1. Get an opportunity to network with small business owners and entrepreneurs – learn and grow your business at the same time!
2. Gain insight – including tips and strategies – from more than 20 of the nation’s top small business experts.
3. See Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and author of The Long Tail and Free, as the conference keynote.
4. Walk away with executable, cost-effective ways to market, promote and grow your business.
5. Find out what others are doing to weather the current economic storm – and pick up strategies and tactics you can apply to your own business.
6. Learn how to navigate your way through what can be a financial maze from people who have done it – and succeeded.
7. Expand your marketing arsenal – figure out how to enhance your current promotional efforts by integrating social media.
8. Score lots of free stuff – including a free domain name from Network Solutions®, a copy of Chris Anderson’s best-selling book, Free, and business planning software from Palo Alto Software.
9. TODAY ONLY, REGISTER TO RECEIVE TWO ADMISSIONS FOR JUST $99 TOTAL – A SAVINGS OF NEARLY $500! But, you have to act fast – the offer is only good on Wednesday, September 9 from 12 a.m. EST to 11:59 p.m. EST. REGISTER NOW by using the promo code: GSB999 and clicking here!

The GrowSmartBiz Conference will be held 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://tinyurl.com/gsbiz.

“Chris Anderson is a well-renowned, engaging speaker and we are excited to have him join us at the GrowSmartBiz conference,” said Roy Dunbar, Chairman and CEO of Network Solutions. “He has a tremendous background in technology and innovation, and truly understands the importance of small business, as well as the unique challenges small business owners face. This keynote – along with a well-established group of panelists – will ensure that attendees leave with executable strategies and tactics to grow their businesses.”

The GrowSmartBiz Small Business Conference will be held on September 29 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. The event is designed to help small businesses, from startups to well-established companies, successfully grow their enterprises and will include industry experts providing insight into key areas critical to small business growth and development.

Through keynote addresses, panel discussions and networking opportunities, attendees will leave the conference with:

• Insights into best practices of successful small businesses,
• Proven strategies for business growth despite the current economy,
• Executable, cost-effective ways to market and promote their businesses,
• Knowledge of what banks believe is the key to securing small business financing, and
• Actionable ideas for integrating and leveraging social media into existing marketing and communications efforts

Registration is open and all attendees who register before August 7 will receive $100 off their registration fee. For more information visit the GrowSmartBiz Conference site. All attendees will receive Chris’ new book, Free, for free!

And, don’t forget to suggest and select a topic for one of the conference sessions! Visit http://growsmartbiz.ideascale.com/ for more details

(Credit: Kevin Kelly, The Technium)

Kevin Kelly defines it nicely:

“A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.”

Working on getting these true fans you quickly realize that 1,000 people is something you can see in your head. You can count it (it would take a while, but it is doable) and the technology available to you today through blogs, podcasts, social network sites and web sites easily creates community and connection between your and your “fans”.

Do the Math

As you work your way to getting those 1,000 fans, the math is pretty simple. If 1,000 of those fans spend only $100 a year on your products/services that is $100,000 a year. Pretty good for an independent small business owner. The only caveat that Kevin points out and I agree with is that is a strategy for one person – the freelancer, the artist, the writer. If you have more than one person you will need to up that number.

Things that you can produce for your 1,000 fans

If you are an artist, like a musician, the goal is obvious – produce an album. If you are a freelancer or writer, you can create thought leadership in your area by writing e-books or producing templates of information people need but don’t have the skill or time to create. Take Seth Godin as a prime example. Seth is an expert in marketing and writes books, some of which he gives away for free, and blogs about marketing to the masses. He has created a great following so that when ever he publishes a new book people rush to buy it.

Andy Beal is another great example. He writes Marketing Pilgrim which is a site dedicated to “Word of Mouth Marketing” for B2B companies. He writes a blog that has become popular over the years and publishes e-books on various topics that are reasonably priced ($5.00) and because of his growth to his 1,000 fans just published a book “Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online” that you can buy through Amazon.

Your number may vary

Kevin points out that you may need less or more than a 1,000 fans depending on your space. He says:

“The actual number may vary depending on the media. Maybe it is 500 True Fans for a painter and 5,000 True Fans for a videomaker. The numbers must surely vary around the world. But in fact the actual number is not critical, because it cannot be determined except by attempting it. Once you are in that mode, the actual number will become evident. That will be the True Fan number that works for you. My formula may be off by an order of magnitude, but even so, its far less than a million.”

Get started now

You can get started immediately. Start a blog, create a podcast, launch a fan page on Facebook, create a page on MySpace and even create your own Social Network on Ning. Send e-mails to your current fans and friends to spread the word (don’t spam them) and when you are at events, create a business card with all this info so people can start to follow you and become a fan!