You Owe It To Yourself: Attend One of These Small Business Events |  |
- You Owe It To Yourself: Attend One of These Small Business Events
- The Small Business News You Might Have Missed: Week Ending August 3
- “Jobs” Movie Chronicles the Life of a Creative Entrepreneur
- Read “Custom Nation” to Find Out if Customization is a Good Strategy
| You Owe It To Yourself: Attend One of These Small Business Events Posted: 03 Aug 2013 04:40 PM PDT Welcome to our latest curated list of events, contests and awards for small businesses, solo entrepreneurs and growing companies. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. Featured Events, Contests and Awards
The Big Awards started with a mission of recognizing real talent and performance. Real business people, those with experience and knowledge, judge the Big Awards. Request an entry kit today and submit your nomination by August 14, 2013.
INBOUND is a 4 day marketing experience that brings together thousands of marketers from around the globe for an annual event held in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Small Business Influencer Awards 2013 The 2013 Small Business Influencer Awards recognize the apps, organizations and people who have a strong impact on small businesses in North America. Now its 3rd year, the Awards are a coveted recognition for those who serve small businesses. Check to see who’s already been nominated, and nominate yourself, or someone or some organization or app you admire. No fee to enter. Twitter hashtag: #SMBinfluencer.
This conference brings together amazing women entrepreneurs, both on and off the stage. Hear real behind-the-scenes stories of success including JJ Ramberg, Sarah Endline, Janine Popick, and Pamela O’Hara. Expert keynotes and panel discussions include: Getting Funding for Growth with Kay Koplovitz & Peggy Wallace, Turning Ideas into Companies with Yao Huang, 5 Strategies for a Stronger Brand with Julie Cottineau, and a journalist panel on Pitching the Media. SEATING IS LIMITED. More Events
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This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology. The post You Owe It To Yourself: Attend One of These Small Business Events appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| The Small Business News You Might Have Missed: Week Ending August 3 Posted: 03 Aug 2013 12:30 PM PDT
The Small Business Trends editorial team takes you behind the stories to find out what’s really important for your company today. Here are the top news stories you might have missed this past week: Social MediaFacebook passes the 1.15 billion mark. There are plenty of doubters out there about the impact of both maintaining a Facebook presence and advertising there for your business. But when you look at the number of active users on the site, you have to think again. Hashtags haven’t helped much so far. It’s been almost two months since Facebook rolled out hashtags similar to those used on rival site Twitter. Businesses have already upped their use to build engagement, but so far without success. CNBC will air a "Twitter Revolution" documentary. The show, airing Wednesday, August 7th at 9pm ET/PT shares information about Twitter’s beginning and growth. But entrepreneurs will also find the analysis of Twitter’s impact as a transforming technology enlightening. A survey shows the digital tools small businesses rely on. After a company website, the digital tools small businesses most rely on aren’t Twitter and Pinterest. They are Facebook and LinkedIn. Take a look at how social media channels stack up. StartupThe tide could be turning. We’ve heard before about the decline of entrepreneurship. But signs suggest changes are on the way. Check out this data from Scott Shane, Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve University. Double check your small business plan. With many potentially thinking about starting a new business, it’s helpful to understand what’s involved. Here Megan Totka, Chief Editor for Chamber of Commerce, gives tips on what a small business plan must include. Cut down on those startup costs. Starting a business takes resources. But there are ways to reduce costs you may not have even considered. Richard White, editor at Yellow Brick Path, takes a hard look at where to cut back. MobileStarbucks mobile earnings have important implications. If you run a retail or food business and aren’t accepting mobile payments, you may be missing out big time. See what these quarterly reports say about public preference. Google Plus Local for iOS is as good as gone. This is the iPhone app that helped users find local restaurants and other businesses and leave their reviews for others. No worries. Many of the same features are now packed into the Google Maps app. Quip is reinventing word processing. No, it’s not hyperbole. Whether the new app catches on or not with small businesses is a whole other story. But the idea of bringing creation and collaboration on documents to the mobile world is pretty revolutionary. Your next business tablet may not be an iPad. See how the tablet icon is faring in the mobile device wars. There could be better options out there for your company. OperationsYour business probably spends too much money on the road. If so, you’re certainly not alone. A recent survey by integrated travel and expense management provider Concur suggests there could be a reason big companies pay less. You should have automation driving sales. If not, Raghu Raghavan, CEO of marketing automation platform provider Act-On, has some suggestions. Read his interview with Brent Leary. The right credit card for your business. It may change with your needs. Personal finance expert Odysseas Papadimitriou recommends the “island approach” with a different credit card for every need. Human ResourcesEmployee benefits reality check. Benefits can be a big incentive when attracting the right talent. It’s time to examine whether your company’s benefits package is competitive. Rieva Lesonsky gives some insight. The benefits of flexible work. A flexible work schedule is often popular with employees. But employers sometimes have concerns. This infographic from Your Better Business shared by David Wallace, co-founder and CEO of SearchRank, looks at how this new approach may benefit everyone. Achieving balance in business and life. There may be another way to achieve success in business. In a word, we’re talking about balance. Ivana Taylor reviews Balance: The Business -Life Connection by Jim Cusumano and gives us her take. PolicyObama’s remarks on Amazon stir small biz anger. U.S. government officials often pay lip service to small businesses. But when President Obama recently praised Amazon, small publishers and booksellers were clearly upset. Anita Campbell reports. Year end government spending spells opportunity. September 30 is the end of the U.S. government’s fiscal year. This post from the U.S. Small Business Administration tells you what that could mean to you as a small business. TechWhy you should start a small business podcast. If you want to get your message out to customers in a unique format, don’t forget the podcast. Subscribers already number in the billions on iTunes. This could be how to reach your audience. Shutterstock: News image The post The Small Business News You Might Have Missed: Week Ending August 3 appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| “Jobs” Movie Chronicles the Life of a Creative Entrepreneur Posted: 03 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT
Jobs, the indie biopic about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, is set to release on August 16. The movie chronicles Jobs's journey from college dropout to successful creative entrepreneur, taking place roughly from 1971 to 1991. Though the movie is specifically about the beginnings of Apple and, more specifically, Jobs’ rise as an innovator, entrepreneurs may find things that will inspire them in their own journey. The Startup of AppleThe movie begins during Jobs's days at Reed College, from which he dropped out to gain life experience. He later meets up with his childhood friend, Steve Wozniak and learns about his work creating personal computers. The trailer, shown below, gives a glimpse into the movie's depiction of the early days of Apple. This includes starting the company in a garage, coming up with a name, gaining an initial investor, going public and even Jobs's initial ouster from Apple. Given the company's gigantic success, it can be easy to forget that Apple was once a startup with very limited resources just like so many other businesses. Steve Jobs Movie: Behind the ScenesThe movie stars Ashton Kutcher, who has publicly stated that he admires Steve Jobs and the work he has done. To prepare for the role, Kutcher tried to step into Jobs's routine. This included adopting his fruitarian diet, which led to a stay in the hospital for Kutcher during filming. The movie is meant to be inspirational and entertaining. But some of its depiction of events may not be entirely factual. For example, Wozniak had some issues with one part of the film in particular. The scene shows Jobs trying to convince Wozniak that his operating system could be sold to the masses. Wozniak called the personalities depicted in the scene "very wrong." He also said that the event depicted never actually happened. ConclusionThe film originally debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January and received mixed reviews. Still, Jobs may be of interest for those seeking insight into the early days of Apple and the startup and entrepreneurial process. Another movie chronicling the life of Steve Jobs is in the works from Sony. The film is based on Walter Isaacson's bestselling biography of Jobs. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has signed on to write the screenplay. An official release date for the Sony adaptation has yet to announced. The post “Jobs” Movie Chronicles the Life of a Creative Entrepreneur appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Read “Custom Nation” to Find Out if Customization is a Good Strategy Posted: 03 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT
And as the Me Generation grew up, their penchant for things their way has made brands like Chipotle, Subway, Pandora, Zazzle and others thrive – all based on the principle of customization. The idea of Mass Customization is not new, but the accessibility of customized products and services has never been as real as it is today. And this is why I was so interested in the review copy of Custom Nation: Why Customization is the Future of Business and How to Profit From It by Anthony Flynn (@YouBars) and Emily Flynn Vencat. From YouBar to AuthorBefore I get into the book, I'd like to tell you a little bit about the authors. I think it will give you some insight about the book and the customization trend. Anthony Flynn is actually the Founder of YouBar®, a customized protein bar company that he started with his mom, Ava Bise in 2006. They started making protein bars that were customized to their personal taste, health and energy needs. They thought there might be a market for it and there was – a multimillion dollar market. You might be asking yourself what makes Anthony Flynn qualified to write a book on mass customization? OK, so the guy founded a customized nutrition bar company – so what? Well, it turns out that Anthony was a business student and an entrepreneur. So he not only had an interest in the product, he had some training and education in business enough to write, what I think, is a really engaging and educational book for small business. He's helped in this task by his co-author, Emily Flynn Vencat. Emily is a professional journalist who has written for some of the biggest news organizations in the country; notably Newsweek and USA Today. Is Customization an Option for Your Small Business?If you're like me, you're probably asking yourself the question – is customization a possibility for my small business? If so, you'll want to read this book because it's a very thorough and accessible analysis of the history of customization and an explanation of the critical components that can make or break your customization efforts. If you never thought of using customization as a strategy to grow your business – you will also want to pick up this book because it will give you so many ideas that your head will swim with the possibilities. The CIY Business – Why You Want OneA core concept of this book is something that I am very passionate about; the idea of the CIY Business. CIY stands for "Create it Yourself." In other words, it's the democratization of products that make customization accessible to all people instead of just the wealthy. Custom Nation is written in two sections:
Throughout the book there are case studies and stories of companies that specialize in customizing their products that you will find not only informative, but inspiring. One added feature of the book that caught my eye was the Appendix in the very back that contains a long and very complete list of companies from whom you can buy a variety of customizable products. If nothing else, you'll notice that there are quite a few of them – 783 to be exact. And that should tell you that this trend isn't going away. Why Bother With Another Trend That's Going to Complicate My Business?You might be thinking that this customization thing is just one more complication to your business and your life. And it might be. But I'm encouraging you to read about it because small business owners, marketers as well as brand managers in a variety of industries can reinvigorate their business and increase profitability – not to mention stand out from the competition. If you get anything from this book, understand that customization is not just exclusive to high-end niches anymore – it's the future of business. The post Read “Custom Nation” to Find Out if Customization is a Good Strategy appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
I'm part of the tail end of what is often called the "Me Generation" – you know those Baby Boomers who had to live life their way and on their terms. So it's no wonder that they flocked to brands like Burger King; a brand that crowed about "Having it YOUR Way!"| 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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Global Small Business Pages offers online marketing.
ReplyDeleteMission is to bring global marketing to poor nations
Richmond, VA - A new online service has leveled the playing field, providing an opportunity for producers and sellers in the world’s poorest nations to compete with the world’s largest corporations.
“We want Global Business Pages to be a sustainable opportunity for producers and sellers in the world’s poorest nations; a way to introduce their skills, talents, goods and services to every buyer and seller on earth,” said the Publisher Vincent Theophil.