Small Biz Contests: Win Big in 2012 |  |
- Small Biz Contests: Win Big in 2012
- Nokia Releases In-App Advertising Solution for Multiple Devices
- Practice Perfect Yields Insights to Getting Better
| Small Biz Contests: Win Big in 2012 Posted: 10 Nov 2012 02:00 PM PST There are a variety of contests and awards still going on for the rest of 2012. We’ve compiled this hand-picked list of small biz contests. These are contests and awards worth checking out, to potentially win additional cash, products and/or services to grow your small business: ****
Dell has launched a $100 million Innovators Credit Fund, with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs "maximize potential for innovation, speed to market and job creation." The credit fund will offer both funding and technology resources with IT support, depending on what each start-up needs. To be eligible, you must have already received some angel funding or venture capital before you can apply. Start-ups can get up to 10% of its current funding or up to $150,000 with limited credit terms. See website for details and application.
Toshiba, Intel and Staples have teamed up to help small businesses share their stories and win thousands of dollars in new technology. Throughout 2012, they will award $10,000 technology makeovers to American businesses and free Intel-powered Ultrabooks to the people who support them. Categories include Powering Knowledge, Powering Innovation, Powering Service, Powering Products, and Powering Good. See website for details and entry guidelines.
Grow your business with a small business grant of up to $25,000. Entering is simple. Click the contest registration button below and submit your business story and photo by November 17. Once your application is approved, you can vote for yourself once a day – and get all your friends, customers, and associates to vote as well – through November 24.
The recession has claimed thousands of small businesses in recent years. Valpak wants to do its part in fueling local business growth with the Dough to Grow Award. The winner will receive $10,000 to help grow their business. Entrants do not need to be Valpak customers to nominate their business.
Are you a small business mover and shaker? The SMB Innovator Awards celebrate the trailblazers among today's small business owners and recognize their courageous approaches to driving business success. If you're an SMB innovator, nominate your company now. You could win $20,000 as the grand prize winner in this contest by PhoneBooth.com. As a top 10 winner, you may also have the opportunity to win $2,500 through a People’s Choice Award.
Do you have a great idea for an Infusionsoft App, integration or plug-in that will enhance the Infusionsoft user experience? Then you have a shot at being crowned the Kick Apps Champion in the Battle of the Apps 2013. First prize is $10,000. See website for details.
Shopify has teamed up with four world-class entrepreneurs to help you build a million-dollar business in just months. Come up with a product to sell, open your online store and pick a mentor. The Shopify community and your mentor will give you great advice and guidance along the way. At the end of the competition, the four stores that sell the most over a two month period will each win a $50,000 investment from their mentor.
The list of awards and competitions is brought to you by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com. To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar. If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Small Business Event and Contests Form (it’s free). Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award. The post Small Biz Contests: Win Big in 2012 appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Nokia Releases In-App Advertising Solution for Multiple Devices Posted: 10 Nov 2012 11:00 AM PST Nokia has just announced the launch of its in-app advertising solution to help developers monetize their applications.
The Nokia Ad Exchange (NAX) is thanks to a partnership with mobile advertising platform inneractive, which helps developers monetize their apps by allowing them to choose from more than 120 different advertising providers. For businesses and entrepreneurs that want customers to use their apps, offering a free app can help attract consumers that might not necessarily want to purchase apps. But putting a lot of work into a project that won't create any direct revenue can be frustrating or even unfeasible for some small businesses, and not all businesses have the resources to integrate their own advertising or monetization solutions. So the purpose of NAX is to make monetizing apps as simple as possible. Once developers sign up for the service and choose the advertising provider that best fits with their app, all it takes is one line of code to start earning in-app advertising revenue. The advertising solutions are compatible with most major mobile platforms, including Android and iOS. Revenue from advertising is split, with 70% going to the developer and 30% going to the ad exchange. Nokia is not exactly at the forefront of many people's minds when it comes to innovative features for mobile technology, but the intent behind this new ad network is to take a step in the right direction, focusing more on developers building quality mobile features. There are other platforms available to help app developers host in-app ads, but some such as Microsoft's in-app advertising solution for Windows phones, don't work on a wide range of devices. And not all apps are intended to necessarily be revenue streams. For example, many businesses that create apps just want to help create brand awareness and loyalty, or give customers easier access to products or services. In those cases, businesses might not want to clutter their apps with ads that frustrate or turn off customers. But for those that are looking to monetize their mobile apps, NAX does offer some helpful features – not just monetization, but also analytics and discoverability tools. The post Nokia Releases In-App Advertising Solution for Multiple Devices appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Practice Perfect Yields Insights to Getting Better Posted: 10 Nov 2012 06:00 AM PST
I did this for at least an hour a day running through circles of scales; majors, minors, sevenths; over and over and over again. I was four. This is how you learned to play the piano in Europe. In fact, the standard is to learn one hand – slowly. Learn the other hand – slowly. Then put the two hands together – again – slowly. Then find the sections that need extra attention. Deconstruct these sections and repeat – slowly. The focus of the practice is for the highly difficult and technical piece to come off as musical and effortless. They say I was good. But I haven't played in nearly thirty years and today, I cannot play a note. I didn't have the talent for it – but I was good because I practiced. I practiced between two and four hours a day for over sixteen years. And when I stopped practicing. I stopped playing. The Practice of Business The universe must be trying to tell us something because many of the new books coming out are focused on this principle of practice, commitment and craftsmanship. Inside of three months this concept has come up in So Good They Can't Ignore You and The Commitment Engine and now Practice Perfect. Add to that the thoughts and ideas from Malcolm Gladwell's rule of 10,000 hours and Atul Gawande's Checklist Manifesto and you'll start to see a clear pattern emerge around the idea of digging deep and getting really good at a process. I received a review copy of Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better and thought about dismissing it because it seems like it's more a book about education and learning. Then, as I got deeper into the book, I realized that the more important message in the book was about learning new things and how to learn new things. Ultimately, the acquisition of this learning is what allows a business to set itself apart from the competition and create a more powerful experience for the customer. Of course, it didn't hurt that the authors had quite a long list of testimonials from writers and thinkers whose work I admire such as Daniel Pink and Jim Kouzes. We're familiar with doctors and lawyers and psychologists using the term "practice" to define their business. Yet, we don't do the same for business people. Practice Perfect will have you looking at what skills it takes to run your business and help you hone in on the ones that drive your business to a higher level of performance. Has Practice Gone Out Of Style? In our fast paced world with so many things that used to take hours, days and weeks being accomplished in miliseconds, the idea of practice has somehow gone out of style. Practice Perfect is an engaging book that will have you looking at practice differently and if you're like me, you might even begin to start enjoying the process of actually mastering some of the skills you pride yourself on. There Is A Process For Practice I think the reason so many of us don't practice is because we really don't know how. Save for my piano experience, I don't remember being taught how to learn or practice. I remember having information thrown at me and it was up to me to somehow manage and drive my brain toward performance. If this sounds like your experience as well, then you will want to get your hands on Practice Perfect. Inside these pages, you'll find a process for practice that you can easily incorporate into your life. Not only that, you'll be entertained by the quality of writing – so there really is no downside. There are seven main sections to the book that guide you through the process and idea of practice. Overall there are forty two practice rules that the authors discuss. At first, you'll wonder how in the world you're going to incorporate forty two rules into your life? Practice – of course. Here is just a broad overview of the general process:
I would recommend that you read the book front to back. You'll find the beginning chapters are more mental in nature, the middle get more into the nitty gritty and the end chapters guide you through the process of maintenance. This Book Isn’t For Everyone On the one hand, anyone can benefit from this book. This book isn't written for managers or students or business owners, per se. It was written for people who are committed to success and who realize that practice is an important component of getting there, but who aren't exactly sure HOW to practice. If that sounds like you – then this is a must read. Kudos To The Authors The authors; Doug Lemov (@TeachLikeAChamp), Aerica Woolway (@UncommonSchools) and Katie Yezzi are all educators. Doug is the author of Teach Like a Champion and was a managing director at Uncommon Schools. Erica Woolway is the Chief Academic Officer at Uncommon Schools and Katie Yezzi is the founding principle of Troy Prep School. They've written a book that is engaging and easy to read and follow. If you like reading Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Pink, you will enjoy this book. It's well written, contains relevant stories and will inspire you to practice and up your game. The post Practice Perfect Yields Insights to Getting Better appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
My earliest memory of playing the piano involved sitting at a giant instrument, my hands on the keyboard and a meter-stick (instead of a yard stick) placed across my hands. My daily practice included running all the way through a series of scales without dropping the meter-stick.| You are subscribed to email updates from Small Business Trends To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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