives me," he said.

Hill is studying entrepreneurship at ECC. He said coming to the Straight Talk Conference helped him get insight on how to start a business, write a business plan and apply what he's learning in the classroom.

"It's the foundation of America. And it's actually something that's not taught in schools - now it is," Hill said. "It should be something that's fundamental as far as financial literacy."

Straight Talk featured seminars to help address issues that small business owners and entrepreneurs might face when developing a small business.

Salvatore Falzone is a maple syrup business owner. He came to this conference a few years ago to get help on how to get his business started.

Now he's looking to expand and get more customers.

"[They] gave me a good footprint to where to start and where to go," he said. "So now again I'm looking to expand and hopefully they can help me, you know, point me in that direction."

As for advice for anyone wanting to start a business, Hill and Falzone said to focus on marketing your business and stay engaged.