Agenda   6:00   Networking and Food

               7:00   Fireside Chat

               8:00   Networking

Jilea Hemmings (Greenie Tots, EsheConsulting)

Jilea Hemmings reveals the untold truth about building a start-up that every aspiring entrepreneur needs to know but very few experienced business owners are willing to share. Most entrepreneurs focus only on their success but Jilea believes that true growth happens by learning from your failures. In her talk, “What I Learned From Saying No To Shark Tank” she teaches entrepreneurs how to avoid major mistakes when building their start-up. She has been recognized multiple times for her exemplary entrepreneurial abilities when she was named one of South Florida’s 25 Most Influential & Prominent Black Women in Business (2012) by Legacy Magazine, was awarded the Entrepreneur Product of the Year (2013), and the Media Pitch Winner (2013) award. 

From concept to production, Hemmings has a distinct affinity for branding and product development. As founder and CEO of Eshe Consulting, she aids small and medium companies in all aspects of their business, from assisting in the business and product development stages for start-up companies to helping existing companies rebrand their product and overall image. Her past role as founder and operator of Greenie Tots afforded a unique insight and invaluable opportunity to further hone her skills as a talented entrepreneur and small business specialist. As the first frozen all natural meatless entrée line for kids, Greenie Tots appeared on the shelves of major retailers across the United States. Hemmings formed many strategic partnerships with regional and national players through Eshe Consulting & Greenie Tots including: Whole Foods, Safeway, Giant Eagle, Publix, National Frozen Food Association, Miami Children’s Hospital, & Quorn.

Hemming’s entrepreneurial fire was ignited in 2008 after she spent several years successfully revamping business development campaigns for Fortune 500 companies including Bank of America, Joseph E. Seagrams, Pfizer, and Baptist Health South Florida.  Hemmings received her MBA from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. She most recently finished her first book, The Untold Truth About Building A Startup: 17 Lessons Every Entrepreneur Needs To Know, which combines her previous hands-on experience and insider knowledge to help aspiring entrepreneurs successfully build their business from the ground up. She currently resides in South Florida with her three children and is a passionate advocate for Autism awareness.

Hosted By

Enrique Triay (Director of Startup Grind Ft. Lauderdale)

Enrique is the Director of the Innovation Hub, Broward College’s business incubator. He is also Program Manager for the New World Angels, the largest and oldest angel investor group in Florida. He is co-founder and Director of Rotation Manager, a software compliance company started in 2013 in the health education industry and of Climadata Corporation (1991) the first and leading weather information and consulting firm in Spanish language media. He spent 15 years at Hewlett Packard as a corporate finance executive leading to senior management roles at the Latin America region headquarters, and three years at Abbott Laboratories designing, coding and deploying process control automation software for the world’s largest erythromycin fermentation plant. He mostly looks forward to continue to provide strategic and operational expertise and financial advice to early-stage and growth companies.