On January 27, 2021, Hawthorne Business Expo 2021 had a Virtual Town Hall, held online from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.!  Yes, we made some changes too, like we asked our businesses to do, to re-invent the ways they provide service to the public during the pandemic. Our theme was Reinventing Your Business in 2021.  We got very positive responses to our Zoom format, which included panel discussions, a keynote speaker who is known world-wide, as an expert in business planning, and even some entertainment, to brighten the mood.

Our keynote speaker, Tim Berry, founded Palo Alto Software, after a successful career working for a hightech research firm and writing business plans for tech giants like Apple and Borland International. He founded Palo Alto Software to make business planning accessible to all entrepreneurs. At Hawthorne Business Expo 2021, Tim discussed the elements of Lean Business Planning and how businesses can use this concept to pivot during tough economic times.

We had two Panel discussions, both of which were very popular with the attendees.  Panel 1 discussed Community and Government Resources Assisting Businesses Survive COVID-19. The panel was led by Deborah Shepard, a Special Projects Coordinator for the South Bay Workforce Investment Board (WIB).  This panel consisted of members who are experts in their own fields, discussing the numerous resources available to businesses, from such sources as the WIB, the City of Hawthorne, the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, and the Financial Services Industry.

Panel 2 was a hard-hitting, frank discussion called “How My Business Reinvented Itself After Covid-19.” It was led by Larry Johnson, Program Lead Advisor of the Small Business Development Center at El Camino College. The panelists were business owners in the City of Hawthorne, who discussed how much they have had to adjust their business models in order to survive the double whammy of loss of revenue and lockdowns over the past year.   

Overall, our Hawthorne Business Expo Committee is very proud of the business planning skills and strategies our event was able to provide to the business community, even in a limited virtual format.  We look forward to seeing you at Hawthorne Business Expo 2022, where we hope our event and our community will be back to normal. Watch our website for the date!