Lesson learned?
Sometimes you get too comfortable in your marketing and need to take things up a notch - big brands do - why not you?
Check out this video below of what Coca-Cola did with a local Spanish music crew (or see it here on Youtube)
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Marketing Lessons from Crazy Latinos, Coca-Cola and a Local Grocery Store
Marketing Lessons from Crazy Latinos, Coca-Cola and a Local Grocery Store
Lesson learned?
Sometimes you get too comfortable in your marketing and need to take things up a notch - big brands do - why not you?
Check out this video below of what Coca-Cola did with a local Spanish music crew (or see it here on Youtube)
Invest in Your Success: Strategic Planning for Small Business
Running a small business can be chaotic. It’s easy to get sucked into the day-to-day operations required to keep things running smoothly and profitably. By taking the time to invest in a strategic planning process, you’re saying, “I am ready to take this business to the next stage of success.â€
I’d like to share the best practices I’ve used to grow Infusionsoft from a start-up with a handful of employees to a thriving, venture-backed organization with 450 employees. They are rooted in the philosophies of experts like Jim Collins, Verne Harnish and Tyler Norton and vetted over 10 years of real-world application. I believe in this process and its power to help small businesses achieve success, and I know it can help you too. So let’s get started.
1. Articulate Your Visionâ€"Your Purpose, Mission & Core Values
Creating, articulating and sticking to your vision is the single most important job you have as a leader. A clear vision is needed to guide and influence your strategic planning process. Have you ever asked yourself, “What is the purpose of my business?†If not, sit down right now and figure it out. Our purpose at Infusionsoft is quite simply, “To help small businesses succeed.â€
Once you’ve clearly articulated why your business exists, it’s time to identify the concrete “what†behind itâ€"the three to five-year Mission you’re embarking on. Your Mission should be bold, inspirational and compelling and just gutsy enough to give you butterflies in your stomach. Think of President Kennedy’s Mission to put a man on the moon and return him safely home within a decade. Our Mission is, “To create and dominate the market of all-in-one sales and marketing software for small businesses, with 100,000 customers worldwide.â€
With your Purpose and Mission in place, the last piece you need is Core Values. This is the “how†of your business. Core Values should articulate what is already true about your business and culture, not describe how you want it to be:
- How do you go about your work?
- What do you value in yourself and your employees?
- What characteristics do you want your customers to experience?
These are your Core Values.
Once you have your Purpose, Mission and Core Values in place, it’s your job to hire, train and also fire employees that don’t align to it. It sounds like extra work, but you’ll actually discover that finding good people is much easier when you’ve clearly articulated your Vision. At Infusionsoft, we’ve found that our Purpose, Mission and Core Values attract the right candidates and repel the wrong ones.
2. Understand How Strategy Drives the Plan
When you take the time to define the why, what and how of your business, you’re ready to identify strategies to achieve your Mission. To determine what those strategies should be, examine the company strengths that you can employ to achieve a strong return on your investments. Look for resources and capabilities you can leverage for maximum gain. To develop a competitive advantage that is sustainable, I recommend focusing on no more than three to five core strengths.
I firmly believe that strategy is an exercise in saying “no.†Focus is an incredible thing. Just think about the power that’s achieved when you focus a magnifying glass on a very small area. By focusing your resources on a few core areas, you maximize your chances of success.
Remember: Identify three to five strategies that are borne out of your greatest strengths, all highly focused on achieving your Mission.
3. Link Your Vision to the Annual and Quarterly Priorities
It can sometimes be a challenge to bridge the gap between your long-term vision and the daily operations. The structure we use to bridge this gap is called our “Strategy Planning Methodology.†It breaks down our current Mission into the annual and quarterly priorities we need to complete in order to achieve our Mission. The work of the quarterly priorities then gets broken down into SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound) objectives that are owned by employees and have deliverables.
Here’s a closer look at the structure of our Strategy Planning Methodology:
- Mission: This is typically achievable in three to five years. It should be bold and exciting.
- Strengths to Leverage: Three to five key strengths you will need to use to achieve your Mission.
- Strengths to Develop: Three to five strengths you will need to develop to achieve your Mission.
- Annual Priorities: Three to five priorities you will focus on this year to leverage your current strengths or develop new strengths to get closer to reaching your Mission. It important to remember that the annual priorities must: Support the current mission, be set annually by the leaders and not become individualized by department or employee.
- Quarterly Priorities or Tactical Operating Priorities: Three to five priorities that support the annual priorities.
- SMART Objectives: Projects and/or tasks that are required to accomplish the quarterly priorities.
Using this Strategy Planning Methodology makes it possible to connect your Mission to the annual, quarterly and even daily operations of the business.
4. Establish A Rhythm for Success
Strategic planning isn’t a one-time event. Once you’ve laid out your strategy, it’s crucial to stay focused over the long-term. I’ve found that it’s vital to schedule a steady rhythm of productive meetingsâ€"annually, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily. During these meetings, evaluate the plan, what’s working and what needs to be adjusted. You may be tempted to skip these meetings, but don’t do it. You’ll waste a lot more time throughout the week, month and quarter if you’re not clear on your goals. Make this investment in regular meetings and you’ll get the best thing to help you succeedâ€"confidence.
As an entrepreneur, I’ve always believed in measuring performance to help people and companies make steady progress toward their goals. One of my favorite quotes is:
Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is reported, performance improves dramatically. Where performance is reported publicly, performance improves exponentially.
At the end of every quarter, each department goes through what we call a SWOT + exercise. During this time we do a SWOT analysis where we analyze our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We take it a step further by evaluating the accomplishments, lessons learned and strategic issues from the quarter. (How do we achieve X outcome, given Y situation?)
By doing this, we are able to make informed decisions about what the next quarterly priorities should be.
Effective strategic planning is the linchpin for your long-term business success. Grounded in your Purpose, Mission and Core Values, a solid strategy can help you develop a plan of action and maximize your likelihood of success in achieving your vision.
Business Strategy Concept Photo via Shutterstock
Invest in Your Success: Strategic Planning for Small Business
Running a small business can be chaotic. It’s easy to get sucked into the day-to-day operations required to keep things running smoothly and profitably. By taking the time to invest in a strategic planning process, you’re saying, “I am ready to take this business to the next stage of success.â€
I’d like to share the best practices I’ve used to grow Infusionsoft from a start-up with a handful of employees to a thriving, venture-backed organization with 450 employees. They are rooted in the philosophies of experts like Jim Collins, Verne Harnish and Tyler Norton and vetted over 10 years of real-world application. I believe in this process and its power to help small businesses achieve success, and I know it can help you too. So let’s get started.
1. Articulate Your Visionâ€"Your Purpose, Mission & Core Values
Creating, articulating and sticking to your vision is the single most important job you have as a leader. A clear vision is needed to guide and influence your strategic planning process. Have you ever asked yourself, “What is the purpose of my business?†If not, sit down right now and figure it out. Our purpose at Infusionsoft is quite simply, “To help small businesses succeed.â€
Once you’ve clearly articulated why your business exists, it’s time to identify the concrete “what†behind itâ€"the three to five-year Mission you’re embarking on. Your Mission should be bold, inspirational and compelling and just gutsy enough to give you butterflies in your stomach. Think of President Kennedy’s Mission to put a man on the moon and return him safely home within a decade. Our Mission is, “To create and dominate the market of all-in-one sales and marketing software for small businesses, with 100,000 customers worldwide.â€
With your Purpose and Mission in place, the last piece you need is Core Values. This is the “how†of your business. Core Values should articulate what is already true about your business and culture, not describe how you want it to be:
- How do you go about your work?
- What do you value in yourself and your employees?
- What characteristics do you want your customers to experience?
These are your Core Values.
Once you have your Purpose, Mission and Core Values in place, it’s your job to hire, train and also fire employees that don’t align to it. It sounds like extra work, but you’ll actually discover that finding good people is much easier when you’ve clearly articulated your Vision. At Infusionsoft, we’ve found that our Purpose, Mission and Core Values attract the right candidates and repel the wrong ones.
2. Understand How Strategy Drives the Plan
When you take the time to define the why, what and how of your business, you’re ready to identify strategies to achieve your Mission. To determine what those strategies should be, examine the company strengths that you can employ to achieve a strong return on your investments. Look for resources and capabilities you can leverage for maximum gain. To develop a competitive advantage that is sustainable, I recommend focusing on no more than three to five core strengths.
I firmly believe that strategy is an exercise in saying “no.†Focus is an incredible thing. Just think about the power that’s achieved when you focus a magnifying glass on a very small area. By focusing your resources on a few core areas, you maximize your chances of success.
Remember: Identify three to five strategies that are borne out of your greatest strengths, all highly focused on achieving your Mission.
3. Link Your Vision to the Annual and Quarterly Priorities
It can sometimes be a challenge to bridge the gap between your long-term vision and the daily operations. The structure we use to bridge this gap is called our “Strategy Planning Methodology.†It breaks down our current Mission into the annual and quarterly priorities we need to complete in order to achieve our Mission. The work of the quarterly priorities then gets broken down into SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound) objectives that are owned by employees and have deliverables.
Here’s a closer look at the structure of our Strategy Planning Methodology:
- Mission: This is typically achievable in three to five years. It should be bold and exciting.
- Strengths to Leverage: Three to five key strengths you will need to use to achieve your Mission.
- Strengths to Develop: Three to five strengths you will need to develop to achieve your Mission.
- Annual Priorities: Three to five priorities you will focus on this year to leverage your current strengths or develop new strengths to get closer to reaching your Mission. It important to remember that the annual priorities must: Support the current mission, be set annually by the leaders and not become individualized by department or employee.
- Quarterly Priorities or Tactical Operating Priorities: Three to five priorities that support the annual priorities.
- SMART Objectives: Projects and/or tasks that are required to accomplish the quarterly priorities.
Using this Strategy Planning Methodology makes it possible to connect your Mission to the annual, quarterly and even daily operations of the business.
4. Establish A Rhythm for Success
Strategic planning isn’t a one-time event. Once you’ve laid out your strategy, it’s crucial to stay focused over the long-term. I’ve found that it’s vital to schedule a steady rhythm of productive meetingsâ€"annually, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily. During these meetings, evaluate the plan, what’s working and what needs to be adjusted. You may be tempted to skip these meetings, but don’t do it. You’ll waste a lot more time throughout the week, month and quarter if you’re not clear on your goals. Make this investment in regular meetings and you’ll get the best thing to help you succeedâ€"confidence.
As an entrepreneur, I’ve always believed in measuring performance to help people and companies make steady progress toward their goals. One of my favorite quotes is:
Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is reported, performance improves dramatically. Where performance is reported publicly, performance improves exponentially.
At the end of every quarter, each department goes through what we call a SWOT + exercise. During this time we do a SWOT analysis where we analyze our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We take it a step further by evaluating the accomplishments, lessons learned and strategic issues from the quarter. (How do we achieve X outcome, given Y situation?)
By doing this, we are able to make informed decisions about what the next quarterly priorities should be.
Effective strategic planning is the linchpin for your long-term business success. Grounded in your Purpose, Mission and Core Values, a solid strategy can help you develop a plan of action and maximize your likelihood of success in achieving your vision.
Business Strategy Concept Photo via Shutterstock
NYC Event: Learn the Iron Tribe “Playbook For Small Business Successâ€
How did two guys from Birmingham, Alabama go from working out in a garage to building a franchise with more than 50 gyms (and counting)? Find out by attending a special NYC event, “Playbook for Small Business Success†on August 21, 2013.Â
Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Time: 8:30 am to 12 pm
Place: CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Whether you run a gym, manage franchises, or own another type of small business, scalable processes that keep everyone from leads to customers engaged is essential for growth. Jim Cavale and Forrest Walden grew Iron Tribe’s net profit 310%, increased lead capture by 308%, and sold 32 franchises in just one year with what they call the Perfect Athlete Lifecycle.
Jim will already be in New York keynoting CRM Evolution at the Marriott Marquis in Midtown. He has agreed to spend an extra day sharing Iron Tribe’s secrets for small business growth, marketing best practices, and tips on building your business in 2013 and beyond.
There’s just one catch. Jim wants to keep the setting intimate for a productive Q&A session, so seating is limited. Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your sales and marketing skills.
About The Speakers
Iron Tribe Fitness:Â Forrest Walden (Founder & CEO) and Jim Cavale (Partner & COO)
The Infusionsoft 2012 Ultimate Marketer of the Year award winner, Iron Tribe Fitness, grew from a few friends working out in Forrest Walden’s garage to selling more than 50 locations in more than ten U.S. states. Forrest and Jim will show you how!
Â
Moderator
In addition to his role with Infusionsoft, Ramon is an editor and technology evangelist with Smallbiztechnology.com. He is passionate about helping small businesses use technology as a strategic asset for growth.
NYC Event: Learn the Iron Tribe “Playbook For Small Business Successâ€
How did two guys from Birmingham, Alabama go from working out in a garage to building a franchise with more than 50 gyms (and counting)? Find out by attending a special NYC event, “Playbook for Small Business Success†on August 21, 2013.Â
Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Time: 8:30 am to 12 pm
Place: CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Whether you run a gym, manage franchises, or own another type of small business, scalable processes that keep everyone from leads to customers engaged is essential for growth. Jim Cavale and Forrest Walden grew Iron Tribe’s net profit 310%, increased lead capture by 308%, and sold 32 franchises in just one year with what they call the Perfect Athlete Lifecycle.
Jim will already be in New York keynoting CRM Evolution at the Marriott Marquis in Midtown. He has agreed to spend an extra day sharing Iron Tribe’s secrets for small business growth, marketing best practices, and tips on building your business in 2013 and beyond.
There’s just one catch. Jim wants to keep the setting intimate for a productive Q&A session, so seating is limited. Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your sales and marketing skills.
About The Speakers
Iron Tribe Fitness:Â Forrest Walden (Founder & CEO) and Jim Cavale (Partner & COO)
The Infusionsoft 2012 Ultimate Marketer of the Year award winner, Iron Tribe Fitness, grew from a few friends working out in Forrest Walden’s garage to selling more than 50 locations in more than ten U.S. states. Forrest and Jim will show you how!
Â
Moderator
In addition to his role with Infusionsoft, Ramon is an editor and technology evangelist with Smallbiztechnology.com. He is passionate about helping small businesses use technology as a strategic asset for growth.
Here’s Your Chance to Air a Commercial During the Next Big Game
While most people don’t pay attention to commercials when they come on during our favorite television shows, there is one event where that is not the case. The Super Bowl is typically the most watched event of the year. And as popular as the game is, there is almost as much interest in seeing (and judging) the commercials that air during the broadcast.
With 30-second slots costing millions of dollars, small business typically don’t have a chance to get in front of all those eyeballs. But in 2014, Intuit, in partnership with entrepreneur Bill Rancic, is going to help one lucky small business change all that by giving them a commercial slot during Superbowl XLVIII - and providing the resources to create the commercial as well.
Entrepreneur and best-selling author Bill Rancic, along with Heather McLellan, Director of Intuit’s Small Business Division, join Brent Leary to share how you can enter the contest, what the process is, and why they are partnering up to give one lucky small business a chance to be a part of the business television event of the year.
Below is an edited transcript of the conversation. To hear the entire conversation you can use the SoundCloud player below the transcript.
* * * * *
Small Business Trends: Bill, I am sure that a lot of people already know a lot of your story. But maybe you can give us a little bit of your personal background? Heather, why don’t you do the same thing after Bill.
Bill Rancic: I grew up in Chicago and at a very early age I started to have that entrepreneurial spirit. It started when I was ten and continued through college. I started a small business when I was in college and then right after college I started another business after having a brief stint in corporate America. After I sold that company, I got a call to do the show The Apprentice, the very first season. I was fortunate enough to be able to compete in that. I was the one who came out on top as the first winner, and now I am involved in several small businesses.
My wife and I own a couple of restaurants in Chicago. We own RPM Italian and RPM Steak. I have some real estate development projects that I do, and my wife has a clothing line that she does for HSN called G by Giuliana Rancic. We are pretty busy in the entrepreneur space as well as in the TV space. We do a show together called The Giuliana and Bill Show which airs on Tuesday nights on the Style network and it’s in its 7th season. So we have a pretty full plate.
Heather McLellan: I am here with Bill Rancic and I am a proud member of the Intuit Corporation. I have been there over a decade, and what keeps me at Intuit is the passion we have for small businesses.
The company was founded 30 years ago with the commitment to small businesses. What we want to do is to change the lives of small businesses in ways that they can’t even imagine. That is why I am so excited about Intuit’s Small Business Big Game. It is a program that Bill and Inuit are partnering together on and we hope to change the life of one very lucky small business owner.
Small Business Trends:Â Bill, can I ask you to tell us little bit about Small Business Big Game, and also tell us why you got involved?
Bill Rancic: It’s a program that has never been done before, at least to our knowledge. This is an opportunity where we are going to give one small business owner a fully produced paid for spot that is going to run in the biggest football game of the year. So to me, that was pretty exiting.
Instantly, I gravitated towards it. Then as we started to dig into this program a little bit more, I realize that there really isn’t a loser. Because right now, we are calling for small businesses to enter. All they have to do is go to Small Business Big Game. We are giving them 600 characters to tell us about themselves and their business.
Now everyone who enterers is automatically a winner because they are going to get 50% off of the QuickBooks products. So right then and there, Intuit is investing into these people and trying to arm then with the right tools for success.
The next phase as we go through this process, I am sure we are going to receive hundreds of thousands of applicants where we are going to narrow it down, we are turning to the 8,000 employees at Intuit. What they are going to do is they are going to pick the final 20 candidates. Through that, we are going to weed it down to the final four candidates. Then as we get to the final four, we are going to turn it over to the world. And the world votes - and one candidate will win.
Now let me just back up. One thing we are going to be doing along the way is we are going to be giving away grants. So as these business owners, these entrepreneurs are submitting entries, we are going to be giving way 25/ $1,000 grants that is going to help their businesses. Then the final four, all four of them are going to receive national ads that are going to run. Only one will receive the ad that is going to be run during the Big Game. But the three runner-up businesses are going to get a fully produced, fully paid for national ad that is going to run, which is pretty spectacular.
I looked at this and I said, ‘Wow, you know, this is gong to change the lives of a lot of small business owners.‘ Not just the one who wins the big ad, but a $1,000 grant to a small business - that goes a long way when you are starting out.
When you look at most small businesses, typically there is a lot family that is involved. So this ad that is going to run, it’s going to put them on the platform where the Anheuser-Busch’s of the world and the big auto makers of the world are.  It is going to take their businesses to the next level. Potentially, it could effect their kids and their kids’ kids. I thought, ‘Wow that is very unique. It is very special and I want to be a part of it.‘
Heather McLellan: Well for us, the insight behind this campaign is that small businesses are the unsung heroes of our economy. We want to put a spotlight on these small businesses in a way it has never been done before. So our insight is, ‘How can we put them on a world stage? How can we help them be successful?’ Those are really our two insights, and we think that by putting them on the Big Game we are doing something that, as Bill said, would be really life changing for them.
Small Business Trends:Â Can you tell us what the steps are to get involved and be a part of this contest?
Bill Rancic: I think our goal is to make it as easy as possible and that is what we have done. We have got the website SmallBusinessBigGame.com, and the only requirement is that you have to be a small business owner. You have to have 50 employees or less. If you meet those criteria, you are eligible. You don’t need to be a customer of Intuit, that doesn’t matter. Certainly we would like that, but it has no bearing on the outcome. Then we ask that you tell us about your business. You have 600 characters or less to do that. And that’s it, you’re in. You are essentially on the path to being in the game.
They have until September 22nd to get to that first phase and then from there it goes on. We turn it over to the 8,000 Intuit employees and they go through the voting process and the criteria that is involved. After we get to the final four, we then turn it over to America. We are going to pick the final winner sometime in December. Because we will need enough time to go in and produce the commercial for them.
Whoever is going to have that commercial running during the Big Game, we are going to make sure that we arm them with the right tools and people, to make sure that they can capture all of the exposure and all of the opportunity that is going to come with this commercial. I think that is very important.
Small Business Trends:Â Heather, what about once you get a winner, this commercial runs and everybody sees it. Are you guys going to help them to prepare for the aftermath of all of this?
Heather McLellan:Â Actually, we are going to prepare both before the Big Game and after. So as Bill mentioned, we are going to be doing many makeovers for these small businesses. We will be going to the four finalists home towns and we will be making sure that we look at their operations, their marketing, etc. to make sure they are setup for success. Afterwards, we want this to be life changing for this small business. So we are there 100% behind them, supporting them in any way they need. We know this is going to have a long term effect on them. We will be right by their side.
Small Business Trends:Â How can folks watch and see this all unfold?
Heather McLellan:Â We will be marketing to the millions of small businesses who use our products today, so our existing customers will be aware of this. And for the world, we will be doing things on social channels. We will be running some advertising. The world will know. We will be making sure we bring it to them in all of the different ways possible.
Small Business Trends:Â Bill, any advice you can give folks who are interested in entering this contest?
Bill Rancic: My one bit of advice - chose your words carefully because you have 600 characters to get your story out. I think that is very important. So think about it. Be genuine; be authentic. That’s it - that is all you can do.
This interview for a chance to air a commercial during the Super Bowl is part of the One on One interview series with thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This transcript has been edited for publication. Â
Here’s Your Chance to Air a Commercial During the Next Big Game
While most people don’t pay attention to commercials when they come on during our favorite television shows, there is one event where that is not the case. The Super Bowl is typically the most watched event of the year. And as popular as the game is, there is almost as much interest in seeing (and judging) the commercials that air during the broadcast.
With 30-second slots costing millions of dollars, small business typically don’t have a chance to get in front of all those eyeballs. But in 2014, Intuit, in partnership with entrepreneur Bill Rancic, is going to help one lucky small business change all that by giving them a commercial slot during Superbowl XLVIII - and providing the resources to create the commercial as well.
Entrepreneur and best-selling author Bill Rancic, along with Heather McLellan, Director of Intuit’s Small Business Division, join Brent Leary to share how you can enter the contest, what the process is, and why they are partnering up to give one lucky small business a chance to be a part of the business television event of the year.
Below is an edited transcript of the conversation. To hear the entire conversation you can use the SoundCloud player below the transcript.
* * * * *
Small Business Trends: Bill, I am sure that a lot of people already know a lot of your story. But maybe you can give us a little bit of your personal background? Heather, why don’t you do the same thing after Bill.
Bill Rancic: I grew up in Chicago and at a very early age I started to have that entrepreneurial spirit. It started when I was ten and continued through college. I started a small business when I was in college and then right after college I started another business after having a brief stint in corporate America. After I sold that company, I got a call to do the show The Apprentice, the very first season. I was fortunate enough to be able to compete in that. I was the one who came out on top as the first winner, and now I am involved in several small businesses.
My wife and I own a couple of restaurants in Chicago. We own RPM Italian and RPM Steak. I have some real estate development projects that I do, and my wife has a clothing line that she does for HSN called G by Giuliana Rancic. We are pretty busy in the entrepreneur space as well as in the TV space. We do a show together called The Giuliana and Bill Show which airs on Tuesday nights on the Style network and it’s in its 7th season. So we have a pretty full plate.
Heather McLellan: I am here with Bill Rancic and I am a proud member of the Intuit Corporation. I have been there over a decade, and what keeps me at Intuit is the passion we have for small businesses.
The company was founded 30 years ago with the commitment to small businesses. What we want to do is to change the lives of small businesses in ways that they can’t even imagine. That is why I am so excited about Intuit’s Small Business Big Game. It is a program that Bill and Inuit are partnering together on and we hope to change the life of one very lucky small business owner.
Small Business Trends:Â Bill, can I ask you to tell us little bit about Small Business Big Game, and also tell us why you got involved?
Bill Rancic: It’s a program that has never been done before, at least to our knowledge. This is an opportunity where we are going to give one small business owner a fully produced paid for spot that is going to run in the biggest football game of the year. So to me, that was pretty exiting.
Instantly, I gravitated towards it. Then as we started to dig into this program a little bit more, I realize that there really isn’t a loser. Because right now, we are calling for small businesses to enter. All they have to do is go to Small Business Big Game. We are giving them 600 characters to tell us about themselves and their business.
Now everyone who enterers is automatically a winner because they are going to get 50% off of the QuickBooks products. So right then and there, Intuit is investing into these people and trying to arm then with the right tools for success.
The next phase as we go through this process, I am sure we are going to receive hundreds of thousands of applicants where we are going to narrow it down, we are turning to the 8,000 employees at Intuit. What they are going to do is they are going to pick the final 20 candidates. Through that, we are going to weed it down to the final four candidates. Then as we get to the final four, we are going to turn it over to the world. And the world votes - and one candidate will win.
Now let me just back up. One thing we are going to be doing along the way is we are going to be giving away grants. So as these business owners, these entrepreneurs are submitting entries, we are going to be giving way 25/ $1,000 grants that is going to help their businesses. Then the final four, all four of them are going to receive national ads that are going to run. Only one will receive the ad that is going to be run during the Big Game. But the three runner-up businesses are going to get a fully produced, fully paid for national ad that is going to run, which is pretty spectacular.
I looked at this and I said, ‘Wow, you know, this is gong to change the lives of a lot of small business owners.‘ Not just the one who wins the big ad, but a $1,000 grant to a small business - that goes a long way when you are starting out.
When you look at most small businesses, typically there is a lot family that is involved. So this ad that is going to run, it’s going to put them on the platform where the Anheuser-Busch’s of the world and the big auto makers of the world are.  It is going to take their businesses to the next level. Potentially, it could effect their kids and their kids’ kids. I thought, ‘Wow that is very unique. It is very special and I want to be a part of it.‘
Heather McLellan: Well for us, the insight behind this campaign is that small businesses are the unsung heroes of our economy. We want to put a spotlight on these small businesses in a way it has never been done before. So our insight is, ‘How can we put them on a world stage? How can we help them be successful?’ Those are really our two insights, and we think that by putting them on the Big Game we are doing something that, as Bill said, would be really life changing for them.
Small Business Trends:Â Can you tell us what the steps are to get involved and be a part of this contest?
Bill Rancic: I think our goal is to make it as easy as possible and that is what we have done. We have got the website SmallBusinessBigGame.com, and the only requirement is that you have to be a small business owner. You have to have 50 employees or less. If you meet those criteria, you are eligible. You don’t need to be a customer of Intuit, that doesn’t matter. Certainly we would like that, but it has no bearing on the outcome. Then we ask that you tell us about your business. You have 600 characters or less to do that. And that’s it, you’re in. You are essentially on the path to being in the game.
They have until September 22nd to get to that first phase and then from there it goes on. We turn it over to the 8,000 Intuit employees and they go through the voting process and the criteria that is involved. After we get to the final four, we then turn it over to America. We are going to pick the final winner sometime in December. Because we will need enough time to go in and produce the commercial for them.
Whoever is going to have that commercial running during the Big Game, we are going to make sure that we arm them with the right tools and people, to make sure that they can capture all of the exposure and all of the opportunity that is going to come with this commercial. I think that is very important.
Small Business Trends:Â Heather, what about once you get a winner, this commercial runs and everybody sees it. Are you guys going to help them to prepare for the aftermath of all of this?
Heather McLellan:Â Actually, we are going to prepare both before the Big Game and after. So as Bill mentioned, we are going to be doing many makeovers for these small businesses. We will be going to the four finalists home towns and we will be making sure that we look at their operations, their marketing, etc. to make sure they are setup for success. Afterwards, we want this to be life changing for this small business. So we are there 100% behind them, supporting them in any way they need. We know this is going to have a long term effect on them. We will be right by their side.
Small Business Trends:Â How can folks watch and see this all unfold?
Heather McLellan:Â We will be marketing to the millions of small businesses who use our products today, so our existing customers will be aware of this. And for the world, we will be doing things on social channels. We will be running some advertising. The world will know. We will be making sure we bring it to them in all of the different ways possible.
Small Business Trends:Â Bill, any advice you can give folks who are interested in entering this contest?
Bill Rancic: My one bit of advice - chose your words carefully because you have 600 characters to get your story out. I think that is very important. So think about it. Be genuine; be authentic. That’s it - that is all you can do.
This interview for a chance to air a commercial during the Super Bowl is part of the One on One interview series with thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This transcript has been edited for publication. Â
12 Great Tech Tools To Keep You Productive From The Industry Executives Who Use Them
Webinars and Calls
Marketing executive Maria Elena Duron uses MobileDay to save the information she needs for conference calls and webinars. “It includes the time, phone number and automatically dials the passcode with one click,†Duron says. “It reminds me of a meeting and it’s truly hands free after that.â€
Collaboration and Project Management
Jeetu Melwani, founder and CEO of Beaglo, recommends Trello, an app that helps businesses stay organized. “One starts by creating a board for each sub-project you have in your business and assign all members to the board,†Melwani says. “Within the board you can create lists of activities such as marketing, sales, testing, etc and create individual cards within that for each team member to work on.â€
Evernote is another popular tool with many small businesses, including Strategic Communications. Owner/CEO Linda Pophal says, “I have just started to experiment with this but have been using it to capture background information for various projects or presentations that I’m working on. I like the ease of adding things, the searchability, and the fact that I can access from anywhere through any device.â€
Jon Gelberg, chief content strategist for Ceros, recommends Google Hangouts for connecting with remote workers. “We have just over 30 employees, but they are spread through seven countries on four continents. Google Hangouts allow us to remain in constant contact, working collaboratively and effectively. Tools like this allow small businesses to hire for talent and not geography! And, obviously, you can’t beat the price.â€
Billing
SalesVu is a free mobile payment billing app that lets businesses accept payments on the go. “I couldn’t do business without it,†says PR and marketing executive Dave Manzer. “It’s easy to set up my service packages, add discounts, then bill electronically. I can also swipe credit cards for on the spot transactions. The 2.7% transaction fee is
hard to beat, too.â€
Expedition PR uses PaymoBiz for their invoicing. “We can track time for projects by billing rate, which helps us to manage billing and client expectations,†the firm’s president, Katja Schroeder, says. “The software has a widget that you can install on your desktop for easy time tracking, as well as mobile apps for iPhone and Android.â€
Tom Demers, co-founder and managing partner of Measured SEM, recommends FreshBooks for invoicing. “We send out our own invoices, and because we have a combination of recurring fees and project based fees, flexibility is really key here. My business partner and I aren’t finance guys and are working on invoicing in addition to a number of other responsibilities, so having a simple, easy to user interface is key.â€
Navigation
Waze provides turn-by-turn navigation with real-time traffic updates posted by users. The app has, “a clear interface, accurate traffic times and a fun social component,†says Paul Wilke of Upright Position Communications. “With every Apple/Google Maps improvement, I leave Waze to try them out, but I always come back. An added plus for Waze is their lightning-fast customer service responses to any map errors you spot.â€
Sales
Patrick Conley of Automation Heroes recommends InfusionSoft, a sales and marketing automation tool that gives small businesses the ability to automatically land new customers, follow up with prospects, process payments, and much more. “All-in-one software packages like InfusionSoft allow businesses to capture leads and track the lead
source profitability, automate their repetitive pieces of the sales process for major scalability, and use conditional marketing to treat each prospect uniquely.â€
Productivity
The ability to scan no longer has to be tied to the office environment. GeniusScan lets you scan items using the camera on a smartphone or tablet to e-mail to colleagues or simply save for documentation. “I rely on my Genius Scan app to snap a picture of my document, clean it up, and convert it into a PDF that I can easily email without ever travelling to the local print shop or back to the office,†says Jennifer Stagner, eCommerce manager for Tops Products.
Foundry Group managing director Brad Feld recommends TextUs.Biz Receptionist. “We’ve been able to redesign the entry to our office to be receptionist-less as a result of TextUs.Biz Receptionist,†says Feld. “In our attempt to be more monastic, the app lets us have a regular flow of visitors through our office who get immediately connected with the right person without interrupting others.
Social Media
For managing multiple social media accounts, Aftershock Enterprises‘ Joshua C. Norris recommends Hootsuite. “This tool has helped take production time down for scheduling updates on over 100 different profiles,†Norris says. “Very user-friendly and a must-have tool for social media.â€
With so many tools available, small businesses can be more productive than ever. Find the best one for each of your needs and be sure to tell other small business owners how technology has improved your operations.
12 Great Tech Tools To Keep You Productive From The Industry Executives Who Use Them
Webinars and Calls
Marketing executive Maria Elena Duron uses MobileDay to save the information she needs for conference calls and webinars. “It includes the time, phone number and automatically dials the passcode with one click,†Duron says. “It reminds me of a meeting and it’s truly hands free after that.â€
Collaboration and Project Management
Jeetu Melwani, founder and CEO of Beaglo, recommends Trello, an app that helps businesses stay organized. “One starts by creating a board for each sub-project you have in your business and assign all members to the board,†Melwani says. “Within the board you can create lists of activities such as marketing, sales, testing, etc and create individual cards within that for each team member to work on.â€
Evernote is another popular tool with many small businesses, including Strategic Communications. Owner/CEO Linda Pophal says, “I have just started to experiment with this but have been using it to capture background information for various projects or presentations that I’m working on. I like the ease of adding things, the searchability, and the fact that I can access from anywhere through any device.â€
Jon Gelberg, chief content strategist for Ceros, recommends Google Hangouts for connecting with remote workers. “We have just over 30 employees, but they are spread through seven countries on four continents. Google Hangouts allow us to remain in constant contact, working collaboratively and effectively. Tools like this allow small businesses to hire for talent and not geography! And, obviously, you can’t beat the price.â€
Billing
SalesVu is a free mobile payment billing app that lets businesses accept payments on the go. “I couldn’t do business without it,†says PR and marketing executive Dave Manzer. “It’s easy to set up my service packages, add discounts, then bill electronically. I can also swipe credit cards for on the spot transactions. The 2.7% transaction fee is
hard to beat, too.â€
Expedition PR uses PaymoBiz for their invoicing. “We can track time for projects by billing rate, which helps us to manage billing and client expectations,†the firm’s president, Katja Schroeder, says. “The software has a widget that you can install on your desktop for easy time tracking, as well as mobile apps for iPhone and Android.â€
Tom Demers, co-founder and managing partner of Measured SEM, recommends FreshBooks for invoicing. “We send out our own invoices, and because we have a combination of recurring fees and project based fees, flexibility is really key here. My business partner and I aren’t finance guys and are working on invoicing in addition to a number of other responsibilities, so having a simple, easy to user interface is key.â€
Navigation
Waze provides turn-by-turn navigation with real-time traffic updates posted by users. The app has, “a clear interface, accurate traffic times and a fun social component,†says Paul Wilke of Upright Position Communications. “With every Apple/Google Maps improvement, I leave Waze to try them out, but I always come back. An added plus for Waze is their lightning-fast customer service responses to any map errors you spot.â€
Sales
Patrick Conley of Automation Heroes recommends InfusionSoft, a sales and marketing automation tool that gives small businesses the ability to automatically land new customers, follow up with prospects, process payments, and much more. “All-in-one software packages like InfusionSoft allow businesses to capture leads and track the lead
source profitability, automate their repetitive pieces of the sales process for major scalability, and use conditional marketing to treat each prospect uniquely.â€
Productivity
The ability to scan no longer has to be tied to the office environment. GeniusScan lets you scan items using the camera on a smartphone or tablet to e-mail to colleagues or simply save for documentation. “I rely on my Genius Scan app to snap a picture of my document, clean it up, and convert it into a PDF that I can easily email without ever travelling to the local print shop or back to the office,†says Jennifer Stagner, eCommerce manager for Tops Products.
Foundry Group managing director Brad Feld recommends TextUs.Biz Receptionist. “We’ve been able to redesign the entry to our office to be receptionist-less as a result of TextUs.Biz Receptionist,†says Feld. “In our attempt to be more monastic, the app lets us have a regular flow of visitors through our office who get immediately connected with the right person without interrupting others.
Social Media
For managing multiple social media accounts, Aftershock Enterprises‘ Joshua C. Norris recommends Hootsuite. “This tool has helped take production time down for scheduling updates on over 100 different profiles,†Norris says. “Very user-friendly and a must-have tool for social media.â€
With so many tools available, small businesses can be more productive than ever. Find the best one for each of your needs and be sure to tell other small business owners how technology has improved your operations.
Business Meeting Beverages…and Eucalyptus?
I don’t know why, but for a good 3 weeks I was on a koala kick. It seemed like every time I sat down to write, I’d come up with koala jokes.
There was one where the koala was eating a ukelele instead of eucalyptus. One where a giant monster koala was threatening a city and someone was yelling, â€Get some eucalyptus!†And another where the superhero, Koala-Man, just sat quietly munching some leaves as his teammates fight evil and one of them comments, “How is it he always manages to find a eucalyptus tree nearby?â€
You can’t do them all. And this one, although quieter, seemed funniest and the likeliest to sell. So the others found their way into the recycling bin.
I wonder what’s next. . .pandas?
Business Meeting Beverages…and Eucalyptus?
I don’t know why, but for a good 3 weeks I was on a koala kick. It seemed like every time I sat down to write, I’d come up with koala jokes.
There was one where the koala was eating a ukelele instead of eucalyptus. One where a giant monster koala was threatening a city and someone was yelling, â€Get some eucalyptus!†And another where the superhero, Koala-Man, just sat quietly munching some leaves as his teammates fight evil and one of them comments, “How is it he always manages to find a eucalyptus tree nearby?â€
You can’t do them all. And this one, although quieter, seemed funniest and the likeliest to sell. So the others found their way into the recycling bin.
I wonder what’s next. . .pandas?
UPS Stores Launch 3D Printing for Small Businesses
If the cost of owning a 3D printer is holding your business back from taking advantage of its benefits, The UPS Store plans to lend a helping hand.
The franchise retail division of UPS recently announced that it is offering 3D printing capabilities at some of its locations. The idea is being tested first in the San Diego area. The company expects to expand the service elsewhere soon.
In a prepared statement, Michelle Van Slyke, vice president of marketing and Read More
The post UPS Stores Launch 3D Printing for Small Businesses appeared first on Small Business Trends.
Microsoft Drops Price of Surface Pro Tablets Too
If your business is looking for a powerful tablet but unable to budget for a high end price, there’s more good news from Microsoft.
The Redmond, Washington-based software giant has decided to cut the price on its Surface Pro tablet by $100 after a similar price cut on the Surface RT announced last month. The price reduction for U.S. customers began this month and will likely be permanent, reports TheVerge.com
Price Cuts on Surface RT Successful Thus Far
The reason Read More
The post Microsoft Drops Price of Surface Pro Tablets Too appeared first on Small Business Trends.
SIlent Circle confirms end of secure email service
Silent Circle has announced that it is to close down its secure email service.
Microsoft to fix Internet Explorer again next week as one of eight patches
Microsoft will issue eight bulletins on next week's Patch Tuesday, including three that are rated as critical.
With the remaining five rated as important, the critical updates will address remote code execution vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer and Exchange. The five important patches are all for Windows.
Paul Henry, security and forensics analyst at Lumension, said: “IT departments will get a bit of a reprieve this August Patch Tuesday. While eight bulletins may seem high at first glance, three of them are considered critical and just one impacts the current code base.
“Bulletin number two impacts legacy code, primarily XP. Remember, XP is done in April so be sure to get your upgrade plans in place. Bulletin three rounds out the critical patches with an Exchange issue.
As for our important patches this month, bulletin four is an escalation of privilege across all platforms; bulletin five is an escalation of privilege across all 32-bit platforms and bulletin six is a denial-of-service issue impacting Windows Server 2012. Bulletins seven and eight are denial-of-service issues.â€
Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of Qualys, said: “Altogether, this will be a normal sized Patch Tuesday, with three critical issues. It will be interesting to see if the Exchange release in bulletin three is related to the recent Oracle CPU, which updated the Outside In package that Microsoft uses in the Exchange document conversion routines.â€
Tommy Chin, technical support engineer at Core Security, said: “This month's remediation is all about the Exchange servers. The remote code execution disclosure within the Exchange server represents a threat to all companies using Exchange to run their email service.
“This communication channel is usually taken for granted since it normally works without question. However, what if all email communications suddenly became compromised? For most organisations, this scenario is simply unacceptable due to the sensitive information contained within today's email conversations.â€Â Â
Microsoft to fix Internet Explorer again next week as one of eight patches
Microsoft will issue eight bulletins on next week's Patch Tuesday, including three that are rated as critical.
With the remaining five rated as important, the critical updates will address remote code execution vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer and Exchange. The five important patches are all for Windows.
Paul Henry, security and forensics analyst at Lumension, said: “IT departments will get a bit of a reprieve this August Patch Tuesday. While eight bulletins may seem high at first glance, three of them are considered critical and just one impacts the current code base.
“Bulletin number two impacts legacy code, primarily XP. Remember, XP is done in April so be sure to get your upgrade plans in place. Bulletin three rounds out the critical patches with an Exchange issue.
As for our important patches this month, bulletin four is an escalation of privilege across all platforms; bulletin five is an escalation of privilege across all 32-bit platforms and bulletin six is a denial-of-service issue impacting Windows Server 2012. Bulletins seven and eight are denial-of-service issues.â€
Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of Qualys, said: “Altogether, this will be a normal sized Patch Tuesday, with three critical issues. It will be interesting to see if the Exchange release in bulletin three is related to the recent Oracle CPU, which updated the Outside In package that Microsoft uses in the Exchange document conversion routines.â€
Tommy Chin, technical support engineer at Core Security, said: “This month's remediation is all about the Exchange servers. The remote code execution disclosure within the Exchange server represents a threat to all companies using Exchange to run their email service.
“This communication channel is usually taken for granted since it normally works without question. However, what if all email communications suddenly became compromised? For most organisations, this scenario is simply unacceptable due to the sensitive information contained within today's email conversations.â€Â Â
SIlent Circle confirms end of secure email service
Silent Circle has announced that it is to close down its secure email service.
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