Washington, DC (PRWEB) April 28, 2014
Entrepreneurs are the heartbeat of the economy – in the United States and around the world. Yet spearheading a business, generating profits and sustaining long-term success is especially challenging without guidance. Jonathan Smith understands this first-hand. The founder and CEO of ChiefOptimizer (http://www.chiefoptimizer.com) and a Certified EOS Implementer who helps businesses achieve substantial growth, Smith is applying his acumen as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Program’s delegation to Athens, Greece from April 28 to April 30.
An initiative led by the U.S. Department of State and Embassy Athens that is focused on fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems in Greece, the GEP has sponsored delegations that have helped businesses in countries worldwide since 2011. This is the second time Smith has been part of a GEP delegation. He was previously part of a group that traveled to Jakarta, Indonesia.
During the GEP event in Athens, around 100 business owners will get instruction from a panel that includes Smith, Kevin Langley, CEO & Co-Owner, Ellis Construction, Inc.; Alicia Marie, Founder and Managing Director, People Biz, Inc.; and Haris Makryniotis, Managing Director, Endeavor Greece who will also serve as moderator of the panel.
Approximately two-thirds of the attendees will feature aspiring early and middle stage entrepreneurs while the other one-third will include representatives of organizations, venture capitalist firms, banks and colleges among other institutions. The objective is to cultivate sustainable business practices and help create investing in Greece, a country with an economy that has double-digit unemployment.
Smith left a career on Wall Street in his mid-20s to embark upon technology-based entrepreneurial endeavors and as Chief Operations Officer for Wave Dispersion Technologies led the company from $500,000 to $15 million in revenues over five years. As the “Chief Optimizer,” he works with entrepreneurs who are stuck and helps implement high business growth strategies.
“It’s difficult enough to start and grow a business in the United States, but in many other countries, there are additional challenges that stand in the way of success,” Smith said. “I am a social entrepreneur and want to use my experience and abilities in a way that inspires vitality for other entrepreneurs, regardless of where they are located,
“Sometimes, all that stands between success and failure for an entrepreneur is the guidance of others who have experienced what the same challenges they are going through and understand how to address them,” Smith added. “Being part of this panel is a valuable avenue to share my passion for helping businesses reach a higher level and ascend to the success of which they are capable.”
Through workshops and one-on-one interaction, the delegation will offer insight for entrepreneurs that Smith believes will provide benefits long after the event is over.
“The idea is to help the attendees learn and use sustainable business practices that help them flourish for the long term,” Smith said. “I am especially interested in working with emerging growth companies beyond the start-up phase. At that point, the business is succeeding and showing potential but in need of strategies to take additional significant steps to ensure sustained success, which is the key to building a healthy economy in any country.”
About ChiefOptimizer
Jonathan Smith "ChiefOptmizer" is an entrepreneur, High Growth Business Strategist, Certified EOS Implementer, and a former Inc. 500 COO. He is founder of ChiefOptimizer and works with entrepreneurs who are “Stuck” and need help in scaling, getting market traction, or resolving global operation problems. He can be reached on Twitter @chiefoptmizer anytime.
