We’ve got a sweet deal for you! If you’re a business blogger or someone who’s especially good at leaving thought provoking comments on business blogs, stop whatever it is that you’re doing and check out this sweet contest. 

We’re proud to announce that BizSugar and Bloggertone have teamed up to give you the Sugartone Sweet Business Blogging Contest and there are over $6,000 in prizes are up for grabs!

There are two ways to win:

1.) Submit a business article to Bloggertone
2.) Vote and comment on Sugartone articles at BizSugar

This contest won’t be around for long so make sure you enter for your chance to win now.  The deadline for submitting articles is Wednesday, March 17th at 9AM EST (12:00PM PST).  The deadline for voting and commenting is Friday, March 19th at 9AM EST (12:00PM PST).  

So hurry on over and sweeten your small business by giving it some increased visibility online and flex your social media skills while you’re at it by visiting BizSugar, the social bookmarking site for small business, where you can vote and comment on the Sugartone articles.  Participate in the Sugartone Sweet Business Blogging Contest now.

From Small Business Trends

Short (this week only) And Sweet (Sugartone) Blog Contest Offers Up Great Prizes!

Still not sold on why your small business needs to establish a Web presence? Well, I have some numbers that may finally change your mind. According to the “User View Wave VII” from BIA/Kelsey and ConStat, 90 percent of Internet users search online for nearby businesses, with 97 percent looking toward online media. That’s right. Nearly all of your customers are going online to find out what’s right around the corner. It may sound like fuzzy logic, but it’s a sign of the times. It’s also a sign that without a Web presence, your SMB may find itself invisible.

But isn’t that a lot of work? How can a SMB owner create the needed presence without draining time and resources? I’ll show you.

Claim Your Web site

Your Web site is step one in building and maintaining a presence on the Web. Even if you plan to be really active in social media you need to start here. Your Web site is the place on the Web that you own and can control. You can’t control what happens to all those other sites. Set the groundwork for your online identity by becoming the master of your own domain before someone needs to call a Twittervention.

Once you have it, use your Web site to share your company story and information, target your neighborhood by providing localized content, give answers to common questions, establish your own authority, and to help you grow an on-site community. Your small business Web site should tell the story of who you are and why someone should trust doing business with you. If you need help, here’s a bit more on why your SMB needs a Web site and some tips for creating one. And don’t forget, once you have your site, you’ll need to claim your local business listings Everywhere. These listings are super important in helping the search engines figure out who you are and where you’re relevant to.

Start a Blog

Once your site is up, get blogging. Blogging provides SMB owner with two really great benefits. First, it allows you to talk to, engage and interact with your community the way you can’t do from your site. By giving your audience a voice and talking to them about the issues related to your business, you establish yourself as a thought leader and give them a reason to keep coming back. You make your business the ‘go-to’ place for a particular topic and you help them to become invested in your brand. The more engaged you can make them, the better.

Your blog also allows you to go after long-term keywords to help your site earn rankings for terms you’re not targeting with your main site. Often you’ll find terms that are too niche to warrant a silo on your site, however, by simply writing a few keyword-rich posts on the subject, you may still be able to get your domain to show up.

Invest in Social Media

Creating a plan for how you’ll navigate social media is becoming increasingly important as more customers enter the fold and as the search engines put more weight on social signals. LAST MONTH, Google put Social Search into its search results and changed the way we look at online relationships. You don’t have to be everywhere in social media, but you should pick two or three sites to focus on and create a strong presence on each. If you’re not sure which sites are the best matches for your customers, do a bit of research. That may entail asking them, looking at your site logs to see where people are coming from, checking out niche sites, performing searches for [industry + social network], etc. Don’t just assume that your audience is on the most popular social networks. They may not be.

Once you figure out where you need to be, learn the social media ropes and find ways to integrate your social efforts into your site. Social media doesn’t have to be a crippling time investment. The experts say just 60 minutes a day should be enough to keep the competitors away. And frankly, you could probably do it in less.

Pay Attention to Reviews

Review sites have changed the way that customers discover businesses in their areas. Searchers go to Yelp find a good Mexican restaurant in their area and to do their homework on the place the new dentist they were thinking about using. They look at CNET reviews before they purchase a new television or laptop. They read reviews about potential chiropractors on Google Local. Searchers are seeking out these destinations more often for trusted first-hand experiences and the engines are giving them more weight in the search results, as well. That means you need to manage reviews better so that you know WHERE people are leaving them and WHAT they’re saying about you. By managing your reviews you not only help create a good site-wide conversation about your business, but you earn double the points when users find them in the search results.

The days where you needn’t worry about your online presence are over. Regardless of how big or small you are, customers are going online to do their research, which means you need to be there. The four simple steps above can take your site from invisible to search engine favorite.

From Small Business Trends

More Evidence SMBs Need A Web Presence

When money is tight, buyers need the least risky solutions. They can’t afford to make a mistake.

And when it comes to anything with technology, buyers need the most understandable solutions. If they don’t understand the product or service, they will view it as too big a risk to sign on.

This is not surprising considering how much new technology and science is now built into most products and services today. And there’s much more on the way. The US News and World Report’s latest report of top careers shows why.  Nearly every emerging job is in a narrow technical specialty that is exponentially creating knowledge that will need to be understood by untrained buyers.

Capable buyers know they must process technical information that’s flooding in from all sides. To do so they will need more interpreters, advisors and reconcilers who can instill confidence by comfortably explaining how a technical product meets a layman’s objectives.

But from where?

In business it seems there is a widening gap between those who can invent technology and those who buy the results of technology. Large corporations have historically dealt with this challenge by employing specialized staff who were technically educated, could communicate and sell product benefits, and then train a user in how to use them. These “sales engineers” could bridge the widening communications gap. They have always been in great demand.

In small businesses, smart business owners like you have usually served as your firm’s “sales engineer.” But you’ll never grow your business if you are the only sales engineer capable of explaining your product’s and service’s benefits to buyers.

Wrapped in that challenge is an opportunity. You can seize this opportunity if you find and train sales people to sell and communicate like you do – no, even better than you do.  Your sales ability, product knowledge and confidence built your business and its success. Now it is time to pay your knowledge forward.

To profitably grow to the next level, you need to leverage your expertise and experience through your emerging employees. So take the cue of the sales engineer. Take your most empathetic people and enhance their grasp of your products. Or take your technicians who are friendly and communicate well and give them more opportunities to teach, train and sell. Invest in them; work with them. Chances are they won’t be perfectly trained overnight.  They will stumble here and there. But then, you didn’t get to this point in your business overnight, either.

In an environment where more things are being bought by buyers only as needed, the best way to increase your sales and protect your margins is to sell your expertise and improve the experience of your customer. It’s how you convey value and differentiate your company from the competition.

But don’t literally be the only person in your company who can do this. There isn’t enough of you to go around. Teach your staff to do be able to convey benefits and demystify your products.

From Small Business Trends

Secret #1 for Growth: Train Someone to Sell and Communicate Better Than You

There is plenty of news to begin this week both on how impending healthcare reform will affect small business here in the U.S. and about the importance of new wireless regulation. But there are also some important marketing and business tips for the entrepreneur and small business owner of every stripe. Here is our small business news wrap-up for March 15 collected by the Small Business Trends team.

Policy

Will healthcare reform be another headache for your small business? Get out your asprin and check out this consumer guide. Yahoo! News

Government again helping to create jobs? For those who thought small business did this, U.S. Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La. can set you straight. Small Business Trends

Small business and new broadband policy. Could universal Wi-Fi increase your business’s mobility? Yahoo! News

Marketing

Doctors join the world of word-of-mouth marketing…unwillingly. At least one group of small business professionals will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into a new era of customer service. Zane Safrit

Marketing goes Gaga. What the new queen of pop can teach every small business owner about customer loyalty. Church of the Customer Blog

Ingenious e-marketing without a Website. It’s a strategy bricks and mortar businesses of all kinds can consider. FMS SEO Blog

Operations

Dream in Word but live in Excel. The founder of City Winery talks about the importance of balancing practicality with vision. Open Forum Innovation

Entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be a lonely business. How networking and creating relationships can be critical to building your business. Inspire Enterprise

What you don’t know. It’s not easy to come to terms with your own shortcomings. Small Business Community

Tech

Mobile marketing mistakes. What small businesses can learn from big box SMS marketing errors. The Lunch Pail

Why outsourcing doesn’t have to be a dirty word. How to outsource your IT services for smart growth and competitive advantage. Gorilla-Force

Videoconferencing like a rock star. What tips and tricks will make your videoconferencing efforts stand out? Small Biz Bee

Startup

Have you tested your business idea? Here some ideas to determine whether your startup company is worth the time and money? Business Opportunities and Ideas

Planning a software startup? Entrepreneur Dharmesh Shah suggests some of the hottest categories in the field for those getting started. OnStartups

A look at profit & Loss. And why it can only tell you so much about your startup. A VC

From Small Business Trends

Small Business News March 15

Who creates more jobs – young firms or old firms? This is an important question today as policy makers allocate resources to try to reduce high levels of unemployment in this country.

Writing in the Creative Class blog, Professor Zoltan Acs of George Mason University said that there are two stories about age of firms and job creation, one by him and one by Carl Schramm of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Schramm and his colleagues argue that younger firms create more jobs than older ones. Acs and his colleagues argue that older firms create more jobs than younger firms.

In his post, Acs says, “They both can’t be right.” But actually, they can –because of what the studies show and don’t show about the data they examine.

SCHRAMM’S STORY
Referring to a Census Bureau study in an Op Ed in the Wall Street Journal, Schramm and his colleagues write, “according to the Census Bureau, nearly all net job creation in the U.S. since 1980 occurred in firms less than five years old.”

To get this figure Schramm and his colleagues include all job creation by firms of different ages, including that which occurs as a result of firm creation. Below I’ve created a figure from the (latest available year of) Census data to which these authors refer. And, like Schramm and colleagues say, firms aged zero to five are net job creators.

While Schramm and colleagues’ argument is technically correct, it misses a key point about the data, which gives the impression that young firms are greater job creators than their more mature counterparts. The act of firm formation accounts for most of the net job creation in the economy. Separate out firm formation from the operation of young firms and one finds that young firms – those aged one to five – turn out to be net job destroyers. In fact, they destroy more net jobs than older firms. Below, I’ve reconstructed the above figure to show what net job creation looks like by firm age if we separate firm creation from young firms.

ACS’ STORY
In a study conducted for the Small Business Administration, Acs and his colleagues found that the average “high impact” firm – companies that have high sales and high employment growth – was about 25 years old. From this they conclude that older firms are the biggest job creators.

In their analysis Acs and his colleagues looked at how many jobs the firms created or destroyed in the years subsequent to their founding. It’s a perfectly reasonable approach, but it requires leaving aside the job creation that occurs as the result of firm formation.

Below I have created a chart of the Census data I’ve been describing to measure the argument made by Acs and his colleagues– net job creation after firms have been founded. The shows that Acs and colleagues are right, the older firms are the net job creators.

MAKING SENSE OF THE STATS
Schramm and Acs are both right. If we exclude the job creation that occurs through firm formation, then older firms create more jobs than younger firms. If we include the job creation through firm formation as part of young firm job creation, then young firms create more jobs than older firms.

But there is an important caveat. Neither young firms nor old firms account for much net job creation when compared to the amount that comes from firm formation.

Because virtually all net job creation comes from the initial formation of firms, we need to think about why this is the case. The positive interpretation of the numbers is that net job creation comes from the decision of entrepreneurs to create new firms rather than from the continued operation of those firms.

The negative interpretation is that the net job creation from firm formation is just a mathematical artifact. In every year other than the year businesses are founded, companies can destroy jobs as well as create them. But in the founding year, gross job creation and net job creation are the same. Because nothing gets subtracted from gross job creation in the founding year, net job creation is really large for that year.

Whether younger or older firms create more jobs is an important policy question. Unfortunately, the patterns we see from the data are too dependent on our assumptions to tell us the answer.

From Small Business Trends

Entrepreneurial Job Creation Statistics are an Economic Rorschach Test

Is it ever OK to use your retirement savings to fund a business? At one time, tapping into an IRA or 401(k) might be something you would never have considered.  But with a slow economy and clients paying more slowly and capital hard to come by, some have started to think differently.

Seventy-four percent of small-business owners recently surveyed by consulting firm Information Strategies said they would use money from their 401(k) to maintain cash flow or to expand their businesses, Business Week reports.

I find that worrisome — especially if you are over the age of 40.

Let’s look at 3 situations where a 401(k) or IRA might be used for business purposes:

(1) Cashing out a 401(k) or IRA to start or buy a business

I know people who have done this.  Sometimes it works out;  sometimes it doesn’t.   If you are going to close out a 401(k) or IRA account to put it into a new business, you will incur penalties and owe tax.  And if the business doesn’t work out, you could lose the net amount you pulled out, to boot.  Make sure you understand the risks involved with starting a business.  For example, failure rates for new businesses are high.

Discuss the move with your spouse, too, because you are  putting your spouse’s financial future up in the air.  And consider your own personal circumstances.  This tends to be a less risky option for younger people.  Time can be your friend or your enemy, depending on your age.  If you have more working years ahead of you than behind you, you still have time to accumulate funds for retirement later on.  If you are past the age of 40, however, retirement time may arrive before your bank balance is ready for it.

(2) Closing a 401(k) or taking out a loan against it, to meet your operating expenses

This use of a 401(k) can get particularly dicey.  CPA Sandy Abalos, quoted in Business Week, says she sees more and more small-business owners using retirement money– something she never used to see. “Every single one of those I’ve seen use it all ended up in bankruptcy,” cautions Abalos, who says you should never use retirement funds to prop up a business that’s losing money. If you are considering tapping retirement funds, she recommends having your accountant honestly assess your business’s chances for survival — because if you’re desperate to keep the business afloat, you might not be making the smartest choices.

Your business doesn’t have to be in desperate straits to consider tapping retirement money. Other entrepreneurs are using these funds as a stopgap solution when the overall business is strong, but a few clients are slow to pay. It’s possible to borrow from an IRA without penalties as long as you pay it back within 60 days. Of course, you need to be sure the client is going to pay you within that time frame.  And remember, a lot can change in 60 days, and you may not be able to pay the retirement account back.

(3) Investing a self-directed retirement account into your business

A far more complex option some entrepreneurs use is moving money from their retirement funds to a firm that enables self-directed investments — so you can invest it in your own business instead. Pensco, Guidant Financial and Trust Administration Services are among the companies that can help you do this.

However, the IRS frowns upon such arrangements, calling them a “scheme” and referring to them as “ROBS” (that should tell you something right there!)  in an advisory issued by the IRS in late 2008. (See the IRS advisory here — PDF file.)

All I will say about this option is that it’s fraught with legal pitfalls if you do not follow the IRS rules and regs to a T.  As this article by the Barefoot Accountant on AccountingWeb points out:

“The consequences of entering into any prohibited transactions and of carelessly setting up a ROBS are staggering penalties of 110% or more of the amounts involved in the transactions or the roll over itself.”

Plus, you could be flagging yourself for a tax audit.  Check with your accountant and/or attorney before going the self-directed retirement route.

Have you ever tapped retirement funds for business purposes, either for starting up or to keep your business afloat? What has your experience been?

If you haven’t used a retirement fund, would you consider doing so?

From Small Business Trends

Should You Tap Into Your Retirement Account to Fund Your Business?

As Spring finally shows signs of taking hold in the northern hemisphere, there are lots of great events coming up. There’s one that I’ve personally been working very hard on – the Small Business Summit on March 16th. I’ve got a few free tickets for readers of this column, so if you’ll be in the NYC area next Tuesday click here quick to register before they’re gone.

This list of events, conferences and webinars for growing small businesses and entrepreneurs is brought to you twice a month as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.
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* * * * *

GROWCO Grow Your Company Conference
March 14-16, 2010, Orlando, FL

In 2010, Inc.’s GROWCO Conference pulls together a dynamic program with a curriculum designed specifically for the nation’s rising entrepreneurial stars, including smaller organizations that want to make an appearance on the Inc. 5000 and Inc. 5000 honorees that want to break into the higher ranks of the list or repeat their success in years to come. High-profile growth experts teach seminars that will give attendees actionable information with which to develop or maintain their own growth initiative. Cost is $895.

Fifth Annual Small Business Summit
March 16, 2010, New York

The Summit is for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to meet the challenges of the new economy head-on and THRIVE in 2010. The theme this year is Business & Technology: Strategies for the New Economy.

We have some incredible speakers lined up for this year’s Summit, including Seth Godin, who will be talking about being indispensable to your customers. The Summit is always about generating great ideas from some of the best talent in the business world, but also about networking, making profitable connections and having fun.

New this year is the Small Business Strategy Award. One attendee will be recognized for entrepreneurial strategic excellence that has led to significant increased profits, expanded market and/or improved market position.

Western Regional Business Matchmaking
March 16, 2010, Los Angeles, CA

The Business Matchmaking Western Regional Face-to-Face Event will be hosted at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel located in Los Angeles, CA on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Participating firms will receive advance education and tools to prepare for face-to-face meetings with buyers from federal, state and local government agencies and major corporations.

* Individual business counseling and guidance provided by SCORE, SBDC and other resource partners
* Access to the Business Matchmaking System in advance of the event to be matched with participating procurement representatives and setting a schedule for appointments with buyers
* Face-to-Face meetings with procurement representatives of federal, state and local government agencies and major corporations
* Small business specific and topical workshops available throughout event day
* Exhibits and networking with regional small business resources including access to capital, SBA loans, insurance, federal qualification requirements, women and minority business tools, certification, etc.
* On-site Internet access and email capabilities provided at the HP Tech Center
* Access to representatives from private sector co-sponsors for information about their companies

Bizmore Webinar: Social Media 101
March 16, 2010, 11:00am PST

Learn how to market your products and services on The Big 3 Social Networks: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter; attract new customers and generate more business. Scott K. Wilder, the former head of Intuit’s Small Business Community website, will show you how.

As a bonus, webinar attendees will receive a free copy of Wilder’s must-read Marketing Menu for Achieving Success on The Big 3.

How to Sell: Establishing Your Unique Selling Proposition
March 17, 2010, 12pm ET, Webinar

Presented by: John W. Heinrich, President of The Solutions Forum and Chief Mentor of The International School of Entrepreneurship
It is critical to have a unique selling proposition (USP). Otherwise, why would a potential customer buy from you rather than a competitor? If you don’t have one, you’ll be forced into competing on price, with adverse effects on profits and close ratios. It is also imperative to focus on the mechanics of how many cold calls, appointment and closes you need to increase sales. You’ll learn:
- How to establish a USP
- How to properly qualify customers, so that productivity is maximized
- How to work backwards from closes through appointments to cold calls to INCREASE BUSINESS
- How to improve sales through qualification of customers
- How to set up the metrics to increase your business

2010 Mega Mixer Business Expo
March 18, 2010, Rye, NY

The Business Council of Westchester (BCW) will hold its annual Mega Mixer Business Expo at the Hilton Rye Town hotel in Rye, New York from 2:00 to 6:00 pm on March 18. The event is expected to draw 1,500 attendees from Westchester and beyond and feature 200 exhibitors in more than 70 different industries.
Features a Green Aisle of eco-friendly companies, Speaker’s Spot of short expert seminars, and Mega Samplers array of food and drink samples throughout the day.

Marketing Up: Finding Clients with Real Budgets
March 18, 2010

Ask a creative how they get their clients and most will say, “Through word of mouth.” But word of mouth doesn’t always bring the clients you want. You know, the ones with budgets to afford your services. The alternative to word of mouth is a Marketing Machine: a structured campaign through which you actively pursue the prospects of your choosing with the most effective, and least expensive, marketing tools.

In this Teleclass, you will learn:
* How to research (and where to find) the right prospects
* How to choose the right prospects
* How to reach out to the right prospects

E-3…Engage, Empower, Energize
March 18, 2010, Newark, NJ

A no charge full-day conference for experienced business women seeking to grow their businesses. Breakouts, individual consulting, “Pitch-it” contest, keynotes, etc. This will be at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and will include breakfast and lunch. Sponsored by New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners’ Women’s Business Center.

How to Present Your Business Plan
March 18, 2010, Providence, RI

This interactive presentation will feature two veteran business developers who have worked with companies throughout New England on growth, turnaround, and acquisition strategies. This workshop is part of a series leading up to the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition starting in April 2010.

Astoundingly Simple Secrets to Making Social Media Work for You
March 23, 2010, Webinar

Can you really turn garden-variety online acquaintances into a supportive network who will help you spread a message or build a career? Do social media sites like Facebook and Twitter offer the opportunity to extend your brand and message or are they just a colossal time-suck?

Learn the ins and outs of social media, where it intersects with old-school marketing, and how you can use them in tandem to build your network, strengthen your personal brand, and spread the word about your business to the people who need to hear it. You will learn how to come up with your core marketing message, translate it into the language of social media, and evaluate which social networking sites will work best for you.

The Mobile Office with Ramon Ray: Productivity Anywhere!
March 24, 2010, 10:00AM PT, Webinar

Navigating the technology acronym soup of mobile technology can be daunting these days, not to mention expensive if you don’t make smart decisions around your technology and service choices. You will learn about mobile technology and how to simply safeguard your very important business information.

Social Reputation Management: Protecting and Strengthening Your Brand Across the Social Web
March 24, 2010, New York City

This conference that will share the best case studies on how communicators and marketers listen to conversations, monitor and comprehend what is being said, and engage through the social web. The case studies will be followed by moderated interactive roundtables. Use promo code SBT to receive a discounted rate of $155.

Brooklyn Business Expo 2010
March 24, 2010, Brooklyn, NY

The Brooklyn Business Expo 2010 will bring together the brightest business leaders from the most dynamic companies throughout Brooklyn and the adjoining counties.

The Brooklyn Business Expo 2010 provides an environment for businesses to enhance their relationships, research the market for the leading products and services, and learn about the latest best business practices. This will be the largest biz-to-biz expo in Brooklyn.

The Stimulus Package: Update 2010
March 24, 2010, Brooklyn, NY

This seminar, moderated by CNN contributor and president of Optimum Capital Management, Ryan Mack, is designed to show you how you can still benefit from stimulus funds. Panelists include Ann Kayman, CEO at New York Grant Company; Bruce Niswander, director of the Office of Innovation, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship at Polytechnic Institute of NYU; and Michael Williams, dean at the Graduate School of Business at Touro College who will discuss the following:

* The Stimulus Program: What’s the impact on the economy so far?
* How can I still benefit from the Stimulus bill?
* How will the government’s proposed three-year spending freeze effect small business and how can businesses plan now?
* What are smart, “hidden” ways that businesses can save more money in the “new” economy?

MarketingSherpa’s Email Marketing Essentials Workshop Training
Multi-City Tour

Theory works well in a classroom, but how does it translate in the real world? What makes MarketingSherpa’s Email Marketing Essentials Workshop unique is our trusted Case Study approach to learning. Using Case Studies and research as a basis, every tactic discussed during the course has been proven. This one-day workshop is based on MarketingSherpa’s Best Practices in Email Marketing Handbook. You’ll receive a FREE copy ($497 value) to be used as your textbook during the course that you can take back to your office for future reference. Use it as your on-the-job reference guide to build a ‘best in class’ email program that will meet and exceed your marketing goals. Register now to get $100 off regular price of $995.

March 25 , New York City
April 6, Philadelphia, PA
April 20, Washington, DC
May 11, Denver, CO
May 13, Seattle, WA
June 21, Chapel Hill, NC
June 25, Atlanta, GA
July 20, Minneapolis, MN
August 10, San Diego, CA
August 13, Phoenix, AZ

Growing Profits and Revenue with Low Cost Tech Tools
March 30, 2010, 2:00pm ET, Webinar

Email marketing is one of the most cost effective ways for businesses to stay in touch with customers and build long-lasting and profitable relationships.This is great news for small and growing businesses, who need to get their messages directly to targeted audiences.

This webinar will break down a real case study of how one small business slashed their marketing costs and skyrocketed their results, and translate their success into solid steps on how you can do the same. Featuring Melanie Attia, Product Marketing Manager for Campaigner and Elaine Bolle, Chief Marketing Officer for Clinical Research Site Training.

The Technology of Collaboration with John Jantsch
March 31, 2010, 10:00AM PT, Webinar

Small business has become less about building and selling and more about collaborating and engaging. In this session you’ll learn about a growing and changing suite of tools that any small business can tap to work more effectively and efficiently with your entire collaboration universe including:

• Prospects
• Customers
• Suppliers
• Advisors
• Partners
• Competitors

New York Entrepreneur Week
April 12-16, 2010

New York Entrepreneur Week (NYEW) is a non-profit movement formed around a single belief: entrepreneurs change the world. And now is the time for entrepreneurs who have the will and drive to prove they can achieve anything, to stand up and come together in New York State for another groundbreaking NYEW event.

With over 100 speakers from 40 cities, 15 states and 3 continents, NYEW unites the state’s diverse entrepreneurial community; giving you the opportunity to connect with and learn from New York’s best and brightest entrepreneurs who are relentless, driven and dedicated to improving your business and the economy. View the full agenda here.

New York Entrepreneur Week encompasses five days of innovative and hyper-targeted events, including:

* Inspiring keynote speeches from recognized business leaders
* Riveting panels delivering relevant mission-critical advice
* The flagship RELENTLESS business plan competition

10 PAGE BUSINESS PLAN DESIGN WORKSHOP
April 16, 2010, New York City

This workshop enables leaders to prepare Complete, Convincing and Compelling business plans to obtain grants, VC and corporate finance, partners and customers for start ups, spin-outs and expansions. We leverage the ‘10 PAGE BUSINESS PLAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK’™ built on a proven track record of raising over $300 million of financing.

140 Characters Conference
April 20-21, 2010, New York City

The 140 Characters Conference: New York City (#140conf) provides a platform for the worldwide twitter community to: listen, connect, share and engage with each other, while collectively exploring the effects of the emerging real-time internet on business.

The format at the #140conf events is unique. Individual talks are 5 and 10 minutes, keynotes are 15 and 20 minutes and panel discussions are no more than 20 minutes. During the course of the two days more than 140 people will share the stage in about 70 sessions.
“Early Bird” registration of $100 ends on March 5th.

OSDBU Procurement Conference – Procurement Matchmaking
April 21, 2010, Chantilly, VA

The 20th Annual OSDBU Procurement Conference is a national conference fostering business partnerships between the Federal Government, its Prime Contractors, and small, minority, service-disabled veteran-owned, veteran-owned, HUBZone, and women-owned businesses. More info and registration here.

New Marketing Experience 2010
April 13, 2010, San Francisco, CA

Imagine a world where you can take your One Big Idea™ and tap over 100 other participating conference attendee and experts and each of their One Big Ideas. All in a structured, fast-paced and highly interactive one-day program under the direction of Chris Brogan and the team from New Marketing Labs.

Unlike other programs, this event will facilitate you working directly with your peers in a group of 15-20 professionals to explore in detail the topics covered in the program. In addition, each attendee will leave with one book from the conference with all of the big ideas from the attendees as well as the results of the deep dives on the topics discussed.

Michigan Celebrates Small Business
April 29, 2010

Michigan Celebrates Small Business is a premier annual program to recognize entrepreneurs and small business supporters in a variety of categories. The program is a cooperative effort of the U.S. Small Business Administration – Michigan, the Small Business Association of Michigan, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center and the Edward Lowe Foundation.

The 11th Annual Department of Energy Small Business Conference & Expo
May 10-12, 2010, Atlanta, GA

The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, is proud to present The 11th Annual DOE Small Business Conference & Expo, at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA, May 10-12, 2010.

The event will feature plenaries, educational workshops, an Exhibit Hall with 200+ exhibitors/sponsors, as well as business matchmaking sessions. Over 1,600 attendees will represent all levels of federal, state, and local government agencies, the small business community, large/prime contractors, and many more!

Working Capital Executive Breakfast
May 13, 2010, Dallas, TX

The No. 1 concern for businesses in today’s credit crisis is liquidity. Register for our Complimentary Executive Breakfast and find out how you can generate working capital to keep your company viable and grow. During the briefing, you will learn how to:

* Increase liquidity in as little as 24 hours
* Take control of your working capital management
* Lower your cost of capital through a competitive marketplace
* Protect your business from increasing DSOs
* Secure financing that is less restrictive than traditional bank financing

Small Business Social Media Summit
June 4-6, 2010

Social media for small businesses presented by people using social media successfully in their business. Affordable summit JUST for the small business. Go home with a social media plan.

Creative Freelancer Conference
June 5-6, 2010

The Creative Freelancer Conference is the first and only full-scale business conference for self-employed creative professionals. The goal? To help you maximize your freelance income by sharing best business practices and sage advice from seasoned solopreneurs who’ve learned through experience what works, and what doesn’t. The program is geared toward freelance graphic designers, copywriters, illustrators and photographers, as well as solo practitioners of interactive, interior and industrial design. Anyone who makes a living selling creative services on a freelance basis (or would like to) will benefit.

eBay Developers Conference
June 8-10, 2010

At eBay DevCon 2010, the company will provide a myriad of ways for the eBay developer community to learn and interact with one another and with eBay team members and industry experts.
DevCon attendees will learn how to harness the power of eBay, the world’s largest online marketplace, in an exciting, engaging, three-day event that will include panels, technical labs, keynote addresses and “birds of a feather” groups where developers who build similar applications or use similar code can exchange ideas.

eBay DevCon 2010 is the 9th annual event, and allows eBay to listen to developers’ needs and provide the tools they need to create, market and grow their businesses.

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 Events & Contests Submission Form (We do not charge a fee to be included in this listing — it is completely free to list your event.) Only events of interest to small business people, freelancers and entrepreneurs will be considered and included.

From Small Business Trends

Small Business Summits, Webinars, and Conferences

I first heard about John Warrillow’s “Built to Sell: Turn Your Business into One You Can Sell” from Anita Campbell.  She had gotten her hands on a super-early preview copy (still spiral bound) and had stayed up all night reading it.  She was so excited about this book, that I begged her to give it to me so I could take a peek too.

Well, I finally got my very own hard-back copy in the mail last week.  Now I can finally tell you all about this short, easy and entertaining book that will get you thinking more profitably about your business.

“Built to Sell” is actually an allegory-style business novel.  Personally, I like these kinds of books.  I have an interactive learning style and reading a book that gets me involved in the characters really helps me to integrate the lessons in the book.  It’s almost like taking a spoonful of sugar to get the medicine to go down. 

“Built to Sell” Is More About Building Systems Than Selling Your Business

“Built to Sell” almost reminds me of Michael Gerber’s “The E Myth” series.  When I first picked it up I thought that it didn’t apply to me – because I don’t want to create a franchise, nor do I want to sell my business.  But those frameworks are just there to teach me the much bigger and more profitable lesson that a systematized, turnkey business is not only more valuable in the marketplace, but more fun, easier to manage and less stressful than the alternative.

The primary purpose of any business is to make money.  Another goal for  many is to support a balanced life for the owner – and for the employees of that business.  “Built to Sell” will guide you through the process of creating a business model and system that allows you to do exactly that – create a business and not just busy-work.

Is “Built to Sell” Autobiographical?

John Warrillow is an entrepreneur.  He’s started and sold four companies, so he knows a thing or two about what it takes to build and sell a business.  As soon as you start reading the book, you’ll see that it isn’t really autobiographical.  It’s an amalgam of John’s experiences and the lessons he’s learned over time.

In fact, don’t make the mistake that I did and focus on the “story” part of this book.   There are details in the book; such as the fact that Alex, the main character, was able to sell a logo package for $10,000.  That completely spun me out because I’ve never run into a small business that was eager to spend $1,000 for a logo, let alone $10,000!  But that ISN’T the point.

It’s Not About the Service – It’s About the System

“Built to Sell” succeeds in teaching a most valuable lesson: it’s not about the service, it’s about the system.  Running a business without a turnkey process and system is like taking a 300 pound dog for a walk.  Who’s walking whom?

In the story our hero, Alex Stapleton, owns an advertising and design firm.  He is a “victim” of his business.  He has clients that jerk him around and don’t pay on time.  He loses sleep wondering how he’s going to pay his staff.  He doesn’t always like the projects he gets.  And, just when he’s sure he’s going to make a change – life hands him the opportunity of a life time.  Will he take on a client that’s handing him lots of money for work not in his area of strength or will he stick to the lessons he’s learned and build a life and a business and not just his top line.

Ted’s Tips For Building a System.

Ted Gordon is Alex’s mentor.  Ted has bought and sold several companies and he holds the key to Alex getting everything he wants out of the business.

Here are just a few tips that I got from the character “Ted”:

• “Being a generalist forces you to hire generalists and your offering will be average at best.”
• “If you run a service business that’s highly dependent on a single client who depends on you personally to tend to their account and you compete with a lot of other players who provide similar services – your business is virtually worthless.  Make sure that no one client comprises more than 15% of your revenue.”
• Define your service as if it were a product.  “Productize it”  That means that you describe your unique service process as features that are unique to you.
• If you’re selling a product, you can create a flat fee as a price and get paid up-front.
• “Prove that you’re serious about specialization by turning down work that falls outside your standard service.”

I could go on and on because there are many wonderful, practical, easily implementable tips in this book.

Read “Built to Sell” For Sanity and Profits

It might seem counter-intuitive to you to actually focus on a tighter service offering when the economy is on a downward spiral.  But the message of focus, specialization and systems that Warrillow preaches is spot on.

If you’re currently running a service business that totally depends on your being there, then you have a lot to learn from reading this book.  Implement just a few basic principles and you will see immediate improvement in your profitability and your sanity as well.

Pick up “Built to Sell” and by this time next year – you will have your very own money machine!

From Small Business Trends

How “Built to Sell” Could Help You Become a Millionaire

There’s plenty of news for small business owners out there as innovations change the market and hard times yield unusual opportunities. Keep a perspective with our regular selection of small business news exclusively gathered by the Small Business Trends team Monday through Friday in our small business roundup. Here are the news items and blogs we’re watching today.

Leadership

Small business in the driver’s seat? In hard economic times when statistics show small businesses may be the answer, it’s time to step up. Tom Raducha’s Blog

Nothing happens without a vision. And usually it doesn’t come from the people who fit in. Open Forum Innovation

Improving your international business skills. Here are 21 tips for the small business planning to go global. Cindy King

Marketing

In search of a do-it-yourself marketing guide. Why asking good questions can sometimes also be the perfect answer. DIY Marketers

Save your money. 10 ways to avoid paying way too much on your marketing campaign. Entrepreneur.com

What are they saying about your business? Why testimonials remain one of the most powerful forms of marketing and why you need to cultivate them. NJ Entrepreneur

Seeing is believing. How virtual tours can boost an e-mail marketing campaign. Understanding Marketing

Public Relations

Learning from the pros. Avoid these four major screwups when doing PR for your own small business. The Netsetter

Publicizing your local small business online. Following even 25 percent of the 51 tips on this list is guaranteed to get you noticed.  Softline Solutions

Social Media

Enhancing LinkedIn for your business. Here are 11 tips to make a positive impact with the premier business social network. Paul Castain’s Sales Playbook

Adding value to your Tweets. How to up the ante when using social media to market your small business. The Rise To The Top

How Twitter and Facebook are affecting your search engine ranking. If you aren’t taking into the impact of social media on your online business reputation, you are missing an opportunity. SysComm International

Humor

It’s either the world’s best or worst franchise idea. Now all we’ve got to do is figure out whether Joel Libava is kidding or not. Franchise Follies

Policy

More doubt cast on small business aid program. Not only will a government plan to stimulate small business hiring not work but its delay is probably costing jobs and growth right now. The Entrepreneurial Mind

Show me the money. A year after a $787 billion stimulus package aimed at rebuilding the economy, a report says most small businesses haven’t seen any funding. Reuters

From Small Business Trends

Small Business News March 12, 2010

Part of me is always on the lookout for words, phrases, or situations I might use in a cartoon.

After so many years it’s not even a conscious thing anymore. It’s just always there below the surface, and occasionally something trips my cartoon radar and I jot it down.

I remember hearing a business story on the radio and the phrase “costs are skyrocketing” popped out at me. It’s so common that you generally ignore it, but “skyrocketing,” when examined more closely, opens up a lot of opportunities, like the cartoon above.

From Small Business Trends

Costs Are Skyrocketing