HSN Happenings
HSN Hosts American Dreams Symposium
The University of Tampa was buzzing with excitement in late January when more than thirty leaders from across the state and region joined HSN for the American Dreams Symposium, “Cultivating Small Businesses in the 21st Century”.
Representing a dynamic cross-section of local business leaders from the private sector, non-profits, universities, government and business advocacy groups, the discussion focused on some of the most significant challenges and achievable solutions for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
St. Petersburg’s representative in Congress, Representative Kathy Castor reminded the group of the explosive growth the area has seen and her observations about what it needed to do to sustain that growth. MSNBC small business host JJ Ramberg moderated the discussion that was hosted at the Vaughn Center on the University of Tampa’s historic campus.
The symposium participants, including entrepreneur, investor, bestselling author, and founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, Randi Zuckerberg, shared their experiences and insights to the challenges that American entrepreneurs work to overcome everyday.
The symposium discussion with local business leaders and others was underscored the following two days by nearly 100 people who participated in HSN’s American Dreams Academy, an interactive, classroom-style, educational summit for emerging entrepreneurs looking to launch or expand their businesses.
JJ Ramberg and Randi Zuckerberg kicked off the Academy on Thursday morning with an interview that gave the Academy participants a chance to ask Randi questions and get her advice on some of the issues they face. You can see some local coverage of the interview here. After the events, HSN’s social media channels were filled with the amazing feedback on how inspirational and instructive the Academy was for the participants.
Additional symposia and American Dreams Academy events are being planned in different cities across the country later this year to keep the dialogue going.