Keynote speaker Sid Mookerji. (Photo: Bytegraph)
“Building a business is good, but a
successful business must have an exit strategy,”
was the resounding message at the 2016 The Indus
Entrepreneurs (TiE) Southeast conference.
TiE Atlanta’s annual hallmark conference creates
a one-day incubus for networking, idea circulation,
and opportunity for collaboration. Held at the
Westin Atlanta Perimeter North on April 16, as
usual the agenda was packed with four key-note
speakers, 15 roundtable sessions, with six universities
and six high schools pitching business ideas.
Keynote speaker John Cook. (Photo: Bytegraph)
The morning keynote fireside chat had “uberpreneur”
Sid Mookerji, global CEO and founder
of award-winning Software Paradigms International
(SPI), chatting with his mentor, John Cook,
co-founder of the publicly held global company, Profit
Recovery Group (PRG). The prolific Mookerji talked
about the immersion of retail sales in technology like
internet, mobile devices, and social media. His mentor,
Cook, who is retired from PRG, talked on how to
present and integrate successful exit strategies when
developing and building a business. “Think ahead and
look for the right opportunities,” Cook said, “because a
well-planned and well-executed exit can be one of the
most lucrative parts of the business.” Both men
iterated that giving back to community should be
an integral part of business ownership.
Topics for the round-table discussions ranged
from “First Time Entrepreneurs: What Lies Ahead”,
“Real Estate—Right Time? Right Investment?” to one on “TEN things No One
Told Me About Being an Entrepreneur.” Table moderators
Marci McCarthy (T.E.N.) and Rahul Saxena
(Digital Health Department) elaborated on why it’s
important to pay yourself, though cautiously, because
“cash is king.”
Simultaneously, university and high school students
were presenting/pitching their business ideas
to a panel of success-proven entrepreneurs. The TiE
Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) program gave students
weeks of training and hands-on mentorship to help
them develop their projects and present them before
the judges. First place amongst the high school
pitches went to Team Regen (provides better and cost
efficient treatment for burn victims using placental
stem cells to regrow natural skin) while Team
Banyan Tech (manufacturing next generation nanomaterials
for electronic devices) won the university
student pitches.
Closing keynote speakers were Scott Ellyson, CEO,
East West Manufacturing and Charles Lipman, Chairman,
DiversiTech. While Lipman approached risk as
“a four-letter word that should be avoided,” Ellyson
embraced the ambiguity and the action/reaction process
that taking on meaningful risk requires. Lipman
advised the audience that companies’ exit strategy
should “give voice to the voiceless [employees]; make
sure that those that work for the company stay in good
shape even if [the] CEO exits.”
TiE-Atlanta President Kanchana Raman (Photos: Bytegraph)
“TiEcon SE can help build entrepreneurial safety
nets in the shape of strong peer network and establish
social trust. It is a place where the entrepreneurial
spirit is encouraged and motivated,” said Kanchana
Raman, TiE Atlanta President.
Dana Barrett, radio show host on biz 1190 AM
WAFS, emceed the event with the same upbeat vigor
she exudes on the radio.
Attendees were encouraged to network, collaborate,
and create peer-to-peer social circles. Many raved
about the positive experience.