You KNOW You Want to Check Out This List of Small Business Events and Contests

Yes, this is a good list.  And if you want more, we’d love to point you to many many events.  Check out our curated list of events, contests and awards for small businesses, solo entrepreneurs and growing companies. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar.

Featured Events, Contests and Awards

Rule Breaker Awards
March 31, 2014, Online

The RuleBreaker Awards will honor and celebrate those entrepreneurs who have succeeded by doing it their way. Some have created whole new industries; others have revolutionized industries that have existed for hundreds of years. Nominate yourself or another business. Valuable prize package, including lifetime phone service from Nextiva.com!

Google Hangout: Best Small Business Books
April 02, 2014, Online

Too much to read, too little time! Join the Book Review Team of Small Business Trends on a Google Hangout for a discussion about their picks for the best business books of 2013 and the trends and lessons small businesses can take away from them.

Small Business Book Awards 2014
April 11, 2014, Online

The Small Business Book Awards honor the best business books published in 2013, and book resources (such as cover design, copy editing and more). No fee required. Get the recognition your book or resource deserves. Nominate now through April 30, 2014!

Hashtag: #BizBookAwards

ICON14 by Infusionsoft
April 23, 2014, Phoenix, AZ

#ICON14 is the eighth annual conference for small business, hosted by Infusionsoft (previously called Infusioncon). Over 3,000 attendees expected. Confirmed speakers include Seth Godin, JJ Ramberg and Peter Shankman.

Hashtag: #ICON14
Discount Code
smallbiztrends (Get an extra $100 off)

More Events

• New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW)
  March 22, 2014, New Orleans, LA
• 2014 Female Entrepreneur Lecture
  March 24, 2014, New Jersey, NJ
• Access to Capital: Money to Mainstreet
  March 26, 2014, Phoenix, AZ
• SKI USA @AD:TECH SAN FRANCISCO 2014
  March 26, 2014, San Francisco, CA
• 10 Ways You’re Killing Your Form Response Rates - And How To Fix It
  March 26, 2014, Online
• Mastering the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules
  March 27, 2014, Toronto, Canada
• Take Action. Get A SLAP! : Create a 1 year growth plan for your business
  March 27, 2014, Online
• Contracts And Insurance, Things You Need To Ask Your Broker!
  March 27, 2014, Online
• Women Business Owners Symposium (WBOS)
  March 27, 2014, Chicago, IL
• Startup Weekend New Jersey
  March 28, 2014, Franklin Township, NJ
• Speeding Up Sales
  April 02, 2014, Online
• Social Media Trends, Best Practices, and Compliance for Healthcare Professionals
  April 03, 2014, Boston, MA
• Danville Area Business and Culinary Showcase
  April 03, 2014, Danville, CA
• Wellness Programs; Understanding the Why, Knowing How and Making it Work
  April 03, 2014, Online
• SPREE 2014 - Specialty Retail Entrepreneur Expo & Conference
  April 08, 2014, Las Vegas, NV
• Tax Form 941 for 2014: All You Need to Know
  April 08, 2014, Online
• NYC Business & Entrepreneur Grade-A Networking Mixer
  April 08, 2014, New York City, NY
• LinkedIn for Government Contractors
  April 08, 2014, Columbia, MD
• Government Marketing Best Practices
  April 08, 2014, Columbia, MD
• HIPAA 101
  April 08, 2014, Online

More Contests

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology.

These Social Media Topics Dominate Our Community This Week

It’s time again for our community news and information roundup. Here are the discussions happening on the blogs and communities we follow. Let’s dig in.

Events are Going Social. (Patrick Nelissen)

You use social media to promote a big event before the fact, of course. But did you realize there are benefits to social interaction during and after as well? Entrepreneur Patrick Nelissen lists some of those here.

Are We Expecting Too Much? (The Woo)

When it comes to social media, Bambi Gordon sure thinks we are. She takes the time to discuss how too many businesses see social media as some kind of silver bullet. Gordon also discusses in the BizSugar community how marketing must be a mix.

This Blogging Advice Might Surprise You (Allison Barrett Carter)

It’s certainly an important part of your online marketing. But did you know that getting bogged down in the business of blogging may not produce the passionate posts that serve your brand best? Here blogger Allison Barrett Carter has some suggestions.

You Can Profit From Your Personal Brand. (Chris Ducker)

It’s true that personal branding is important. But so is developing a sustainable business model. Fortunately, you can do both at once, says Chris Ducker. In this post he outlines some simple ways to leverage your personal brand for profitability.

Don’t Freak Out Over Technical Issues. (Summit 7 Systems)

Technical problems are a fact of life for the modern entrepreneur. Here Jason Miller explains a fix to Lync for Mac, a business video conferencing and IM system built by Microsoft. Don’t panic when there’s a problem. Just get the right tech support.

What’s the Real Cost of Your Product? (Franchise Biz Directory)

If you want to spend big money on a McDonald’s franchise, it would be nice to know the cost of a Big Mac. Franchise correspondent Joel Libava shares an infographic. He then discusses a bit more about what it takes to be profitable.

How to Lead Like Walt Disney. (K.H.C Wealth Management)

Here Joni Lindquist lists the leadership lessons business owners can take from Disney’s career. These lessons about vision and building the right team arguably helped Disney create one of the greatest brands of the 20th century.

A Guide to Filing as a Freelancer. (AllBusiness)

Did you launch a freelance business last year? If so, you’ll find some differences in the way you file your taxes. Deborah Sweeney shares some basic information you’ll need to know. When you left that old 9 to 5 grind, you also embarked on this new adventure.

Your Time Is Too Precious to Waste. (Stella Social Media)

Don’t schedule that meeting if you can’t see a business benefit. And don’t schedule it just because you feel like you have to. Rachel Strella shares some other thoughts on wasting your time as a business owner. Join the conversation in the BizSugar community.

The Anatomy of a Google Search Result. (iBlog Zone)

You want to improve where your site appears in Google searches. So you must understand why other sites show up in search the way they do. Francisco Perez explains Google’s search engine result page (SERP) and shares this infographic with more insight on how it works.

Do you think we missed something in this week’s roundup? Let us know by emailing us at sbtips@gmail.com. We’d love you to tell us what you’d like to see covered here next week. Or take a hint from Bambi Gordon, Joel Libava and Rachel Strella and post to the BizSugar community. It’s where we frequently look for the freshest and most authentic voices in the small business community.

Reading material photo via Shutterstock

OU Masters with digital forensics

SC webcasts on demand

This is how to secure data in the cloud

Exclusive video webcast & Q&A sponsored by Vormetric

As enterprises look to take advantage of the cloud, they need to understand the importance of safeguarding their confidential and sensitive data in cloud environments. With the appropriate security safeguards, such as fine-grained access policies, a move to the cloud is as, or more, secure than an on-premise data storage.

View the webcast here to find out more

More in News Bytes

IT consultancy Capgemini has teamed with Aston University to offer two work-based BSc degrees in software engineering and information systems.

RT.com, the pro-Putin Russian news website, says that hackers defaced its website by replacing the word "Russian" with the word "Nazi" in several article headlines earlier today.

The University of Maryland in the US says that a "sophisticated" cyber-attack exposed sensitive personal data on more than 300,000 faculty, staff and students who attended the school since 1998.

20 Ideas for Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn Cover Images

Most popular social media platforms now offer the ability for users to upload cover images. These images are often larger than regular profile pictures so they can help you show off important information about your business.

If you don’t know where to start when it comes to creating a cover image, take a look at the following 20 examples.

Product Photos

If your business offers physical products for sale, the best thing to do with your cover image could be to show off those products for the world to see. Handmade accessories line Dainty Bloom chose a few select images to show off on its Facebook page.

Staff Photos

Don’t sell a tangible product or don’t want to display them in your cover photo? Consider showing off your workplace culture like this LinkedIn cover photo from Threadless.

Customer Photos

A good way to show your engagement with customers could be to include them on your social media accounts. Showing off happy customers like Aloha Beach and Surf Summer Camp can help give visitors an idea about the experience they could expect from your company.

Workplace Photos

If you want to focus more on what you do, consider showcasing a scene from your office or workspace like this cover photo from Zimana Analytics. This can be especially useful for B2B businesses or companies that don’t necessarily sell tangible products to consumers.

Event Photos

Events can be a great place to get all of your employees, members, or even customers together. And they can sometimes show off a more interesting scene than what might appear at your workplace on a daily basis. Clif Bar used this type of image to show off a large group in its Twitter cover image.

Weekly Showcase

Cover photos can be easily changed and updated regularly. Embrace Pet Insurance updates its cover image to show off a rotating “pet of the week” photo. But this concept could be easily translated to a variety of different business types.

Photos of Members

If your business is one that includes a network or members like the Young Entrepreneur Council, you could show them off in a photo collage like the one pictured above.

Simple Chart

Biz2Credit’s LinkedIn cover image shows a very simple infographic that tells a bit about what the company does.

Awards

Miles Technologies uses its cover image to show off an award the company received recently. These accolades can be easily included in the corner of a cover image to let followers know about your important accomplishments.

Social Media Links

Themes

If your brand has a particular theme, then stick with it and build upon it when the opportunity presents itself. Joel Libava is also known as The Franchise King and, as we all know - every king has his castle.

Upcoming Events

You could also use your cover photo to supply information about upcoming events like this one from Infusionsoft.

Elevator Pitch

Some visitors don’t take the time to really read about businesses on social media. So if it isn’t immediately obvious what your company does by the name and profile photo, consider using the cover photo to supply a very short explanation of your company. Here’s a great example from The Rise to the Top.

Current Happenings

Aside from events, there could be other happenings your company can promote in its cover images. Include information about current promotions or even an upcoming business anniversary like The Bozzuto Group did here.

Hashtags

Hashtags can be used on many different platforms to help people connect on different topics. So if your business has a dedicated hashtag like SmallBizChat, consider including it right in your cover image. That way people know they can use it to connect with you elsewhere.

Speaking Engagements

If you’re a solopreneur like a business coach, consultant, or blogger, cover images of customers or products might not necessarily apply to you. But you could include an image from a speaking engagement or similar event, like this one of Geno Prussakov from AM Navigator. It’s another way to let people see you at work.

Profile Photo Integration

There are also some people who find creative ways to integrate their profile picture into their cover image. This one from Andertoons uses a thought bubble to integrate both images together and show off more of the artists work.

Word Cloud

You want people who visit your social media pages to learn more about your businesses. But you don’t necessarily want to include paragraphs of explanation. Instead, consider using a word cloud like this one from Rieva Lesonsky of GrowBiz Media. It can show off some of the most important ideas, concepts or keywords associated with your brand.

Storefront

Local businesses could benefit from using a simple photo of their storefront so people can more easily find them and make a connection. Back Porch Soap Co. uses this type of photo on its Facebook page.

Call to action

What do you want people to do when they visit your page? Make it very clear to them with a call to action right on your cover photo. If you want them to click the like button, consider a small arrow pointing to it. Or use this method from social media expert Mari Smith. She included a button on her cover image and then a link to her current promotion in the photo’s caption.

10 Valuable Lessons Learned From The Top Business Books

When I think about all the business books I’ve read, I realize how much I’ve learned. David Meerman Scott opened my eyes to content marketing long before it became a buzzword with his bestseller The New Rules of Marketing & PR. Susan Friedman taught me that it’s better to be a big fish in a tiny pond in Riches in Niches.

You can imagine how much fun I have working as Communications Manager for the Small Business Book Awards each year. I’m surrounded by the very best books published the year before! I don’t even have to hunt for the books that will make an impact on my business; they’ve already been nominated.

I wanted to look at this year’s nominees and share some of the lessons these books have taught us. If you haven’t read some of these, put them on your must-read list.

Lesson 1: Don’t Let Email Run Your Life

We know we should check our email less, yet few of us have actually made strides in this productivity-reducer. Thank goodness Joost Wouters, author of The 15-Minute Inbox, has a process anyone can follow. If you feel like a “reactive firefighter” when trying to cut through your masses of emails, reading this will turn you into a “proactive business builder” and help you get back to business.

Lesson 2: Market Less, Not More

Despite the fact that content marketing has been around a while, many people try too hard, resulting in customers feeling like businesses are cramming messages down their throats. In Epic Content Marketing, Joe Pulizzi (who knows his stuff) shows readers how content, delivered to the right person at the right time, can capture the hearts of your audience.

Lesson 3: You Control How Profitable You Are (or Aren’t)

It’s too easy to throw our hands up when our businesses don’t make money and say “it’s not in the cards,” but Ruth King, author of The Courage to Be Profitable, won’t accept your excuses. She provides tips you can manage in 30 minutes a month. Who can’t devote that to increasing profits?

Lesson 4: Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

Entrepreneurs often fear failure above all, but in Fail Fast. Succeed Faster, we learn from some of the most successful business folks around that the sooner you fail, the quicker you can shed bad ideas and strategies.

Lesson 5: You Could Learn a Lot (About Business) from a Monk

Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks shows us that inspiration for successful businesses comes in the least likely of sources. Author August Turak studies how Trappist monks at Mepkin Abbey apply solid business strategies for their own business endeavors, and how others can learn from them.

Lesson 6: We Can’t Ignore Big Data Anymore

Another buzzword many of us have chosen to ignore is “Big Data.” What is it, and why should businesses care? Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work and Think answers those questions, and the answers might surprise you.

Lesson 7: Marketing Your Own Book Is Easier Than You Think

If the idea of writing a book and then marketing it to sell more copies is daunting to you, pick up a copy of Tim Grahl’s Your First 1000 Copies. Even if marketing is a foreign language to you, this book will help you build a strategy around marketing your book. Now all you need to do is write the book!

Lesson 8: It’s Not Always About Being Successful

Even the most successful entrepreneur often feels unfulfilled. Make A Difference: From Being Successful to Being Significant is a business novel that provides the groundwork to make a positive impact on the world around you, not just your bottom line.

Lesson 9: You Can Break Out of Corporate America

If you’ve only ever dreamed of starting a business, Freedom From Bosses Forever will empower you to finally make a move. While it’s peppered with humor, it’s a serious take on how to break out of the 9-to-5 syndrome and start something for yourself.

Lesson 10: There are Always More Amazing Business Books Out There

I can’t cover all the amazing nominees for this year’s Small Business Book Awards, but I encourage you to check out this year’s list and contribute your own. Think about those books that have made a difference to you and nominate them.

I’d also like to invite you to the upcoming Google Hangout, Best Small Business Books, on April 2, 2014, at 11 am Pacific (2 pm Eastern). I’ll be there, along with Small Business Trends Book Editors Ivana Taylor and Pierre DeBois, as we discuss some of the awesome books we’ve reviewed for Small Business Trends.

We want to hear from other entrepreneurs â€" like you! Share your favorite books and book resources with us, and why. Hope to see you there!

Books Photo via Shutterstock