GrowSmartBiz Conference – Helping Small Business Owners Grow Their Business

Network Solutions and The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business have put together the first-ever GrowSmartBiz Conference, a one-day educational conference and networking event featuring renowned small business leaders and well-known industry experts from across the U.S.  I am fortunate to have been chosen as one of the panelists at the conference and am looking very forward to it.

The conference will focus on key areas of business that small businesses view as critical to their success according to the 1,500 small businesses that were interviewed for the Small Business Success Index (SBSI).

The goal of the event is to provide small business owners with the proper tools in today’s marketplace that will best grow their business. The event is being held on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C.

What topics will be covered?

• Driving Small Business Performance with Marketing & Innovation
• Raising Capital with Effective Finance Strategies
• Staying Ahead in the Current Economy
• Social Media Marketing

Is there a keynote speaker?

• Yes – Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of WIRED magazine, Author of “The Long Tail” and most recently, “Free fame!”

What will you get out of it?

• Insights into best practices of successful small businesses
• Strategies for growth despite the current economy
• Cost-effective ways to market and promote their businesses
• Tips for raising capital
• An opportunity to connect with small business owners, experts, and solution providers

Who should attend?

• Small business owners
• Entrepreneurs
• Aspiring CEOs

For more information, check out the GrowSmartBiz Conference web site, the GrowSmartBiz page on Cvent.com or the Network Solutions’ blog.

To save $100 on registration, click on the GrowSmartBiz  icon/widget located at the bottom of the right hand column of any page on LoudounScene.com.

Virginia #1 for Business (once again)

CNBC just named Virginia as the number one place for business in the country and U.S. News and World Report named Virginia among “Five Best States to Start a Business”. Things such as the personal income tax rate (top tier is 5.75 percent), corporate tax rate (has remained at 6 percent for last 30 years), lower than average unemployment and foreclosure rate all helped Virginia regain the top spot.

If you look around Northern Virginia including Loudoun County, you’ll notice big names such as Verizon, AOL, Oracle, Volkswagen/Audi, Airbus, Rolls Royce and Amazon.com as well as a slew of government contractors and small businesses everywhere.

On a related note…though Virginia was number one as a state, perhaps Loudoun could get a bit more business friendly so that we don’t keep losing businesses to Fairfax County and other neighboring counties in Virginia (i.e. Volkswagen/Audi, Hilton, etc). Just my $0.02.

Hat tip to NRVLiving.