We all know that the lack of talent is a big obstacle for growth in the Microsoft Business Applications area, and we all agree on the necessity to fix this - regardless of our roles within the industry. Many BizApps Partners say that their main success blocker is the lack of talent. Experienced consultants are also feeling the strain of being unable to find trained and reliable collaborators. Yet, we seem to be going around in circles and repeating the same partners where companies are poaching the same talent from each-other. What we need is a mindset shift from us all in the community. We all want to grow the talent pool, and we can all contribute small elements to making it happen - whether we are consultants working individually or representatives of companies in the Microsoft ecosystem. This session offers concrete, yet easy steps everybody in the BizApps industry can take to participate in creating net new BizApps talent, and ultimately, ensure this growing community can truly thrive. Session agenda: - What makes now an essential turning point for creating net new talent in BizApps - How companies can easily implement net new talent creation programs that will be successful and rewarding, - How experienced BizApps consultants can take small steps to make a big difference (inspiring others to train, mentoring new talent) - How to address common challenges / objections to creating new talent rather than hiring experienced consultants - Taking action - identifying one small step you can take now to make a difference

During situations of financial crisis, businesses tend to focus on slowing down, reducing expenses, and waiting for better times. In actuality, times of crisis offer great opportunities for companies - and this is particularly true of the Microsoft Business Applications space right now. This makes right now a very important time for Microsoft Partners to find the right direction to grow their BizApps practices in the right sector, with the right product, and in the right way. This session will offer simple and practical ways for BizApps partners to identify the right opportunity for them to leverage in order to bring big success to their BizApps activities. The content shared in this session is coming from our Microsoft Business Applications Practice Builder Program, which was requested by Microsoft Ireland. We are proposing to share some of the practical tools which supported the participating partners to expand their Microsoft Business Applications practices. Agenda: The Dynamics Opportunity - what makes now a great time to invest in growing your BizApps practice Evaluating your current reality - where is your practice now? Setting the right goals for expansion Choosing the right way of expanding your practice (new product vs new market) Practical exercise: finding your niche for expansion What this session will bring to the partners who join: • Understanding of the current BizApps opportunity and how to position their business within it • Clear BizApps practice expansion goals inscribed in the current reality • A defined niche for BizApps practice expansion