Santa Cruz Business Owners: This Workshop Is Worth Your Thursday Night

By: Kayden Stern & Alex Lund

If you're running a business in Santa Cruz and feel like your systems, social media, and

operations aren't really working together, or you know AI and automation could help your

business but don’t know where to actually implement them, there’s a workshop

happening May 21st that’s worth checking out.

On Thursday, May 21st from 6 to 9 PM, a team of experienced operators is hosting a

small, hands-on business workshop at the Palomar Ballroom on Pacific Ave. Tickets are

$100, it's capped at 50 people keeping things collaborative and intimate, and dinner

from Downtown Santa Cruz favorite, Chocolat, is included.

The format is practical. You’re not sitting through a generic presentation or a sales

pitch. After dinner and a quick overview of how automation, ERP systems, and social

media are actually being used in real businesses right now, attendees will break into

smaller groups and work directly with experts based on what their business needs

most.

A major focus of the workshop is helping business owners diagnose where these

systems can realistically create value. Many companies know they should be

integrating AI, automation, or stronger social media systems, but they don’t know where

to start or what problems to solve first. The workshop is designed to help attendees

identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and missed growth opportunities inside their current

workflows. Some attendees will focus on backend operations, while others will focus on

building social media systems that generate real customer growth. The goal is to leave

with a clearer understanding of where these technologies can improve the business and

what implementation could realistically look like in practice.

The team running it has real credentials, these aren't consultants selling a course,

they've done the work.

The Team:

Curran Advani:

Scaled local business operations and social media presence. Tripled revenue from

social media promotion.

Sid Mamidanna:

Computer Science + AI Safety PhD @ Cambridge

Ashely Kim:

Ex-Google + ESI Founder (Muti-Cohort Start Up Accelerator/Incubator)

Kayden Stern:

Built operational automations for multi-location franchises

Chaavan Sure:

Created multiple automations + ERP systems for business like Total Fire Protection

grossing over 100 million in ARR

Brian Tran:

Managed + Scaled two youtube channels to over 100k+ subscribers.

You'll leave with a concrete action plan tailored to your business, plus direct access to

the team afterward for follow-up questions.

- No technical knowledge required.

- Bring a laptop if you have one!

If this sounds like something your business needs, don't sit on it!

Workshop Agenda:

6:00 – 6:30 PM: Registration & Networking

Meet local business owners and operators across different industries and connect with

the speakers.

6:30 – 7:30 PM: Dinner + Presentation

Enjoy dinner from Chocolat while our team walks through how automation is used in

real businesses and which social media strategies are working today. Slides will be

shared with all participants after the event.

7:30 – 9:00 PM: Hands-On Workshop

Based on your pre-registration survey, you’ll be matched with an expert who will guide

you through implementation tailored to your specific business.

9:00 – 9:30 PM: Open Q&A + Networking

Ask questions, connect with the team, and continue conversations with other attendees.