Competition invites entrepreneurs to express what being a founder means to them.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is inviting entrepreneurs to read its "Entrepreneur's Pledge," and express what it means to them for a chance to win a ticket to Big Omaha, a sold-out event billed as "the nation's most ambitious conference on innovation and entrepreneurship," to be held May 11-13, 2011 in Omaha, Neb.


The Foundation created the "Pledge" for entrepreneurs to not only publicly express their enthusiasm for being a business owner, but also to show their support for entrepreneurship as a cause. Big Omaha's "Express Your Pledge" competition asks entrepreneurs to review the Pledge and explain in 300 words or less what it means to them and at least two ways they could do a better job fulfilling it.


"Like the Pledge itself, Big Omaha's competition gives founders a chance to voice what it means to contribute to our communities and the economy every day, and to have an opportunity to win a seat at Big Omaha," said Nick Seguin, manager of entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation.


More than 500 innovators and entrepreneurs are expected to attend Big Omaha, which will feature speakers such as Shervin Pishevar, founder and CEO of Social Gaming Network, and Sarah Lacy, senior editor at TechCrunch.


Competition entrants each must complete an application at http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/Entrepreneurs-Movement/Contest.aspx. Entries are due by April 29, 2011, and the winner will be announced the week of May 2. The winning entrant will be responsible for all travel expenses.

SBA To Honor Contractors

National Prime Contractor & Subcontractor of the Year to be Named During National Small Business Week


WASHINGTON – More than twenty small business contractors, federal acquisition executives and business and industry leaders from around the country will come to Washington, D.C., in mid May 2011 to accept awards for excellence in the federal contracting arena.

Two small businesses from among regional prime contractors and subcontractors of the year will receive the National Prime and Subcontractor of the Year awards honoring small businesses that have provided outstanding goods and services as contractors.

They are among the nation’s top entrepreneurs who will be honored at the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week events May 18-20 in Washington, D.C. Under the theme, “Empowering Entrepreneurs,” a series of events and educational forums will mark the 58th anniversary of the agency and the 48th annual National Small Business Week.

The procurement award small business winners provide a broad range of products and services to the federal government and private industry including environmental remediation services, the construction of transmission lines, aviation management and staffing services, and they hail from 18 states from Massachusetts to Alaska.

The three-day event in Washington, D.C., will take place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Events can be viewed virtually through SBA’s free, live webcasting, which will be accessible at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/. Business owners, business organizations, other individuals and the news media can register online at www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com where additional information is available.

Other procurement awards that will be given out during the 2011 National Small Business Week award events include:
• The Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence, recognizing large prime contractors who have excelled in their utilization of small businesses as suppliers and subcontractors.
• The Gold Star Award, recognizing exemplary performance of federal staff who manage the aggressive goals and strategic initiatives that help ensure a role for small business in the federal marketplace.
• The Frances Perkins Vanguard Award, honoring government and industry for excellence in the use of women-owned small businesses as prime contractors and subcontractors.

A complete list of all award winners will be available on the National Small Business Week Web site at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com

What Every American Should Know

History Strips

Peter Robyn met Mike Bell in the spring of 2007 to seek professional assistance in writing a business plan for HistoryStrips.

Having never written a business plan and realizing that it was necessary to the success of a new business, Mr. Robyn worked diligently under Mike Bell's tutelage.

Mike Bell's expert advice and experience proved invaluable to the development of the HistoryStrips' business plan, which included an executive summary, a sales and marketing plan, product development plan and five-year projections.

The finished business plan was the essential component that lead to an approved Community Express Small Business Loan that was secured in 2009, through Mr. Bell's contacts, at a time when it was very difficult to get a loan.

Mike's commitment to HistoryStrips did not end when the business plan was finished, however. Mr. Robyn has frequently called upon Mike Bell for consultation. Mike has been a tremendous asset in launching HistoryStrips.

After three years time, in which a business plan was written, necessary research and development conducted, procurement of services achieved, TradeMark and copyright secured and capital acquired, HistoryStrips was launched, with a functioning website and product in hand.

Since February 2010, HistoryStrips has shipped over 300 prints to 28 states, as well as, Washington, DC; been written about in numerous publications including the NY Times and has been featured on WBTW News Channel 13, Myrtle Beach, SC, a division of CBS News. HistoryStrips were on display in schools from New York City to Florence, SC. They are now on display across the country.

It should be noted that the development of HistoryStrips has brought work to a printer in Georgia that had recently laid-off over a hundred employees and four graphic designers (three of whom were themselves launching their own businesses and needed work).

Mr. Robyn has become a frequent speaker to Veterans and Civic organizations.

The most important aspect of the success of HistoryStrips is that for every customer, there is a child who is learning more about our wonderful country!

Why Export?

Watch this series of videos at Taking Your Business Global to get answers to the "why" and the "how" of expanding your business through exporting.

Nation’s First Crowdfunding Business Grant Provides Innovative Solution For Mom Business Owners

Moms In Business Grant Helps Relieve #1 Pain Point for Women Entrepreneurs

Henderson, NV March 2, 2011 — The National Association For Moms In Business (NAFMIB), the leading association representing the fifteen million entrepreneur, executive and CEO moms in the United States is launching an innovative business grant using the internet phenomenon of “crowdfunding” to give mom business owners a better chance at launching a new business or current business project. It’s the first business grant competition to utilize crowdfunding.

"Crowdfunding" is a platform to raise money by attracting many small donations from a large group (friends, family, professional contacts) to meet a funding goal. "Backers" give contributions in exchange for rewards or perks offered by the grant applicant - rewards can be any product, service or experience to which the grant applicant has access.

The National Association For Moms In Business has partnered with peerbackers.com - a crowdfunding site dedicated to helping entrepreneurs fund their projects - to provide the grant’s crowdfunding technology platform. “We are tackling the # 1 pain point for millions of entrepreneurs – raising the capital they need to start or grow their business. Good business ideas don’t always attract the cash they need from traditional financing sources”, says Sally Outlaw, Co-Founder of peerbackers and mom of two. According to the SBA, Women own over 9 million businesses yet they receive the least amount of financing from traditional sources. Women traditionally own smaller types of businesses that don't meet financial assistance minimums of banks and venture capital firms.

“Moms In Business is giving a crowdfunding business grant rather than using the traditional grant-giving model for three reasons,” says founder and CEO of National Association For Moms In Business, Gina Robison-Billups, “We wanted to provide an innovative way to motivate moms to kick start or grow their businesses. In addition, it's an "everybody wins" scenario where all those that participate have the opportunity to raise money, create exposure and build a following for their business, and lastly, due to the promotional requirements to be successful via crowdfunding, it's a good way to identify those entrepreneurs who will go the extra mile to publicize and build their ventures therefore making them ideal candidates for our grand prize grant of $10,000 in business growth tools.”
The Moms In Business Grant is now accepting grant sign ups. Grant competitors must be a member of the National Association For Moms In Business.

Each grant competitor (whether they raise crowdfunding support or not) receives a hefty prize package just for participating.

Each grant competitor will receive:
• a half-page feature article about their business in Moms In Business Magazine,
• all the money they raise in the crowdfunding competition (less the processing fees),
• publicity on both peerbackers.com and momsinbusinessgrant.com
• and a publicity toolkit from PRNewswire valued at $2000

The grant’s crowdfunding competition runs from May 1st through June 15th. At that point, when the Crowdfunding competition portion ends, all grant applicants who raised 80% or more of their funding goal will move on to the semi-finalist round where a team of mom executives and entrepreneurs will judge each application on a point system to decide the $10,000 Grand Prize Grant Package winner.

More information about the grant can be found at momsinbusinessgrant.com or mibn.org.

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About National Association For Moms In Business

The National Association for Moms in Business (NAFMIB) is the leading national association representing and serving the needs of 15 million entrepreneur, executive and CEO moms. NAFMIB’s outreach exceeds 500,000 moms in business every year. Founded on the core values of Growth, Balance, Wisdom, and Enrichment, NAFMIB programs offer free education, networking, support and advocacy for moms in business. NAFMIB is viewed as the national expert and recognized voice of the 15 million moms in business in the United States. Go to www.MIBN.org

About peerbackers.com

peerbackers is a new way to fund entrepreneurs. It is an online funding platform that allows business owners to raise capital from their “peers” – in small increments – in exchange for tangible rewards to those who contribute. It was founded by Sally Miller Outlaw and Andrew Rachmell of Palm Beach County, Florida.

SBA Re-launches Dealer Floor Plan Pilot Loan Program

New maximum loan size increased to $5 million by Small Business Jobs Act . . .


WASHINGTON – A pilot loan program aimed at increasing access to inventory financing for auto, boat, RV and other dealerships will be re-launched Tuesday (2/8) and will be effective through Sept. 30, 2013, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced today.

The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 included a provision for re-launching SBA’s Dealer Floor Plan (DFP) Pilot Loan program, which first became available in July 2009. The pilot is part of the SBA’s overall 7(a) loan guarantee program. The Jobs Act also increased the maximum size for 7(a) loans to $5 million, up from $2 million, which includes loans made through the DFP pilot program.

“As a result of the credit crunch in late 2008 and early 2009, dealerships saw a significant decline in the availability of this type of inventory financing,” SBA Deputy Administrator Marie Johns said. “SBA’s original DFP pilot program was launched as a way to expand the availability of floor plan financing and the Jobs Act added further enhancements to that program, including allowing for larger loan sizes.

“Dealerships are a cornerstone of local business communities,” Johns continued. “As we continue to see our economy recover, the re-launch of this pilot provides another tool, alongside SBA’s other programs, to help them succeed and create jobs in their local communities.”

The rules and regulations for the pilot will be available Tuesday on the website of The Federal Register, and in print editions on Wednesday. A procedural guide to the program will be posted on the SBA website at: http://www.sba.gov/content/dealer-floor-plan-financing-program-0.

Floor plan financing is a revolving line of credit that allows a dealership to obtain financing through SBA’s 7(a) program for inventory that can be titled, such as autos, RVs, manufactured homes, boats and trailers. As each piece of collateral is sold by the dealer, the loan advance against that piece of collateral is repaid. As the loan is repaid, the dealer can borrow against the line of credit to add new inventory.

The program is available to qualifying small businesses, including new and used automobile, motorcycle, RV, manufactured homes and boat dealers. SBA has issued a new maximum alternative size standard to allow businesses with $15 million net worth and $5 million in net income measured over two years to have access to the program.

All SBA-approved lenders may make DFP loans. Lenders with more than $1 billion of floor plan lines of credit in their current portfolios may apply for delegated authority, which would expedite the lending process.

Borrowers interested in obtaining a DFP loan should contact their lender or their nearest SBA field office to get a list of SBA-approved lenders in their area who may be participating in the program. Local district offices and contact information, as well as information on this and other SBA programs and resources, can be found at www.sba.gov or by calling the SBA Answer Desk at 1-800-U-ASK-SBA or TDD 704-344-6640.

IRS Tax Workshop for Small Businesses

Whether you are planning a business or already in business, plan now to attend our October 18th IRS Tax Workshop to make sure you’re doing all the right things for your small business!

The Winthrop Regional Small Business Development Center in Rock Hill, SC is offering a FREE tax workshop for prospective and new small business owners. The workshop will be held from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on October 18, 2010, in Room 415 of the Thurmond Building (College of Business) on the campus of Winthrop University.

The Small Business IRS Tax Workshop contains general information about different types of business organizations, record keeping requirements and business tax returns. This workshop is one of two taxpayer education programs sponsored by the Winthrop Small Business Development Center each year, along with a CPA and representatives of the SC Employment Security and the SC Department of Revenue. It is directed toward the small businessperson who is starting a business or has recently started a small business in the service, retail or manufacturing area. Existing businesses are also welcome.

The morning session will cover federal tax requirements for small businesses and the afternoon session will cover state tax and employment security obligations. A packet of helpful reference publications is given to each participant.

To register for the workshop or for more information, please register online at http://www.winthropregionalsbdc.org , or contact the SBDC by calling (803) 323-2283.