We have some great speakers with Keynotes by Chris Anderson and Virginia Senator Mark R. Warner for the GrowSmartBiz Conference.

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia

Senator Warner was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2008, and serves on the Senate’s Banking, Budget, Commerce and Rules committees. He served as Governor of Virginia from 2002-2006 after spending 20 years as a business leader in the high-tech industry. He also is the co-founder of telecommunications firm Nextel Communications, now known as Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S).

“Senator Warner has been a well-known leader in the high-tech industry for more than 20 years,” said Melina Formisano, vice president of marketing at Network Solutions. “He will provide GrowSmartBiz Conference attendees with a unique perspective due to his vast experiences.”

Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine and best selling author of “Long Tail” and “Free”

For those of you not familiar with Chris, he is editor-in-chief of Wired, where he wrote an article in the magazine entitled The Long Tail , which he expanded upon in the book “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More“ (2006).

Recently, Geoff Livingston of CRT/Tanaka and “The Buzz Bin” and myself had the opportunity to speak with Chris Anderson about his new book “FREE: The Future of a Radical Price” and the impact these business model have on small businesses.

The Grow Smart Biz conference is a premier one-day event featuring renowned small business leaders and well-known industry experts. I will be giving a short presentation on “10 Rules of Killer Business Cards” and guarantee that will be funny and informative. If you haven’t registered, then click here to learn more and register now. Tickets are going fast!

Take  a look at this video interview where she not only talks about Small Business success stories using new media and also the reasons why you should attend the GrowSmartBiz conference.

This all day conference will take place on Tuesday, September 29^th at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. Chris Anderson, the Editor from Wired magazine and renowned author of The Long Tail, will be the keynote speaker discussing the concept of thriving through freeconomics—what business models look like when free has emerged as a full-fledge economy. We are also honored that Senator Mark Warner will be attending the conference as a special guest speaker, sharing his personal lessons learned as an entrepreneur turned state legislator. In addition, we have a number of other notable speakers lined up. You can learn more about what is in store at this link–there’s a full agenda and a list of speakers.

The conference is positioned to focus on actionable items that small business owners can take to improve their business. We will have industry experts sharing their experiences and providing advice on innovative marketing ideas, raising capital, and insight into the mystery of social media. There will be plenty of networking time and all attendees will receive a bag of useful business resources including a free domain name from Network Solutions, Free Business Planning Software from Palo Alto Software, a copy of Chris Anderson’s book, and actionable tips that business owners can begin working on for tangible results.

The registration fee is normally $299, but if you use the discount code — POWERGSB — your cost is only $99/attendee. This is a one-day conference you won’t want to miss, so click here now to register for only $99: www.tinyurl.com/gsbiz

Network Solutions® is pleased to announce Jill Foster of DC Media Makers, Terri Holley of Creative Blog Solutions, Brent Leary of  CRM Essentials, Danilo Bogdanovic of Loudoun Scene and Joanna Pineda of Matrix Group will address this topic as the panelists for the Integrating Traditional Marketing with Social Media session at the GrowSmartBiz Conference.

Attendees will learn what social media is and gain a better understanding of social media tools. Learn how blogs can help showcase your expertise, how to harness brand advocates through social networks such as FaceBook© and Twitter, and where customer service fits into the social media world. Additionally, attendees will be able to determine whether or not social media can help market their business and, if so, what steps they need to take to develop and integrate a social media strategy that aligns with their current marketing efforts.

In addition this topic and to Wired Editor-in-Chief and author Chris Anderson’s keynote, the conference also will focus on the following topics:
•    Driving Small Business Performance with Marketing & Innovation
•    Raising Capital with Effective Finance Strategies
•    Stay Ahead in the Current Economy

The GrowSmartBiz Conference will be held on September 29, 2009, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event was created to highlight the findings from the Small Business Success Index (SBSI) – an ongoing measurement of the overall health of small businesses commissioned by the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and Network Solutions, and to provide small businesses with tips, information and network opportunities that will help small businesses thrive in the current economy. The conference will focus on key areas of business that small businesses view as critical to their success according to the 1,500 small businesses that were interviewed for the Small Business Success Index.

For more information or to register for the event, visit the GrowSmartBiz Conference site. Don’t forget to turn in your small business success story for the chance to have it posted on the GrowSmartBusiness Blog and to receive FREE admission to the GrowSmartBiz Conference. For more details visit: http://growsmartbsuiness.com.

These panelists will share their marketing tips, tricks and secrets; and discuss how they have developed and executed successful marketing campaigns and strategies; and provide insight on overcoming obstacles by focusing on innovation.

In addition to this topic and to Wired Editor-in-Chief and author Chris Anderson’s keynote, the conference will also focus on the following topics:
•    Raising Capital with Effective Finance Strategies
•    Stay Ahead in the Current Economy
•    Integrating Traditional Marketing with Social Media

The GrowSmartBiz Conference will be held on September 29 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event was created as a result of the Small Business Success Index (SBSI) – an ongoing measurement of the overall health of small businesses commissioned by the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and Network Solutions. The conference will focus on key areas of business that small businesses view as critical to their success.

For more information or to register for the event, visit the GrowSmartBiz Conference site.  Don’t forget to turn in your small business success story for the chance to have it posted on the GrowSmartBusiness Blog and to receive FREE admission to the GrowSmartBiz Conference. For more details visit: http://growsmartbusiness.com.

Additionally, we ask the attendees and the small business community to suggest and select one of the panel sessions for the conference. To add your idea and/or to vote, visit: http://growsmartbiz.ideascale.com/.

Stay tuned, more details to come!

To register, visit GrowSmartBiz Conference. Do it by July 31^st, and you’ll save $100!

“You can only choose one. Which one do you want,” she asked.

The boy chose the one that directly in front of him. The one he could easily reach out to and take without any fear. He was eager to tear open the pages of whatever adventure awaited beneath the cover.

“That one?  Are you sure?”

He nodded and they were off. I don’t know if he ever enjoyed the comic, but I saw, for that moment, he was completely confident and excited about his choice.

Right then and there, I had my topic.

The rush hour of small business marketing.
With so many people reaching out for your prospective clients’ attention, it’s getting harder and harder to see yourself as the clear choice.  It is easy to get overwhelmed with choosing where to advertise, how to cast the widest net, and what your message will be to get their attention.  It can be frustrating with every niche item salesman suggesting what bit of swag will be sure to lure in that potential client, the local print shop touting the latest sale on brochures and postcards, networking events crowded with the same people over and over again, and yet have you noticed what you want…seems to be right where you need it?

I’m not advocating you ditch any of the tools above, but simply recognize them for what they are. They are tools and avenues to get you to the next prospective client.  But if these avenues are backed up with rush hour like traffic fighting for attention, why would you take them? Because they are safe bets? Because everyone is doing it? Because you are a bit afraid to feel like you wasted your all ready limited resources on an unproven tactic?

But what if you take these choices and you end up with a closet full of key chains, boxes of never seen brochures, and networking events where you end up collecting the same business cards from the same people just on different days?  Isn’t THAT a waste of your valuable all ready limited resource?

Be where you’ll get the most eyes.
Instead of trying to create tactics and plans that brings them to you, try getting out and going to them.  Seriously, go where your future long term customers will be. It could feel awkward at first, but if you’re the first person to tap the well of uninterrupted visibility then you’ve got nothing to loose.

The best example I’ve seen of this was just yesterday at an office where I am doing some contracting.  In their kitchen, right on the refrigerator door, was an advertisement for a Babysitter.  The design was clean, clear, and simple.  There was a pocket, made of folded paper, stapled to it with business cards sticking out. The business cards were even clearer than the flyer. They simply read, in a welcoming font,

“Nicole.
Babysitter.”

And below that were her phone number and email.

This wasn’t done in an off the shelf font, but it was neatly presented and easy to read. No fluff designs or overly wordy content. The business card laden flyer was close to eye level with anyone going to get their lunch.

Nicole tapped a market of an office made up of probably 60% of her chosen clients. She went right to where she would get the most eyes on her services.

Needless to say, I’ve seen Nicole’s simple business card holder refilled at least twice since the advertisement went up.

Be brave with your limited resources.
Don’t be afraid to take chances once in a while. Get out there and go after your prospective clients with the same excitement you started your business.  After all, they are your clients after all, right?  Instead of the next tried and true moderately successful “everyone’s seen it, done it, and got the t-shirt from it” tactic, get a little creative with your limited resources.

If you’re an auto detailing company, offer to wash cars in the parking lot of your local office building for free in exchange for letting people know about your services.  If you’re a business coach, give away coupons for a free session at a networking event for small business owners.  If you’re an author with a new book to peddle, go to where your reader will be and give out free sample chapters of your book with info on where to get the rest of the great, amazing best seller to be. What ever it is that you do, be bold, be creative and be fearless in whatever your marketing endeavor will be.  Failures will happen, but successes will as well.  Be more focused on the later and conscious of what caused the former.

If you’re wondering, yes, I’ve seen the aforementioned suggestions done, but those business owners wanted the clients and weren’t afraid to take a calculated risk to reap a little long term reward.

But the real question is…are you?

As all ways…stay wicked.

"How Healthy is Your Business" Panel

On May 8th, 2009, Network Solutions Sr. Director, Legal & Business Affairs, Raj Malik was on the panel, “How Healthy Is Your Business” at the 2009 Business Summit and Expo. He moderated a panel that covered how businesses are coping with the current economy and what steps are they taking to . Panelists also included:  Horace McCormick, HGM Management Technology, Matt Voorhees, President & CEO, AnyBill, Inc. and Byron Lindley, District Manager, Paychex.

Here are some highlights from what the panelists covered during the session:

1) Companies need to look inside and do everything possible from IT, hiring, operations and customer service to prepare for the eventual recovery that is going to come soon. Companies that take steps to prepare themselves like hiring wisely (and using non traditional sources like Craigslist), investing wisely in internal operations and cutting wasteful costs will come out ahead and be best suited for growth.

2) During the downturn in the economy, companies have increasingly discovered tools to cut marketing, HR and payroll costs. They have done this by using social media tools (blogs, Twitter and Facebook) for marketing while also outsourcing key areas by using technology like accounts payable software from AnyBill and payroll software from Paychex to increase efficiency and productivity.

3) Companies during this time should take the opportunity to visit their customers to see how your customers are doing and reconnect with them. By getting a closer relationship with your customers that will help you better serve them now and especially down the road when they may buy more from your company.

4) Take steps right now to audit internal systems such as corporate compliance, HR, data infrastructure, payroll and tax reporting and finance operations. If there are ways to locate risks and inefficiencies, now is the time to identify and address these risks and inefficiencies to protect the company and cut unneeded costs to make the company even more competitive. Failure to make these assessments, either internally or by bringing in an outside subject matter expert to conduct an audit, can leave your company open to risk that may only increase over time.

5) The new administration may be an activist administration from the marketing (FTC), payroll (IRS), HR (Dept. Of Labor/EEOC) and accounting (SEC) standpoint so precautions should be taken to ensure compliance with various state and federal regulations.

6) The media storm is overblown to some extent about the overall weakness in business. Taken action when needed while also being practical and realistic. An optimistic viewpoint, which is inherent in small business ownership,  will help you push on to growth for your business.

Let us know any of your thoughts or comment on how you are dealing with this ecomony as a small business.

This event was moderated by Network Solutions CEO, Roy Dunbar and included a stellar panel of small business owners and experts to discuss a range of topics covering current small business trends, the challenges and success stories of these entrepreneurs and some sage advice for those currently in business or thinking of starting one.

Our panelists included:

Kristina Bouweiri, CEO of Reston Limo, the largest independent limousine service in the Washington D.C. area

Anita Campbell, Editor of Small Business Trends

Tom Heath, Columnist, The Washington Post’s Value Added

Kelly Muccio, Founder of Lost Boys, a fashionable clothing store recently featured in the Wall Street Journal

Surfy Rahman, Co-owner of Indique, a popular DC-area restaurant chain.

Tom Heath, Columnist, The Washington Post’s Value Added

If you want to watch the event, you can watch below on-demand or see it on our Mogulus channel, http://www.mogulus.com/networksolutions

ADDITIONAL COOL STUFF: To embed the player on your site:

1.) The video above has a cool little button next to the power button called “EMBED” – CLICK IT.

2.) Select the size of the player that works for your web page/blog page

3.) Click the copy button that applies to your site

4.) Paste it on your site

5.) Tell EVERYONE!

Here are the details:

Some talented business thinkers, leaders, movers-and-shakers are headed to the Internet near you!

Ideas will soar at this event (and you’re invited).

(image by Jody Art, Creative Commons)

Small business success, brainstorms, and you

At the end of this month, Grow Smart Business – a new Network Solutions blog, resource hub, and home to the Small Business Success Index – hosts its first webinar.

The What:
In the new economy, U.S. small businesses continue to struggle with the most significant aspects of operations: Capital access and marketing. In fact, the Small Business Success Index grades America’s small businesses at a D- in finance and a C- in marketing (compared to an A- in customer service).

Learn from the risks taken, lessons learned, and success attained from a great webinar panel. Join entrepreneurs and business leaders for this free, live webcast. And get a chance to learn from their experience in securing capital and deciding their approach to marketing.

The When:
On Thursday, April 30 from 2-3pm ET, Network Solutions will host the GrowSmartBusiness Webinar to help small business owners learn from the success of others. Join our all-star line-up of entrepreneurs and experts for this free, live webcast. They’ll discuss tips for overcoming challenges to marketing strategy and capital access.

The Who:
Roy Dunbar, CEO of Network Solutions, will host the conversation. And the speakers include:

Kristina Bouweiri, CEO of Reston Limo, the largest independent limousine service in the Washington D.C. area

Anita Campbell, Editor of Small Business Trends

Kelly Muccio, Founder of Lost Boys, a fashionable clothing store recently featured featured in the Wall Street Journal

Surfy Rahman, Co-owner of Indique, a popular DC-area restaurant chain.

Don’t walk just run to register!
Visit http://growsmartbusiness.eventbrite.com.

A Few Small Business Gems from Solutions Are Power:

• 15-Part Series Writing a Business Plan
• 15-Part Series on Writing a Marketing Plan
• Our ongoing “Rules for Entrepreneurs” Series

A Few Small Business Gems Women Grow Business:

• CEO Marissa Levin on valuing good personal credit & starting her business with a $50,000 Costco line of credit;
• Small Business Trends and the top (10) outsourcing decisions trending in small business;
• Truly Amazing Women blog interviews Kristina Bouweiri, discussing leadership and turning lemons into lemonade.

1.       What do you think is the most challenging aspect of raising capital for a small business?
You first need to convince the lender/investor that you have a real business that is something more than just an idea. That you have a plan for making money (or more money), that you are reliable and have good values. How will the business make or grow profits? Are you controlling costs? What are the barriers to entry? What is your reputation? Do you live within your means? If you have cheated on your taxes, you will cheat on your investors.

READ the rest of the interview at Grow Smart Business…

IN THE MEAN TIME….

Register for the GrowSmartBusiness Webinar at www.growsmartbusiness.com/webinar.

Find out YOUR marketing and finance score by taking the survey – your results will be benchmarked against the Small Business Success Index.