Expect Fierce Competition in Small Business Book Awards - Voting Now Open

The nominations are in. Now it’s time to vote for your favorites in the 2013 Small Business Book Awards. Voting ends March 26, 2013.

Now in it’s 5th year, the book awards shines a spotlight on books and resources for entrepreneurs, small business owners, CEOs, managers and their staff.

Expect the competition to be fierce. This year there are 10 book categories and for the first time ever the Awards include a non-book category for author resources.   In previous years, almost 100,000 votes were cast.

These are open Web-based Awards.  That means anyone can vote - in other words, YOU can have a say in who wins.  And the Awards are  socially connected, so you can expect to see a lot of discussion on social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

You are allowed to vote once a day, every single day, per nominee.  Vote for as many nominees as you like.

Oh, and the Book Awards website makes a fabulous place to find books to read and author resources.

Meet our Sponsor, Namecheap

The 2013 Small Business Book Awards welcomes the generous support of Namecheap as Presenting Sponsor for this year’s contest. Namecheap is an ICANN accredited domain name registrar and web hosting company managing 3 million domains with more than 800,000 clients.

If you need a website for your book or small business, we suggest taking a look at Namecheap. Thanks again, Namecheap!

Details

Who: Anyone may vote for their favorite book or resource.  Vote for as many nominees as you wish.

What: 2013 Small Business Book Awards.

When: Voting goes through March 26, 2013. You can vote once a day (every 24 hours).

How:  It’s a one-click vote â€" no registering!   It is easy  -  less than 10 seconds to vote.

Where: To vote for your favorite book or non-book resource, visit the 2013 Small Business Book Awards for more details.  Search the list of nominees.

7 Things Small Businesses Can Expect From the Microsoft Office 365 Upgrades

Microsoft Office 2013 is coming, leaving users of Microsoft’s Cloud-based office suite, Office 365, wondering what changes they will see. Whether your small business is considering switching to 365 or you’re already using it, there are some exciting new features that could help automate some of your more time-consuming activities.

• As EnPoint points out on its website, Office 365 users will be able to pull up a full version of the software from any PC. “Sign in and gain access to your documents and settings exactly the way you left them,” EnPoint writes. With an increasing number of business users relying on mobile devices to conduct business on the go, this is perhaps one of the most in-demand features right now.
• Teams will be better able to collaborate on projects, syncing documents and e-mails to Sharepoint to ensure all team members are working on the same version of a document. Even better, multiple team members can edit a document at the same time, allowing for an entire group to work on a document together, in real time.
• Windows 8 users will enjoy some of 365′s compatible features, including the ability to open, edit, and save documents using a touchscreen interface. This can come in handy if for touchscreen device owners who regularly have a need to sign documents.
• HD video conferencing is included to help with your presentations on PowerPoint and other Office products. You’ll need only to connect a HD video camera and you’re ready to start presenting. As EnPoint emphasizes, a “Brady Bunch” style of videoconferencing is available in 365 that allows participants to view multiple people at one time.
• Skype with business associates or employees overseas for up to 60 minutes per month, using the free international calls included with the release.
• Microsoft brings social integration into Outlook. While interacting with associates through e-mail, users can see multiple e-mail accounts and LinkedIn and Facebook feeds.
• Office 365 documents will provide easier on-screen reading thanks to 365′s new Read mode. This is especially beneficial if you’re trying to read lengthy documents on tablets or smartphones.

For businesses still using Office 2010, the question may be whether or not to make the big switch to Office 365. The answer is-it depends. Some businesses are far from transferring from desktop PCs to tablets. But for road warriors or business owners who attend quite a few meetings throughout the day, Office 365′s benefits are hard to resist.

One other benefit to Office 365 is its price. With new monthly subscription options, a small business could pay as little as $6 per month per user. Previously, businesses were forced to pay more than $100 for the business version of Microsoft Office. While this reaches hundreds of dollars over the course of a license, Office 365 users benefit by always having the latest version of Office on devices. Plus, with such great collaboration tools, the Cloud version of Office is perfect for today’s multi-device workplace.

7 Things Small Businesses Can Expect From the Microsoft Office 365 Upgrades

Microsoft Office 2013 is coming, leaving users of Microsoft’s Cloud-based office suite, Office 365, wondering what changes they will see. Whether your small business is considering switching to 365 or you’re already using it, there are some exciting new features that could help automate some of your more time-consuming activities.

• As EnPoint points out on its website, Office 365 users will be able to pull up a full version of the software from any PC. “Sign in and gain access to your documents and settings exactly the way you left them,” EnPoint writes. With an increasing number of business users relying on mobile devices to conduct business on the go, this is perhaps one of the most in-demand features right now.
• Teams will be better able to collaborate on projects, syncing documents and e-mails to Sharepoint to ensure all team members are working on the same version of a document. Even better, multiple team members can edit a document at the same time, allowing for an entire group to work on a document together, in real time.
• Windows 8 users will enjoy some of 365′s compatible features, including the ability to open, edit, and save documents using a touchscreen interface. This can come in handy if for touchscreen device owners who regularly have a need to sign documents.
• HD video conferencing is included to help with your presentations on PowerPoint and other Office products. You’ll need only to connect a HD video camera and you’re ready to start presenting. As EnPoint emphasizes, a “Brady Bunch” style of videoconferencing is available in 365 that allows participants to view multiple people at one time.
• Skype with business associates or employees overseas for up to 60 minutes per month, using the free international calls included with the release.
• Microsoft brings social integration into Outlook. While interacting with associates through e-mail, users can see multiple e-mail accounts and LinkedIn and Facebook feeds.
• Office 365 documents will provide easier on-screen reading thanks to 365′s new Read mode. This is especially beneficial if you’re trying to read lengthy documents on tablets or smartphones.

For businesses still using Office 2010, the question may be whether or not to make the big switch to Office 365. The answer is-it depends. Some businesses are far from transferring from desktop PCs to tablets. But for road warriors or business owners who attend quite a few meetings throughout the day, Office 365′s benefits are hard to resist.

One other benefit to Office 365 is its price. With new monthly subscription options, a small business could pay as little as $6 per month per user. Previously, businesses were forced to pay more than $100 for the business version of Microsoft Office. While this reaches hundreds of dollars over the course of a license, Office 365 users benefit by always having the latest version of Office on devices. Plus, with such great collaboration tools, the Cloud version of Office is perfect for today’s multi-device workplace.

12 Tech Solutions for Local Retailers Wanting Local Customers. Plus NYC Startup - Booker

There are a growing number of tools, just for local retailers, to help them manage their customers and help them promote their businesses within their local communities.

Yelp has been doing this for a long time. Google local does this. Manta does this and so many more.

There is also a growing number of online services, many younger who are aiming to help local service businesses, such as spas, use technology to boost the productivity of their local establishments and use online tools to market to their customers.

One relatively new service, Booker, has a suite of tools that I’d like to introduce you to.

These tools, from their web site,  include:

• Promotion tools (Social Promotion, Appointment Distribution, Booking Website, Email Marketing)
• Appointment management (Scheduling, Online Booking, Facebook Booking, Mobile & Tablet Booking)
• Sales tools (Point of Sale, Credit Card Processing, eCommerce, Mobile Payment Processing)
• Customer management tools (Customer Management, Employee Schedule & Payroll, Inventory Management, Reporting)

There are may good options for small local retailers to boost their businesses using technology.

To promote your business, you could go directly to Google, Facebook, Twitter, Reach Local, Manta or other sources to reach local customers looking for local business. Read my book “The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing“

To manage your appointments there are many options, including just a simple Google or Office365 calendar.

For selling within your retail establishment you could use Quickbooks Point of Sale, or several iPad based solutions to ring up sales in your retail store.

For customer management, SageOne and other solutions come to mind. The choice is yours. It would be a good investment to spend 1 - 2 hours with a local technology adviser who can guide you through what solutions are best for your business and how you can have the best integrated solution for your needsd.

12 Tech Solutions for Local Retailers Wanting Local Customers. Plus NYC Startup - Booker

There are a growing number of tools, just for local retailers, to help them manage their customers and help them promote their businesses within their local communities.

Yelp has been doing this for a long time. Google local does this. Manta does this and so many more.

There is also a growing number of online services, many younger who are aiming to help local service businesses, such as spas, use technology to boost the productivity of their local establishments and use online tools to market to their customers.

One relatively new service, Booker, has a suite of tools that I’d like to introduce you to.

These tools, from their web site,  include:

• Promotion tools (Social Promotion, Appointment Distribution, Booking Website, Email Marketing)
• Appointment management (Scheduling, Online Booking, Facebook Booking, Mobile & Tablet Booking)
• Sales tools (Point of Sale, Credit Card Processing, eCommerce, Mobile Payment Processing)
• Customer management tools (Customer Management, Employee Schedule & Payroll, Inventory Management, Reporting)

There are may good options for small local retailers to boost their businesses using technology.

To promote your business, you could go directly to Google, Facebook, Twitter, Reach Local, Manta or other sources to reach local customers looking for local business. Read my book “The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing“

To manage your appointments there are many options, including just a simple Google or Office365 calendar.

For selling within your retail establishment you could use Quickbooks Point of Sale, or several iPad based solutions to ring up sales in your retail store.

For customer management, SageOne and other solutions come to mind. The choice is yours. It would be a good investment to spend 1 - 2 hours with a local technology adviser who can guide you through what solutions are best for your business and how you can have the best integrated solution for your needsd.

Small Business Contests & Awards: NY’s Top Entrepreneurs, BlackBerry Achievement Awards, Pitch at MIT + More

Here’s a fresh list of awards, contests and competitions for growing companies and entrepreneurs.

There are some great contests and awards in this week’s roundup.

If you’ve entered and won a contest or award listed here, let me know so we can share your news.

This list is brought to you every other week by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

*****

Brother CreativeCenter “Back to Business” Contest
Ends March 4, 2013

BizSugar is running a contest where you get to show your creativity. Three winners will receive a prize suite of Brother products including a printer, labelmaker, ink and supplies - valued at approximately $500. To enter just go to the Brother CreativeCenter and use the free tools to design a brochure, business cards, poster, calendar or other item. Then post it at BizSugar.com.

Contest sponsored by Brother (@BrotherOffice). Contest details here.

Future Energy Pitch at MIT
Apply by March 6, 2013

The first Ultra Light event at MIT is a Future Energy pitch event for energy and cleantech startups, hosted in conjunction with the MIT Energy Club and the MIT Clean Energy Prize. The application deadline is this Wednesday, March 6. If you have an energy or cleantech startup and you want to get investor attention, be sure to apply here. You can’t beat MIT as a high-profile forum to showcase your technology!

2013 Northeast Kentucky Small Business Awards
Enter by March 8, 2013

Morehead State University’s Ashland Small Business Development Center is accepting nominations for the 2013 Northeast Kentucky Small Business Awards. The public is encouraged to nominate outstanding small-business owners and/or advocates in three northeastern Kentucky counties â€" Boyd, Carter and Greenup.

Crain’s New York Business Top Entrepreneurs
Enter by March 15, 2013

Crain’s New York is seeking successful businesspeople for its annual Top Entrepreneurs feature to run in May. Companies must be located in New York City, been in business for at least three years, and have revenue of less than $100 million. See website for entry form and eligibility rules.

American Technology Awards
Enter by March 15, 2013

Known as the Termans after Frederick Terman the widely credited father of Silicon Valley, the awards are the only national “Best Of” for technology products and services across the technology industry. Awarded on the basis of a thorough evaluation by industry experts and technology leaders, the Termans are presented at the Technology and Government Dinner in Washington, D.C.

BlackBerry Achievement Awards
Enter by March 22, 2013

The awards program recognizes the year’s most outstanding achievements by business leaders, entrepreneurs and developers in advancing mobile technology to benefit business and society. Award winners will be announced at the annual BlackBerry Live conference in Orlando, Florida in May 2013.
Award categories include:

App of the Year
Putting Customers First
Mobile Innovation of the Year
Making the World a Better Place
Entrepreneur of the Year

Grow Mid City Small Business Growth Competition
Enter by March 22, 2013

Capital One Bank has partnered with the Mid City Redevelopment Alliance of Baton Rouge to host the Grow Mid City Small Business Growth Plan Competition, an initiative to help small businesses in the Mid City area to grow and to create jobs. The Grow Mid City Small Business Growth Plan Competition is a part of Capital One Bank’s commitment to investing in their communities.

The Company Corporation Business Plan Contest
Enter by March 31, 2013

Open to participants from around the country, the Business Plan Contest encourages would-be entrepreneurs to grow their ideas into start-up and early-stage To win, entrants should write a one-page business plan executive summary and send it to The Company Corporation no later than March 31, 2013. Entries will be judged by a panel of The Company Corporation’s Small Business Specialists. The contestant who submits the most thought-provoking and well-reasoned business plan executive summary will bring home a $1,000 cash award.

Huntsville/Madison 2013 Small Business Awards
Enter by April 5, 2012

The spirit of the Small Business Awards is to recognize individuals and businesses that make a positive impact on the Huntsville/Madison metro community through their products, services and outstanding attributes.

The 2013 Small Business Awards will consist of 7 categories, listed on the event website.

2013 SCORE Awards
Enter by March 31, 2013

The SCORE Awards is an annual event that celebrates the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses. It recognizes the people and companies that have demonstrated unique vision, innovation and achievement in support of America’s economy and small business community. The awards ceremony will take place in August 2013. Net revenues from the event help support The SCORE Foundation and its programs, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit. All nominees must agree to come to the SCORE Awards to be eligible.

Dell $100M Innovators Credit Fund

Dell $100M Innovators Credit Fund
Ongoing

Dell has launched a $100 million Innovators Credit Fund, with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs “maximize potential for innovation, speed to market and job creation.” The credit fund will offer both funding and technology resources with IT support, depending on what each start-up needs.

To be eligible, you must have already received some angel funding or venture capital before you can apply. Start-ups can get up to 10% of its current funding or up to $150,000 with limited credit terms. See website for details and application.

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.) Only events of interest to small business people, freelancers and entrepreneurs will be considered and included.

Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award.

[photo credit: Shorts and Longs Flickr]

Yodle Offers Customer Marketing (CRM) to Local Businesses: Expands Dental Marketing Software

Today, Yodle, online marketing solution for local retailers, announced their purchase of Lighthouse Practice Management Group an onlnie service which provides dental office customer marketing software.

In a dental office one of the best ways to get recurring revenue is to ensure your clients are reminded about their appointments. Lighthouse helps dentist connect with their customers and more.

With this purchase Yodle is not only solidifying itself to serve dental offices more, but can use Lighthouse for other industries as well - offering them a light “CRM” solution to automatically keep in touch with their customers.

The market of online marketing is only half complete when you focus on driving traffic to your web site, as Yodle does now. The other half is working with existing customers to buy more than once from you- as Yodle provides now.

Emerging threats include kinetic attack, offensive forensics: RSA 2013

SAN FRANCISCO -- "Cyber is one domain to rule them all."

OpenEMR, from a security perspective, is a disaster. … We had to harden OpenEMR or it was trivial [to hack it].

Ed Skoudis,
CEO, Counter Hack

CEO of Counter Hack and SANS instructor Ed Skoudis may have been playful with his Lord of the Rings reference during his 2013 RSA Conference presentation, but the attack techniques that he and Johannes Ullrich, chief research officer at the SANS Internet Storm Center, discussed are anything but a joking matter.

During a joint presentation last week, the duo detailed how everything from industrial control systems to SCADA equipment to big financial institutions is vulnerable to society-shaking attacks.

Skoudis, in particular, discussed the effects of kinetic attacks being carried out in cyberspace. He pointed to recent attacks, including Stuxnet, Flame and Shamoon, to show that nation-states and criminal organizations are increasingly looking at hacking via cyberattacks as a way to break physical systems that are vital to the way society functions. Such reported attacks from recent years included everything from a hacked water system in Illinois to millions of dollars in alleged fraud being committed via smart meters.

Skoudis expressed concern that the general public still dismisses the risk that these types of kinetic attacks can have on their daily lives.

Skoudis was also the brainchild behind NetWars CyberCity, a SANS operation meant to serve as a training ground for cyberwarriors. A six-by-eight-foot miniature city, CyberCity features a SCADA-controlled power grid, traffic system, trains, a military base and more, all of which can be hacked and defended in cyberspace similar to a real city. Skoudis joked that the CyberCity coffee shop Wi-Fi network has proved to be an invaluable resource to those launching attacks.

When asked by an audience member whether any significant vulnerabilities were found in the CyberCity hospital, Skoudis offered a stark reminder of the insecure state of the nation's health care infrastructure.

"OpenEMR, from a security perspective, is a disaster," he said of the open source electronic medical records application. "We had to harden OpenEMR or it was trivial [to hack it]."

As part of his discussion on kinetic attacks, Skoudis also warned of a related threat: misattribution. Attackers, whether they are nation-state actors or run-of-the-mill cybercriminals, are increasingly trying to hide their trails by purposefully inserting code that mimics other attackers.

With so much news surrounding Chinese cyberespionage, a Russian hacker, as an example, may decide to drop some Mandarin into the code notes. Or sophisticated malicious hackers may purposefully insert what may be considered rudimentary mistakes into their malcode just so forensics experts won't think to attribute an attack to them.

In terms of enterprise threats, Skoudis discussed what he considers to be the rise of offensive forensics. It used to be that attackers would steal large quantities of data because they didn't know what was valuable. Now, Skoudis said, attackers are able to target the exact data they want through the use of forensics tools, with the added benefit that it reduces the noise in the network so they're less likely to be noticed.

"Offensive forensics is taking forensics techniques, analyzing in-depth file systems and memory and combing through it, looking for the needle in the haystack," he said. "It's forensics, but you're using it to pull something back."

Ullrich focused in on distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that have targeted large financial institutions over the last 12 months. Attack speeds are now exceeding 40 Gbps, yet attackers only need 2,000 or so servers for these attacks to be effective. If the goal of an attacker is simply to cause financial pain, a DDoS attack is a cost-effective way to accomplish that goal.

"The attack itself is amazingly simple and doesn't require a lot of resources," Ullrich said. In fact, he said a talented attacker with little in the way of resources could likely take down the nation's largest banks.

Ullrich also pointed to the area of encryption and its failure in securing sensitive data. Whenever a big breach incident makes headlines, he said, it seems that hackers find cracking the hashes to be a trivial matter. According to Ullrich, this is because the major hash algorithms in use today, ironically, weren't designed with security as their first priority.

"These hashing algorithms are designed for the wrong purpose; they are designed to be efficient," he said. "The least-efficient algorithm is the one I want to use."

The ultimate point driven home by Skoudis and Ullrich was that defending industrial control systems and financial institutions should be an absolute priority, though the track record of the security industry doesn't provide much comfort for those concerned about these matters.

"We have to do better in securing the critical infrastructure over the next 10 years than we did securing the Internet stuff in the last 10 years," Skoudis said.

RSA 2013: China not the only cyber espionage country, says Mandiant

China is not the only country carrying out large-scale cyber espionage, says US cyber security firm Mandiant.

“We are seeing other countries carrying out similar activities,” the company’s chief Kevin Mandia told attendees of RSA Conference 2013 in San Francisco.

On 18 February, the firm published a report that identified a secretive branch of China's military based in Shanghai as one of the world's "most prolific cyber espionage groups". 

The report, based on seven years of surveillance, said Chinese military Unit 61398 has "systematically stolen hundreds of terabytes of data" from at least 141 organisations around the world.

“We have been criticised for picking on China, for focusing on a single country, for ruining intelligence operations and publishing the report just before the RSA conference as a publicity stunt,” said Mandia.

But, he said, although the company had decided to go public with the report because private companies were becoming intolerant of Unit 61398’s activities, the exact timing was not determined by Mandiant.

“We are working with law enforcement authorities and there are a lot of considerations that determine the timing of such things that are out of our hands,” said Mandia.

He denied that his company was picking on China. “We do not focus on anyone, we just go where the intrusions are,” he said.

Mandia rejected the assertion that the country of origin is irrelevant. “It does matter to business; they want to know who is attacking them, why, and what is being targeted,” he said.

Mandia said there was little danger that the report compromised other intelligence activities as the group is well known in the intelligence community.

Within a week of the report’s publication, Unit 61398 began using alternative infrastructure, said Marshall Heilman, an incident responder at Mandiant.

“Their immediate response was to ‘park’ [decommission] some of the domains they were using, which would effectively render some of their malware useless,” he said.

As might be expected from a military operation, Mandia said there was no panic. “They simply moved infrastructure, but we were pushing and forcing some cost, which means we are starting to gain some control rather than just getting hit,” he said.

The group quickly changed its registration details on the Whois database, replaced backdoors, and cleared their working and staging directories.

Mandia said the group had masqueraded as him in the past in an attempt to send exploits to employees and he believed that Unit 61398 may attempt to destroy the evidence Mandiant has gathered.

“If we get compromised, I will go public about it and with whatever we learn from that,” he said.

Mandia said the report was the most comprehensive sharing of threat intelligence with the private sector to date.

“I won’t say that the way we did it was perfect, but it was a start and in future we will use standard threat intelligence formats to expedite distribution of actionable information,” he said.

The Mandiant report was published within days of US president Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, in which he highlighted concerns about cyber threats against critical infrastructure.

The address came on the same day that Obama signed a long-awaited executive order requiring federal agencies to share cyber threat information with private companies.

The order also requires the creation of a cyber security framework aimed at reducing risks to companies providing critical infrastructure.

The concern is that once attackers gain access to key networks, they could cause physical damage to the infrastructure that the computers control before any intrusion is detected.

 

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The Buffer Social App May Be A Time Saver for You

If you are trying to keep an active presence on social that shares information, but are finding it difficult to keep up because of work and other obligations I might have a solution for you, Buffer. As I have stated previously I use Twitter to gather information on my industry and I share information as well. However, I can’t share 15 articles at the same time because it irritates people.

Sharing needs to be spaced out a bit, but who has time to sit and share every 30 minutes to an hour With the Buffer App, I don’t have to sit in front of a computer all day to share to my Twitter account, Facebook account, Facebook pages and Linkedin. Buffer does it all for me and it can help you as well.

What Is the Social Sharing App, Buffer

It is an app tool that allows you to share and schedule from your browser, your mobile device or from Web pages. With Buffer you can share images, video, articles, news and more. This tool is fast and simple. You can use Buffer to manage your social accounts and your clients’ accounts at the same time.

What Accounts You Can Add to Buffer

• More than one Facebook profile.
• More than one Facebook page.
• Twitter accounts.
• Linkedin account.
• App.net.

Creating a Schedule

For each profile you have added you can create a publishing schedule where you get to pick the days and times for the items you add to Buffer.  This allows you to have diversity in publishing times across social accounts.

How to Add Items to Buffer

There are a lot of ways to add things to Buffer and their site lists each of the ways. I am going to review the main ways I add to Buffer just to make things simpler.

Login in to Buffer

You can login to Buffer from anywhere and add things to share socially. You login and just click on a box that says “What do you want to Share.” When you do, the box below appears and allows you to add text, a link and then lets you choose which accounts to share the info with.

Share from Your Browser Extension

If you are reading an article or news item you want to share you can just click on the Buffer icon extension in your browser. Below is a picture of what the icon looks like in Chrome.

When you click on the icon, a box pops up that allows you to decide which social accounts you want to share the page, article, video or image with. It pulls in a thumbnail of the image on the page, link and excerpt for social networks like Facebook and Linkedin. Here is what it looks like:

Mobile Devices

Buffer has apps for multiple mobile devices that allow you to share and also keep track of what has been shared:

Web Pages with Buffer Share Buttons

Many websites have a Buffer share button that allows readers to add items to their queue straight from a Web page.

These buttons also keep track of the number of times the item has been shared with Buffer.

Buffer Analytics

Buffer also keeps track of sharing data for each social account and each item shared. This data can help you see how engaged your audience is, which audience is more engaged in regards to network vs. network, what types of shared items do best with your audience, track number of clicks and it also keeps a nice clean record of what you have shared in the past. This is great data to have.

Other Buffer Options

Buffer has a free version and a paid version. The paid version gives you a lot more freedom for $10 a month. The paid version also allows you to add team members so it isn’t just up to one person to run and maintain all your social accounts. Buffer also has a link shortening function and integrates other services that you can use (free option).

Why I Use It

I use Buffer for several reasons, but the main reason is that it saves me time. It also allows my social accounts to remain active when I can’t be due to meetings or just life. The analytics are very informative and helpful to me, especially in regards to clicks on Facebook, which I wasn’t able to monitor before. It allows me to share with client accounts and track the data for them as well.

This is one tool that is so easy to use that it is actually faster than sharing by hand. It is fast and simple and makes my life easier. I recommend you try the free version and see how it works for you.

Mobile Image Credit: Apple / Buffer

Small Business Contests & Awards: NY’s Top Entrepreneurs, BlackBerry Achievement Awards, Pitch at MIT + More

Here’s a fresh list of awards, contests and competitions for growing companies and entrepreneurs.

There are some great contests and awards in this week’s roundup.

If you’ve entered and won a contest or award listed here, let me know so we can share your news.

This list is brought to you every other week by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

*****

Brother CreativeCenter “Back to Business” Contest
Ends March 4, 2013

BizSugar is running a contest where you get to show your creativity. Three winners will receive a prize suite of Brother products including a printer, labelmaker, ink and supplies - valued at approximately $500. To enter just go to the Brother CreativeCenter and use the free tools to design a brochure, business cards, poster, calendar or other item. Then post it at BizSugar.com.

Contest sponsored by Brother (@BrotherOffice). Contest details here.

Future Energy Pitch at MIT
Apply by March 6, 2013

The first Ultra Light event at MIT is a Future Energy pitch event for energy and cleantech startups, hosted in conjunction with the MIT Energy Club and the MIT Clean Energy Prize. The application deadline is this Wednesday, March 6. If you have an energy or cleantech startup and you want to get investor attention, be sure to apply here. You can’t beat MIT as a high-profile forum to showcase your technology!

2013 Northeast Kentucky Small Business Awards
Enter by March 8, 2013

Morehead State University’s Ashland Small Business Development Center is accepting nominations for the 2013 Northeast Kentucky Small Business Awards. The public is encouraged to nominate outstanding small-business owners and/or advocates in three northeastern Kentucky counties â€" Boyd, Carter and Greenup.

Crain’s New York Business Top Entrepreneurs
Enter by March 15, 2013

Crain’s New York is seeking successful businesspeople for its annual Top Entrepreneurs feature to run in May. Companies must be located in New York City, been in business for at least three years, and have revenue of less than $100 million. See website for entry form and eligibility rules.

American Technology Awards
Enter by March 15, 2013

Known as the Termans after Frederick Terman the widely credited father of Silicon Valley, the awards are the only national “Best Of” for technology products and services across the technology industry. Awarded on the basis of a thorough evaluation by industry experts and technology leaders, the Termans are presented at the Technology and Government Dinner in Washington, D.C.

BlackBerry Achievement Awards
Enter by March 22, 2013

The awards program recognizes the year’s most outstanding achievements by business leaders, entrepreneurs and developers in advancing mobile technology to benefit business and society. Award winners will be announced at the annual BlackBerry Live conference in Orlando, Florida in May 2013.
Award categories include:

App of the Year
Putting Customers First
Mobile Innovation of the Year
Making the World a Better Place
Entrepreneur of the Year

Grow Mid City Small Business Growth Competition
Enter by March 22, 2013

Capital One Bank has partnered with the Mid City Redevelopment Alliance of Baton Rouge to host the Grow Mid City Small Business Growth Plan Competition, an initiative to help small businesses in the Mid City area to grow and to create jobs. The Grow Mid City Small Business Growth Plan Competition is a part of Capital One Bank’s commitment to investing in their communities.

The Company Corporation Business Plan Contest
Enter by March 31, 2013

Open to participants from around the country, the Business Plan Contest encourages would-be entrepreneurs to grow their ideas into start-up and early-stage To win, entrants should write a one-page business plan executive summary and send it to The Company Corporation no later than March 31, 2013. Entries will be judged by a panel of The Company Corporation’s Small Business Specialists. The contestant who submits the most thought-provoking and well-reasoned business plan executive summary will bring home a $1,000 cash award.

Huntsville/Madison 2013 Small Business Awards
Enter by April 5, 2012

The spirit of the Small Business Awards is to recognize individuals and businesses that make a positive impact on the Huntsville/Madison metro community through their products, services and outstanding attributes.

The 2013 Small Business Awards will consist of 7 categories, listed on the event website.

2013 SCORE Awards
Enter by March 31, 2013

The SCORE Awards is an annual event that celebrates the outstanding achievements of America’s small businesses. It recognizes the people and companies that have demonstrated unique vision, innovation and achievement in support of America’s economy and small business community. The awards ceremony will take place in August 2013. Net revenues from the event help support The SCORE Foundation and its programs, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit. All nominees must agree to come to the SCORE Awards to be eligible.

Dell $100M Innovators Credit Fund

Dell $100M Innovators Credit Fund
Ongoing

Dell has launched a $100 million Innovators Credit Fund, with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs “maximize potential for innovation, speed to market and job creation.” The credit fund will offer both funding and technology resources with IT support, depending on what each start-up needs.

To be eligible, you must have already received some angel funding or venture capital before you can apply. Start-ups can get up to 10% of its current funding or up to $150,000 with limited credit terms. See website for details and application.

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.) Only events of interest to small business people, freelancers and entrepreneurs will be considered and included.

Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award.

[photo credit: Shorts and Longs Flickr]