Data Management for Your Small Business

In today’s data-driven culture, do small business owners need to be data scientists?  While being an expert in data analysis may not be a prerequisite for owning a small business, managing data is quickly becoming one of the many hats that small business owners wear.  In this session, we discuss what that means to you, how you can capitalize on opportunities that this creates, and how you can overcome challenges related to data management.  This session, sponsored by DAMA-NYCR, incorporates testimonials from a diverse group of professionals and small business owners who share both high-level ideas as well as executable steps that you can incorporate into your business today.  Topics will include building a business model focused on data analysis, incorporating data analysis into your business model, and resources available to you.  Organizations participating in this session include:

•       DAMA-NYCR – Our goal is to promote the professionalism and practice of data management and provide educational opportunities for practitioners of data management.  Our membership base consists of practitioners who seek professional growth, credentials, and knowledge.  As a member of DAMA International, we are helping to make education on data management available to all professionals in the Capital Region.  We will discuss these educational opportunities as well as networking opportunities that can help your business expand its ability to leverage data and analytics.

•       Youni –  Youni is the social platform that millennials love! By signing up with an .edu email address, students can connect with their entire campus and build meaningful connections in a hyperlocal setting. It’s human nature to want to be a part of a group, and that’s what we do here at Youni. This isn’t a platform where you are one user in a sea of millions, but instead you are one of the users who are a part of multiple organizations that you care about at your university. Youni is powerful because it builds loyalty and affiliation that other social networks can’t produce. We collect data using artificial intelligence that examines every photo posted to discover trends within the millennial demographic, sorted by geography, school, major, class year, organizations and other criteria relevant to retailers. We paint the picture of millennial consumers and what is popular. We also host interactive challenges that produce useful feedback for companies to make better advertising decisions. This ranges from the hottest fashions on campus to business sponsored challenges where students can show their love for a brand like Chipotle or a local business. Our overall vision is to be the future of millennial data by tracking these new consumers as they transition to life beyond college.

•       Major Buzz – Major Buzz is a mobile application company with the intention of revolutionizing the way users interact with mobile apps. They will release a series of apps that will work individually and inconjuction with one another. Their first app Zoombeeto is a food ordering app for college students. Through this app they will be collecting various data that can help local restaurants thrive. From the data they will know most responsive ordering times, what foods they should add or remove from their menu and what schools are the best markets for them.

•       Data Foxtrot – Data Strategies appear to be the province of large corporations, with dedicated teams, "real data scientists", and major IT analytics investment.  However that shouldn't be the case; small- and medium-sized businesses can develop meaningful analytics within their organizations.  We will discuss how to develop a data strategy and analytics capability within your organization, a practice that focuses on meaningful outcomes that produce business value.  Equally important, we will focus on what a data strategy should not be, reviewing things that get in the way of success.

This presentation will take place as a part of the Small Business Albany Expo.  For more information on Small Business Albany, click here.