The LATINA Style Business Series is the most successful ongoing business development program for Latina business owners in the nation. Over 18,000 Latina entrepreneurs and professionals have benefited from participating in this exciting and informative one-day business program since it first launched in 1998. The focus of the 2008 Series will be to provide a platform for women business owners who are looking to position their enterprises to succeed at the next level.

According to the 2002 Economic Census, a report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau, over 13,074,156 Hispanics make their residence in the state of California. Additionally, Hispanic entrepreneurs have over 427,678 businesses in the state that generate over $57 billion dollars in sales annually. In the tri city area of Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco, Hispanic businesses total over 53,489, generating sales receipts of over $10.1 billion.

The 2008 LSBS title sponsor is Macy's Inc. National sponsors include AFLAC, Cisco Systems, Principal Financial Group, Sam's Club, State Farm Insurance, UnitedHealthcare and Wal-Mart. The series beverage sponsor is PepsiCo and its brands Aquafina and Propel. The City Host sponsor is Hyatt Hotels.

In addition, LATINA Style has partnered with the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), LatinVision, Latinos in Information and Sciences Technology Association (LISTA), National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP), National Latina Business Women's Association (NLBWA), National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), PR Newswire, SCORE, the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP). The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will provide local support and have a presence at the event.

Local Partners include: California SBDC, InfoBayArea.com, Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the San Francisco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The event includes exhibits and expert presenters who will speak on the topics of "Securing Capital to Build Capacity," "Protecting You and Your Investments," "Successful Marketing Strategies to Sell You and Your Business," "Technology Solutions to Increase Business Productivity," and "Latina Entrepreneur Spotlight: Lessons Learned." We will feature local business leaders and hear first-hand how they were able to find true business success! These women will share the obstacles they have overcome, their secret to work-life balance, and how they stay motivated in their business. The audience will have the opportunity to interact with all of our panelists during the luncheon.

Registration fee includes: dynamic panels, high power networking opportunities in the exhibit area, breakfast, lunch, commemorative gift bag, and a two-year subscription to LATINA Style Magazine, for a tremendous value of only $30! Over 70 cities have been visited since the inception of the Business Series in 1998. Since then, it has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Latina, Hispanic, and small-business communities. The Series has been featured on Azteca America, NBC News, ABC News, FOX network, Univision, Telemundo, the San Diego Tribune, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Dallas Morning News, and SBTV.