Speakers
Brenda Collins grew up in Madeira, OH, a suburb of Cincinnati. Madeira was one of those towns where you knew if you could dream it, then it was possible the dream could come true. Armed with that belief, she attended and graduated from the University of Cincinnati, trained as a teacher, Brenda found satisfaction assisting young people to succeed with their goals. This passion for helping people never left, and as she ventured into private industry this commitment to helping businesses and people succeed remained. Transferring her skill in communication, motivation and business acumen, learned through working in the family business for many years, along with self-study, she spent a number of years as a Director of Marketing for local, regional and national companies. Many years were spent assisting specific practice area leaders, in such areas as, manufacturing, construction, distribution, technology consulting, financial services, health services, tax, and audit, which became her foundation to accumulate a wide and diverse understanding of what makes a successful business person.
After an illness sidelined her for over a year, she decided to devote her time to helping new entrepreneurs start successful businesses. Working with local non-profit agencies, she became a business coach helping a diverse population find a path to business success, whether starting a business or obtaining the job of their dreams. She also served as an Ambassador to Ohio under Ted Strickland to “Keep Businesses in Ohio”. The skills she developed gave her the ability to help business people grow ideas, find funding, and maintain momentum to become a thriving, successful businessperson. Ms. Collins has continued her commitment to staying involved with new and current business owners through mentorship and coaching serving on entrepreneurship panels and coaching high school students in entrepreneurial competition. If asked to define her philosophy she often quotes Jim Valvano, a noted Basketball Coach, who said, “Don’t Give Up…Don’t Ever Give Up”. Ms. Collins believes to succeed in life and business one must always have a dream and never give up.