Microsoft confirms Windows 8 launch dates

Having already taken the tech world by surprise with the Surface tablet, and generating a none too insignificant amount of noise with announcements around new content for the Xbox, smart glass, Halo 4, Win phone 8, Windows 8, Windows server... Windows Azure, a bunch of new PCs, Ultrabooks and tablets, the tech world is now waiting with bated breath to see what's next from the Redmond software giant.

This of course all weighed heavily in my mind as I was offered the chance to attend Microsoft's Annual World Partner conference in Toronto.

As with travelling almost anywhere from New Zealand, Getting to Canada involves a fair amount of travel. Having arrived in Toronto, I was up at 6.30am to beat the anticipated huge volumes of people registering (Since writing this I learnt that this year's Windows Partner conference is the biggest ever, with over 16,000 attendees).

I try not to think about what time it is in New Zealand, or just utterly how jet-lagged I am. Reaching the Air Canada Centre, it looks like all 16,000 attendees have had the same idea and there is already a massive line snaking out of the Air Canada Centre building to fill the entire concourse.

Thankfully I find some coffee and after a seemingly eternal amount of waiting and being lined up I manage to get registered and settled in at the massive (and packed) Air Canada Centre stadium waiting for Microsoft CEO, Steve Balmer, to take centre stage and for the show to begin.

It's now 9am and the lights have dimmed down, so Steve Balmer must be about to go on stage - Or at least that's what I thought. It turns out that some guy dressed in a weird white spandex outfit and an aviator goggles/cap combo is walking on stage.

Unless Steve has undergone extensive cosmetic surgery, this definitely isn't him. Following our spandex clad friend is another a crazily dressed person who is also stage bound, followed by dozens in equally interesting attire.

Now a full-blown musical show extravaganza involving Taiko drums, fire eaters and several people juggling huge chrome wireframe geometric shapes is in full swing. No sign of Steve yet.

Wait, the stadiums big screens are now displaying a cirque du soliel graphic. Microsoft have literally started the world partner conference with a bang. John Roswell, Microsoft's VP of worldwide partners is now centre-stage thanking the huge audience for attending, saying that the Microsoft's partners drove US$609 billion of worldwide businesses.

Roswell also says that Microsoft and its partners are getting it right.... and that this was really driven home when he bought home a windows 8 slate and his 11 year old daughter got her hands on it - he still hasn't got it back.

MS-Office

Balmer also cuts in and talks up Microsoft's partner driven growth, which is up by 13 per cent on last year. It's at about that stage that I remember just what massive a business Microsoft really is, as according to Balmer, their cloud business is growing by nearly 1,000 new partners a month.

Rosewell exits amidst a deafening round of applause and Kurt Delbene, Microsoft's president MS-Office takes to the stage. According to Delbene, Windows 8 and office 365 are set to be bigger than huge for Microsoft.. Office 15 is now in technical preview - and if he is to be believed, the most ambitious release of office Microsoft have done.

Frustratingly Delbene says that he will have more details on Office 15 later this northern summer.... tantalisingly saying it is likely to integrate social networking. Balmer is clearly on form and joins in with "it's a huuuuuge opportunity for Microsoft partners!". The audience loves this and gives both Balmer and Delbene a huge round of applause.

Office mightn't be the sexiest product of the moment, but it does have nothing short of a massive user base (according to Delbene, Office is installed on over a billion desktops worldwide). Not to be outdone is Microsoft's hosted version of office, which they've branded Office 365, according to Delbene, its already being heavily used by a bunch of US mega chains including lowes, Burger King as well as Asian based Japan Airlines. The numbers are pretty staggering (Lowes alone has over 200,000 office 365 users).

Delbene also appears to be fired up about the enterprise grade social networking app, Yammer, who was recently bought by Microsoft. It looks like subsequent versions of Office will most likely be big on secure enterprise wide social networking and collaboration, whilst integration with Skype is also looking likely too. Balmer wraps things up by saying that he's using Office 15 and Windows 8, and that they're a great combination. Here's looking forwards to checking both out.

Speaking of Windows, no Microsoft shindig would be complete without mention of it. To this end, Balmer says that Windows is the glue and the foundation that all of Microsoft is built on and yet again some boggling numbers are bandied about, with over 1.3 billion windows systems on the planet to date.

According to Balmer, Microsoft have sold over 630 million windows 7 licenses and over the next 12 months are forecast to sell a further 375 million windows PCs.

Enter stage right the VP of Windows and CFO, Tami Reller. According to Reller, some 50 per cent of enterprise desktops are already running windows 7 and the rate of adoption is accelerating with 630 million win 7 licenses sold. Reller also makes mention of the interoperability between windows 7 apps and windows 8 as well as Windows 8's ability to work across different form factors, ranging from servers through to tablets. Staying with the big numbers theme, Reller also mentions that More than a million downloads of win 8 consumer preview have happened.

Windows 8 Launch Date Confirmed

Seriously big numbers aside, the big news however is that Windows 8 is on track for a release to manufacturers version in the US in the first week of August and will become available for purchase in the US market at the end of October (here's hoping New Zealand isn't too far behind).

Users of existing Windows PCs will also be to buy upgrades at end of October with US businesses being given access to Windows 8 in August. It will be available in 109 languages in 230 markets.

By now the audience is fairly fired up at the prospect of an October Windows 8 launch, and gives Reller a generous round of applause as she moves to showcase a bunch prototype windows 8 hardware which includes the Acer Aspire S7 13" as well as the ultra-sexy S7 11" Ultrabook.

Reller moves onto Asus convertibles which can handily convert from a keyboard equipped laptop to a tablet by detaching the screen from the keyboard. Also showcased was Fujistsu's stylistic Q702 ultrabook/tablet convertible, the HP spectre XT Pro (which looked pretty slick in a brushed metal finish), as well as a Lenovo A720 all-in-one PC with a 10 point multi-touch screen. Also showcased was the Lenovo Yoga so called because its screen folds back 180 degrees to create a tablet PC.

Cloud and Windows to Go

By now the audience is captivated and Reller leverages this to showcase several nifty windows 8 tricks including synchronised cloud user profiles (which handily allows windows 8 desktop customisations and system configurations are able to follow the user on any internet connected windows 8 PC they log into).

Most intriguing however is what Reller has called "Windows to go" which can pack your entire Windows 8 desktop onto a single USB stick. Reller demonstrated this by plugging her own Windows to go USB stick into a "previous generation" windows 7 PC.

According to Reller, the stick has a 32Gb capacity and was running win 8 enterprise with bitlocker. In what will surely be a boon for travellers, Windows to go allows any PC to be booted into Windows 8 whilst leaving the original installed OS on the PC untouched (suddenly cyber cafe PCs don't seem such a dodgy proposition anymore).

Whilst it is hard to tell from a single demo just how well the whole Windows to go concept will work in practice, Rellers USB key took a mere 45-50 seconds to boot into usability.

Size Matters: Perceptive Pixel

Having concluded her demo we cut back to Balmer: "there's a lot of love in win 8!" - Balmer is clearly on form. "One more thing we'd like to show, a new device we're announcing today" I think I'm getting wow fatigue.

Microsoft have acquired Perceptive Pixel - a maker of larger than huge multi-touch displays. Microsoft showcased a massive 82" multi-touch screen running windows 8. In use the big screen seemed to offer a near Minority Report style of interactivity, and geeks seated either side of me began to salivate.

As exciting as Perceptive Pixel tech is, Balmer did bring some reality to bear by mentioning that Microsoft will need to work to bring price points down. Either way, the tech looks set to be both intriguing and compelling in equal doses.

Things wrap up with Steve's mic dying - he looks pretty peeved but uses humour and his own huge voice to diffuse the situation "is this working????" he bellows from the centre of the Air Canada Centre - I already feel sorry for the audio guy, even if the entire audience is laughing, taking delight in Steve's good humour.

By Pat Pilcher

Buried In Travel Paper Work. Take Out The Pain With Concur Small Business Edition

Travel can be a pain. You have to endure the cramped flight, wait in line, wait in another line, and deal with other pains of travel. (But you LOVE those frequent flyer miles!). Furthermore, when you get back there's so much paper work to take care of you. You, your supervisor (or the ones you supervise) and the admin's in between.

If you use Concur (or other travel management solutions) a lot of that pain is taken away.

I use TripIt, a Concur product to manage my entire flight and recently Concur announced the Concur Small Business which brings a new dashboard-like homepage and time-saving tips to their product.

New “smart tips” help small businesses automate the entire expense reporting process in a couple of clicks, by making it simple to:

• Capture receipts with a smartphone
• Upload or email receipts to myin...@concursolutions.com
• Sync credit card charges automatically
• File or submit expenses on-the-go using Concur's mobile app.

These “small changes” can produce big productivity savings for the traveler, the admin person and the supervisor who needs to approve travel.

If you're not using a travel solution like Concur I know many small business owners are at least using smartphones and Evernote (or some other tools) to capture and scan receipts and send to the appropriate person in their company.

Are You A Small Business Influencer? BlackBerry Chats With Ramon For His Take.

For the second year, I'm really honored to work with Anita Campbell, of SmallBizTrends on producing the Small Business Influencer Awards â€" http://www.smbinfluencer.com . We're excited to have BlackBerry back as our key sponsor, joining Infusionsoft, Get Response and Vocus.

If you're a big company reaching small businesses, you should apply. If you're small town small business hero, you should apply. If you're a big time guru of all things small businesses â€" you should apply. Maybe you're a journalist (like Joe Connolly of the WSJ and News Radio 88) â€" you should apply.

In a short interview, I shared with BlackBerry more about the Small Business Influencer Awards here.

The Small Business Guide to Getting Ready for Vacation

Despite the often high levels of stress that come with small business ownership, surprisingly few business owners actually take vacations - fewer than 50%. My theory on why is: they don't know how to set up their businesses to run smoothly in their absence. It's not a hard feat, though; it just takes a little planning and forethought.

Here is a checklist of items you need to complete to get out of the office and onto the beach, a far-off destination, or wherever you'd like to relax this summer.

Tip 1: Leave Someone in Charge

If you have employees, decide who's the best candidate to carry on business as usual in your absence. Give that person the ability to make decisions, and encourage them to do so confidently, so they don't call you for approval on every little decision. Recognize that mistakes may be made, but they're a small price to pay for a little down time with your family.

Tip 2: Plan Early and Get Ahead of Schedule

If you don't have an employee you can leave your business decisions to while on vacation (and even if you do), the best thing you can do to keep customers happy is finish as much work in advance as possible. This works best if you have a preset task list that you complete each month for clients, the way I do with blog posts. Finishing early keeps them happy, and usually keeps them from needing you or bugging you when you take time off.

Tip 3: Let (Almost) Everyone Know You're Leaving

Notify your employees, clients and vendors that you'll be taking a vacation about a month before you go. Send a short email reminder a week before you take off, and include contact information for people who can be reached in your absence. Here's an example:

Just a short note to remind you that I will be on vacation  August 1-15, enjoying the blue beaches of Hawaii. If you have questions about sales, contact Stan at [phone number.] For any product-related issues, Ivan can assist you at [phone]. I'll touch base when I return.

I find that including a short mention of your plans for your vacation helps you connect to people better. They like hearing about your plans, and it makes you human, not just the owner of a business. I've often gotten travel advice from clients about destinations I mentioned in these emails.

Tip 4: Update  Your Email Auto-response and Voicemail Message
You can also use the note in tip 3 as an autoresponder for your email. Google Mail lets you set up vacation responses for whatever period you want to set it up for.  And don't forget your voicemail! Leave a recorded message directing callers to the appropriate people, and let them know when you will return.

Tip 5: DON'T Tell Your Social Network!
Tip 3 mentioned letting “everyone” know you are leaving - but there's a big exception: social media sites!  It's tempting to tell everyone on Facebook that you'll be gone for several weeks, but resist that urge. There have been cases of people's homes being robbed while on vacation just because someone saw their post about leaving town, on a social media site. This includes social media check-in sites like Foursquare. The site, Please Rob Me, demonstrates how easy it is to figure out where you've been, simply by looking at your check-in history.

Tip 6: Plan Ahead for the Problems
Don't automatically assume everything will go wrong in your absence, but do sit down with your employees to review potential scenarios that might blow up or become complicated while you're out. Explain what you would do in each situation and make sure they're comfortable taking action while you're out of the office.

Tip 7: Clear Your Calendar
Before you leave for your vacation, make sure your calendar doesn't have any forgotten-about appointments lingering. Also make sure you cancel any recurring meetings or teleconferences while you're out. Let other participants know you won't be there so they can plan accordingly.

Tip 8: Wrap Up Projects
You know how those lingering projects or tasks stay on your mind? All the more reason to take care of them before you go on vacation so you don't waste energy worrying about them while you're trying to relax. Finishing up everything before your vacation will also reduce the temptation to take work with you (and your family will be glad for that).

Make a plan the week before your vacation so that you have plenty of time to wrap up projects, from the most urgent to the less important ones.

Tip 9: Put Together an Emergency Contact List
Make a list of your emergency numbers to give to key employees who might need to reach you in case of an issue that can't be resolved without you. Also include important contacts that might be able to answer questions in your absence, like your business insurance agent, attorney, and key suppliers.

Tip 10: Review Critical Procedures and Processes
Make sure to go over important business procedures that you will be delegating in your absence, such as opening your shop in the morning or closing your office at night, setting the security alarm or turning it off in case it was accidentally tripped, running credit card transactions, running payroll, or any other processes the person is not used to handling.

Make sure the key employee you've assigned is well versed in completing the tasks without your assistance.  Ask him or her to perform the procedure for you before you leave (memory is a tricky thing). Leave detailed instructions on the procedures as a backup.

Tip 11: Pay Your Bills
Leave for your vacation with a clean slate on accounts payable. Pay all invoices, credit card statements and bills that will come due while you're gone. Make sure payroll is set up to be processed while you're gone as well.

Tip 12: Don't Be Available
It's tempting to answer your phone on vacation, or peek at your email, but resist! Do respond to the channels you've set up for emergency contacts, however. I always give my personal email to key employees so I resist getting immersed in work email while on vacation, but I can still stay in touch should anything come up.

Tip 13: Have a Great Vacation!
Let us not leave the most important tip off the list: having a relaxing and enjoyable vacation! Sometimes small business owners forget how rejuvenating it is to step away from their companies for a short while. You'll likely find that you come back to work with fresh ideas and a new, positive attitude as a result of getting a little R and R.

Family time, too, is key. So many of us put in long hours each week, and sacrifice our family relationships. Use this vacation as the opportunity to reconnect with your spouse and your kids, and to create great memories for years to come.

Vacation Photo via Shutterstock

The Hatchery Expands: Local Resource For New York Area Entrepreneurs

There's a lot of resources for the blossoming entrepreneurial community in New York City and one of those treasurers is The Hatchery, led by Yao Huang. She's recently expanded to a brand new location enabling events and office space to happen. Instead of looking for space to hold events, The Hatchery now has it's OWN place to hold events and mentor and nurture entrepreneurs.

I asked Yao a few questions about the expansion.

What is the Hatchery

The Hatchery is a venture collaboration forum, building a community of entrepreneurs, emerging companies, and investors, via its events, advisory services, and incubator.

What limitations did you have at the previous Hatchery offices

It wasn't meant for coworking and large scale events. It was our office (the web development part of what Yao does) where we worked with companies.

Why this new space and what more will it offer

It is 16,000 square feet at 500 Seventh Ave that will allow coworking, offices, and house an accelerator program. It brings together the various spectrum of growing a company. Giving a place where all can interact and collaborate. The Sweat Fund will help with revenue generation for the companies. The numerous event spaces help bring access and resources for the companies here as well as those in the community. I know top on the entrepreneur's minds are investors and we help bring the access through investor office hours, speaker series, and pitch events. We bring other resources as well - our focus is the success of those here. But it starts with the companies.

So you're a combination of incubator, office space, event space, community hang out?

It's a community in the end. And companies are not all at the same place in the growth spectrum. It's important to have a melding of entrepreneurs at various stages and also provide a place for growth physically and through content and access. An EdTech accelerator program will be housed here growing education technology companies… coworking space for those just starting…. offices for those moving along… and a place the community can gather to share in a way that is supportive of them as well. It's about being easy and accessible.

Are you looking for certain types of entrepreneurs

We are looking for tech entrepreneurs with great projects. Ideally those where introductions to opportunities would mean the world of difference to them.

Since your founding in 2007 there have been a lot of “startup community” initiatives all over NY, do you find the culture has changed for the better?

Absolutely! There are more incubators, coworking, events, more ideas, more companies, more confidence and support and we want to continue to foster that. Now we feel its time to change the numbers on success. Success may mean different things for different people…. sometimes its living a good life or getting investment funding or selling a company…. they are all valid… and we would like to allow entrepreneurs to achieve their goals.

Does The Hatchery provide any unique value that other community and venture organizations do not provide?

The Sweat Fund â€" a group of connectors making deals happen for companies. A focus on revenue to success. Open approach to community access.

 

Email Marketing Is Not Enough Says Gail Goodman (Constant Contact): Engagement Marketing

Most every small business has an email newsletter of some type. Maybe not your average laundromat but just about everyone else has some sort of email newsletter. Constant Contact has the lion's share of email newsletter customers. Gail Goodman, founder of Constant Contact recently released a book, “Engagement Marketing: How Small Business Wins In A Social Connected World” that screams loud and clear that email marketing alone is simply not enough.

Her book walks you through a cycle, Engagement Marketing that consists of new prospects, wow experience, entice to stay in touch, engage and social word of mouth.

Gail says that engagement marketing allows you to encourage your customers to engage and interact with you as if you are neighbors chatting across the back fence. Another premise of engagement marketing is that if you are OUT OF SITE (not connecting with your customers) then you are most likely out of their mind â€" and they're buying from the competition.

What I like about “Engagement Marketing” is that it's not a high and might academic tome of impracticality. No â€" it's a book that gives PRACTICAL guidance to every small business owner into how they can keep their customers returning again and again and again for more.

Social media is “nice” but most of us are just sending a Tweet and we think that's good enough â€" it takes so much more and Gail's book shows you how to do more.

Small Biz Events: Small Business Success Tour, Department of Defense, Samuel Adams and More – July 9

Welcome to this week's roundup of events, conferences and webinars for growing companies and entrepreneurs, brought to you every other week by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

There are quite a few good webinars and events coming up this Summer and Fall. Some are educational, like HubSpot's webinar and Sage Summit, and some are great networking opportunities that also happen to be awards â€" Inc. 500/5000, New York Enterprise Report Awards, and our own Small Business Influencer Awards.

If you are organizing a great event that small businesses should know about or just attending one â€" let me know!

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Startup Weekend
Multiple Cities and Dates 2012 â€" see website for full list

Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs. Beginning with Friday night pitches and continuing through brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation, Startup Weekends culminate in Sunday night demos and presentations. Participants create working startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks. All teams hear talks by industry leaders and receive valuable feedback from local entrepreneurials. The weekend is centered around action, innovation, and education. Whether you are looking for feedback on a idea, a co-founder, specific skill sets, or a team to help you execute, Startup Weekends are the perfect environment in which to test your idea and take the first steps towards launching your own startup.

Spark & Hustle Tour
Multiple Cities and Dates, May through August 2012

Led by Tory Johnson, the jam-packed, high-energy day enables you to experience big breakthroughs in your business and yourself.

Meet great people who can help with product development and packaging; manufacturing and distribution; multiple revenue streams and collaborations; mental preparedness for monumental success; and so much more.
Beyond the jam-packed sessions, this event is ideal to meet partners, collaborators and even clients!

The Real World Marketing Conference: What's Working Now?
July 11, 2012, New York City

At this one-of-a-kind conference, top marketing experts will provide attendees with the strategy and tactics needed to create and execute proven marketing plans to help them exceed their business goals.This half day conference will feature four breakout sessions covering all of the latest marketing initiatives you can easily implement in your business. Topics include: engagement marketing, social media strategies, and content marketing. The event will conclude with a panel discussion featuring four experts that have significantly grown their businesses through successful, integrated marketing campaigns.
For $10 off registration use promo code NYER10.

Ultra Light Startups Investor Feedback Forum
July 12, 2012, New York City

The objectives of this event are:

To help early stage startups refine their investor pitch
To provide actionable advice and feedback for each presenting startup
To provide insight on how investors evaluate startups and pitches
To award prizes to the most viable startups, based on audience voting

Infusionsoft Small Business Success Tour
July 12, 2012, New York City
August 16 â€" San Francisco
August 24 â€" San Diego
September 13 â€" Chicago
September 28 â€" Los Angeles
October 5 â€" Boston

This series features a full day of strategies, tips and marketing best practices from the experts at Infusionsoft. You'll receive hands-on instructions on how to develop a highly effective sales and marketing plan you can start implementing right away. You'll learn to:

Drive higher customer referral traffic tomorrow
Calculate and optimize the lifetime value of your customers
Create a constant flow of new customers who are ready to buy
Build a healthy and responsive database
Get the right message, to the right person, at the right time

The Science of Inbound Marketing
July 12, 2012, online

Billions of pieces of data, five years of research, and tens of thousands of readers and attendees in the making, The Science of Inbound Marketing will be the paramount presentation of inbound marketing data, statistics and science. HubSpot's Social Media Scientist Dan Zarrella and HootSuite's VP Marketing Ben Watson will vanquish any unicorn-and-rainbows myths you may have about how inbound marketing really works and what role social plays in this ever-changing landscape. During this 60 minute webinar, you'll learn:
How to make marketing decisions based on real data
Ways to leverage your channels for most visibility
How to beat the competition using inbound marketing

New York Launch Party
July 17, 2012, NYC

Small Biz New York was created by Small Business Expo and Do It In Person as a fun and informative monthly B2B networking event for New York City Small Business Owners. Not your typical monthly networking event, in addition to general meet & greet networking sessions at local bars & restaurants, each month is different ranging from cutting edge business seminars, to business owner luncheons & breakfasts, to Speed Networking & more…all leading up to the annual Small Business Expo.

Samuel Adams Brewing The American Dream Speed Coaching
July 17, 2012, San Diego

Business owners in the restaurant, food, beverage or hospitality business can get free advice next week from the makers of Samuel Adams beer.

The event is part of a nationwide series sponsored by the brewing company. The event will kick off with a networking reception at 5:30pm. During the reception you will sign up for the consulting stations that are most relevant to your business.

The program will begin at 6:00 pm with welcome remarks, after which you will have the opportunity to spend 20 minutes at the coach stations of your preference and receive personalized 1-on-1 coaching from local professionals and Sam Adams experts. Make sure to bring your questions and anything you want feedback on, such as packaging, materials, and ideas.

Women's Leadership Exchange Chicago Conference
July 17, 2012, Chicago

For the past 10 years WLE has been connecting women business owners throughout the country. 2012 is their 10th anniversary and WLE wants to give back to members who have helped them get to where they are today. At the WLE conference you will learn new strategies, new tactics and new resources that didn't exist a few years ago. WLE has assembled a group of experts who are experiencing outstanding results. Join WLE in Chicago for a jam-packed day of content to drive new business and opportunities while making valuable business connections.

How to Design Slides for Webinar Presentations
July 17, 2012, Online

Whether you're a marketer or communicator responsible for crafting virtual content, a sales professional looking convert more customers, or a business leader who presents on a regular basis, it's time to learn the steps to make your next Web presentation a bigger, bolder success. Attend this free seminar as Roger Courville, author of The Virtual Presenter's Handbook, demonstrates practical idea for improving virtual presentations quickly and easily-using real slides from real people. You'll walk away with new ideas for taking your webinars from so-so to sensational.

Department of the Navy (DON) Small Business Opportunity Conference
August 6-8, 2012, San Diego

The DON OSBP is conducting its annual Gold Coast Small Business Opportunity Conference in San Diego, CA on 06-08 August 2012. The primary purpose of the event is to provide a forum to educate, guide and assist small businesses in working with the government primarily the Department of Defense. NDIA and NAVSUP have collaborated to bring interesting and motivating speakers that will present topics of interest with regards to working with the government. Plan on attending informative and relevant general/plenary and break-out sessions including Industry Day with five of the Navy commands. Visit over 250 industry and government exhibitors along with dozens of posters containing company information and opportunities. As with any of these events, there are also plenty of opportunities for networking.

Lubbock Chamber of Commerce Governor's Small Business Forum
August 7, 2012

The Forum is designed to give small business owners essential tools to help their businesses succeed, provide jobs for Texans and strengthen the South Plains economy. The Texas Workforce Commission will present information on the many services available for small business owners, including the $2 million dollar Skills for Small Business Fund, which provides grants to community colleges that small businesses may access for employee training needs.

MacTech Boot Camp
August 7 â€" San Diego, CA
September 5 â€" Minneapolis, MN
December 5 â€" Miami, FL

MacTech Boot Camp is a one day event for those that support the home user, and small business market held around the country. MacTech Boot Camp is a single-track, hotel based seminar that is specifically geared to serve the needs of consultants and techs wanting to serve their base better. This event is geared toward those that already support the home and SMB communities, or that want to become a consultant supporting these areas.

Sage Summit 2012
August 12-14, 2012, Nashville, TN

Sage Summit is the premier conference for Sage customers and partners. It's the destination for learning better ways to leverage the software you already own and know and discovering new technologies. Plus you'll hear what's working for other people in your industry and gain insight on how to overcome the challenges your organization faces.

One Woman National Business Conference and Expo
August 17-18, 2012, Sugar Land, TX

“Changing the Face of Business One Woman at a Time” is the theme of the taking place Aug. 17 and Aug. 18 at Sugar Land Marriott Town Square. The two-day conference will give business owners, entrepreneurs and corporate employees the chance to network with like-minded decision makers.The conference also features a trade show exhibiting products, services and business opportunities.

Speakers will discuss industry trends and business growth strategies. Supplier diversity officers will talk about how to better serve the small business community and meet new potential suppliers.There will also be a “Youth Explosion” program for young entrepreneurs. One Woman is an annual women's business promotion, advocacy and development forum.

MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2012
October 3-5, 2012, Boston

B2B Forum isn't just another event. It's the event for B2B marketers who don't just follow yesterday's best practices; they create the next practices needed to move their businesses-and industries-forward.

Five programming tracks covering the modern marketing mix: lead gen, content, social media, mobile, and marketing essentials.
Dozens of smart sessions by professionals on the pulse of marketing trends and growth.

Inc. 500 | 5000
October 3-5, 2012, Phoenix, AZ

Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is the must-attend event for the nation's leading entrepreneurs. Join your colleagues and peers for three days of unparalleled networking and learning from the leaders of America's fastest-growing companies. This year's speakers include Captain Mark Kelly, Commander of the Space Shuttle Endeavour's final mission, Guy Kawasaki, Founding Partner of Garage Technology Ventures, and Marie Tillman, Founder of the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Women's Business Conference 2012
October 4-5, 2012, Louisville, KY

This year's theme celebrates the entrepreneurial, innovative and adventurous spirit of women business owners. They are starting businesses at record rates and running these businesses on their own terms. They refuse to sit idle, waiting and watching. They have confidence and power to shake things up, take smart risks and do things differently to move forward. They are impacting positive change at every turn, speaking out on issues of public policy, lightening their environmental footprint and creating jobs that fuel the economy. They are part of something much greater than themselves-a grassroots movement of women business owners and their community of supporters all dedicated to helping one another grow, thrive, give back and leave a legacy.

The New York Enterprise Report 2012 Small Business Awards
October 10, 2012, New York City

The New York Enterprise Report Small Business Awards is the annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of the 500,000+ small businesses throughout the tri-state area. Now in its 7th year, the Awards gala attracts more than 400 business owners and executives and is often referred to as “the networking event of the year.” Don't miss the chance to do business with the “who's who” of the New York small business community.

Small Business Influencer Awards Gala
October 17, 2012, New York City

The Small Business Influencer Awards will honor the Top 100 small business influencer champions at a festive Awards Gala on the evening of October 17, 2012 at the Javits Convention Center. Last year's event had a capacity crowd at a smaller venue. This year it will be bigger than ever - with the Awards Gala as the evening event at the New York XPO Small Business Conference. Don't miss this exciting event! See last year's recap. Meanwhile, be sure to nominate someone for the Small Business Influencer Awards (perhaps yourself?).

Small Business Expo
November 8, 2012, Los Angeles

Small Business Expo is a full day networking event, trade show & conference of the year for business owners, C-Level Executives & company decision-makers.

Network with other business professionals & check out the exciting exhibitor hall
Establish new contacts and reconnect with old ones.
Further your education by attending workshops & seminars.
Learn about new products and services that will help your business grow.
Interact with the movers and shakers of your industry.
Discover new and innovative technologies.

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.

Hiring Your First Employee: 10 Regulatory Steps

Is your business ready to make its first hire? Finding and hiring the right employee is a critical step in the process. However, there are a few other steps you'll need to take to ensure you meet the legal, regulatory and tax obligations of being a new employer.

To help simplify the process, here's a checklist of the 10 things you'll need to do once the right candidate has accepted your job offer:

1. Apply for an Employee Identification Number

Many businesses operate without an Employer Identification Number (or EIN), but if you hire employees, you're going to need one. Think of it as the social security number equivalent for employers. An EIN is used to report the taxes you withhold on behalf of employees. You can apply for an EIN online from the IRS.

2. Set Up Withholding Taxes

Either on or before the date of employment, you'll need to give your employee a copy of IRS Form W-4. Have your employee complete it and hand it back to you so that you can withhold the correct federal income tax from their pay. To help you figure out what you should be withholding, refer to the IRS' Employer's Tax Guide (PDF document also known as “Circular E”). If state income tax applies in your state, you'll also need your employee to complete a state withholding form or certificate. Most states do have income tax, although some don't, including Texas, Alaska and Nevada. The IRS has links to state taxation agencies.

3. Verify That Your Employee is Eligible to Work in the U.S.

To ensure your workforce is legal, you are required to verify their legal right to work in the United States within three days of the hire date. Do this by examining acceptable forms of ID and completing the Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9), and then verify the data on the form with  the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' E-Verify online tool. You don't need to file the form; just keep it on file for three years after the hire date, and one year after a termination date.

4. Register With Your State's New Hire Reporting Program

Within 20 days of the hire date, you must report all new hires to a state directory. You'll find links to more information about how to report new hires on your state's government website.

5. Obtain Workers' Compensation Insurance

Any business with employees may be required to carry worker's compensation insurance. Check with your state, because some require it if you have only one employee while others make it a requirement if you have four or more employees. The insurance is available through commercial carriers, on a self-insured basis, or through your state's program and is considered a cost of doing business.

6. Register for Unemployment Insurance Tax

Again, something to check with your state; some require that you pay unemployment insurance tax and some don't.

7. Check Whether You Need to Obtain Disability Insurance

Again, this is state-dependent.  Some states require employers to provide partial wage replacement insurance to eligible employees for non-work related sickness or injury.

8. Display Workplace Posters

Check with the Department of Labor's “Poster Advisor” online tool to see if labor laws require that you display certain posters that explain employee rights, etc.

9. Filing Taxes as an Employer

It's a good idea to talk to your accountant or tax advisor about your new tax obligations. Typically, you'll need to report income tax withholding, social security, and Medicare taxes each quarter on the IRS Form 941. If you paid wages of $1,500 or more in any quarter or had an employee on the payroll for any 20 weeks of the year, you'll also need to file an Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) return.

To see what applies to you, read the IRS Employer's Tax Guide (PDF).

10. Be a Responsible Employer for the Long Term

Once your employee is on board, make sure you maintain good employee records, pay close attention to workplace health and safety laws, and understand what benefits you must establish by law. Each of these links points to useful government guides and tools that can help you stay compliant.

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Want A Desktop Computer As Thin As A Golf Ball? Lenovo Has Something You\'ll Like.

Most of the notebook computers I've seen are pretty big, some are loud, some get way too hot. However, if you're looking for a TINY computer that looks good on a desk, you might want to consider Lenovo's ThinkCentre M92p. It's pretty small.

“Lenovo's tiny form factor ThinkCentre M92p desktop PC illustrates the fact that there is still room for innovation on desktop platforms,” said Zane Ball, general manager of Intel Desktop Platforms. “Lenovo has taken advantage of the unprecedented performance and power reduction improvements of our upcoming 3rdGeneration Intel Core vPro processor family, which will enable the industry to build smaller, thinner PCs that are more secure, powerful and power-efficient.”

What's nice about tiny computers are:

• They offer full power
• They can hang from a wall, under a desk or be in any place you need them to be
• They look great just about anywhere