Congrats to SBA's National Small Business Week Awardees!

©iStock/Cofeee

The head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Linda McMahon, announced the 2017 National Small Business Week awardees for 16 different categories ranging from exporting, outreach, contracting, lending, disaster recovery to manufacturing and research and development.  Small Business Week is set as the first week in May.

The National Exporter of the Year 2017 award goes to:

Rose Morris, President

Abram's Bed LLC

Dba The Safety Sleeper

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Rose's story goes like this:

I am a loving mother of three children the middle of which is Abram who is on the autism spectrum. Like many other families who have a loved one with special needs, I struggled with finding a good solution to protecting my son at night.  There was no product on the market that could support my son's sleeping issues, night wanderings, temper melt-downs and give us the freedom to be a typical family.

I feared for Abram’s safety and out of that fear, The Safety Sleeper™ was developed.

To learn more about the other awardees, visit here. Congratulations to everyone!  We are proud of your accomplishments.

National Small Business Week May 1-7, 2016

©iStock/monkeybusinessimages

As the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet announced that this year’s National Small Business Week will be held from May 1-7.  This year’s theme will be “Dream Big, Start Small.”

At the same time, Small Business Person of the Year winners from the 50 states will be named.  All of the winners have been invited to attend the ceremonies in Washington, D.C on May 1-2 where they will be awarded their individual awards along with recognition of the runners-up and the naming of the 2016 National Small Business Person of the Year.

If that is not enough, announcements will be made for the 2016 National Small Business Week awardees for 17 different categories ranging from exporting, outreach, contracting, lending, disaster recovery to manufacturing and research and development.

Learn more:  National Small Business Week

Tune In: It's National Small Business Week 5/12-5/16

iStock/Thinkstock

With the United States having more than 28 million small businesses, it's easy to understand how and why we honor these hard-working individuals who create jobs, spur economic growth and develop innovative measures to improve our world.  That said, there will be lots of excitement, conversations and celebrations around this important week - from SBA to the White House to well ... all the companies who salute the crucial role that small businesses play in our lives.  The national celebrations will be held in four major venues: San Francisco, May 12; Kansas City, May 13; Boston, May 15; and Washington, D.C., May 15-16.

Check out some of the activities and conversations below.

•  The White House Blog
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/05/12/national-small-business-week-starts-today

•  Statement by the President of the United States on National Small Business Week:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/12/statement-president-national-small-business-week

•  SBA.gov
http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/official-sba-news-and-views/open-business/national-small-business-week-starts-today

•  National Small Business Week site:
http://www.sba.gov/nsbw/

•  National Small Business Week 2014 - A Celebration of the Accomplishments of Small Business - U.S. Chamber of Commerce
https://www.uschamber.com/blog/national-small-business-week-2014-celebration-accomplishments-small-business

•  Small Business Week - National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)
http://www.nfib.com/small-business-week/

•  Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council)
http://www.sbecouncil.org/2014/05/12/small-business-week-2014-needs-to-spark-bipartisanship-to-help-entrepreneurs-says-small-business-advocate/

Let's continue to support and celebrate small businesses every day!

Places to Avoid When Exporting?

iStockphoto/ThinkStock

During the 50th National Small Business Week earlier in the year, many topics were discussed during the “Growing and Going Global” panels, such as, how can you take your business to the next level by selling overseas? What do you need to be successful in exporting? What resources are available to help your small business export endeavors?

Find out what was suggested during the discussions here: Small Business Exporting

One of the excellent points made was:

"Another way you can gain insight about where there may be success – or where you should maybe avoid exporting – is by checking out industry association meetings ..."

Note:  Coming soon ... my new Exporting book, which will equip you with the knowledge you need to market, sell, and fulfill orders internationally, taking full advantage of the Internet and the opportunities it creates. Watch for news shortly!