Entrepreneurship is the new black! It seems that there has never been a better time to start a business. Since 2011 annual start-up rates have increased from 440,600 in 2011 to a record-breaking 581,173 last year, according to the think tank Centre for Entrepreneurs. Next year it is anticipated this number will exceed 600,000! However, when people talk about successful entrepreneurs, the picture of a single (usually male) person is the image which comes into most people’s minds, with Virgin, Topshop and others taking the lion’s share of references.
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
Saturday, June 27, 2015
AT&T to Invest Approximately US$3 Billion in Mexico to Extend Mobile Internet to 100 Million Consumers & Businesses by Year-End 2018
“We are building a network in Mexico that is capable of bringing innovation and economic vitality to the country, just as we have done in the U.S.,” Stephenson said. “We plan to deliver high-quality, high-speed mobile Internet service to Mexico, creating the first-ever North American Mobile Service Area covering 400 million people and businesses in Mexico and the U.S. This seamless network will link together our two countries’ economies, people and cultures like never before.
New Plans and Features for Customers
AT&T expects the first phase of its state-of-the-art, high-speed mobile network will be complete in the next six months and cover 40 million Mexicans, about one-third of the population. By the end of 2016, AT&T expects its mobile Internet service will reach 75 million people, nearly two-thirds of the population. AT&T plans to reach 100 million people by year-end 2018.
Next month, AT&T will introduce new plans for its Mexican customers that take advantage of the company’s North American Mobile Service Area. The new plans let Mexicans use their individual plans — including voice, data and text messaging — while in the U.S. Customers on these new plans will also be able to use their available community minutes to call friends and family in the U.S. who are on the AT&T network. It’s one phone, one plan, covering two countries.
AT&T will also offer other features for its customers in Mexico, including Google Play billing, a first in Latin America. Customers with Google Android devices can download apps, books, movies, music and games with just one click — no credit cards needed — and have it added to their monthly wireless bills.
Commitment to Customers and the Community
AT&T is committed to delivering a great experience to its customers in Mexico. During the summer, the company will begin rolling out Nuestra Promesa (Our Promise). It encourages all employees to commit to a higher level of customer experience. AT&T based Nuestra Promesa on the service excellence standard it has in the U.S. That standard has earned the company multiple national awards for purchase experience and customer care.
In his talks with President Peña Nieto, Stephenson reiterated AT&T’s commitment to all Mexican citizens. “We believe in taking care of the people in the communities where we live and work,” he said. “As a start, we’ll launch our “It Can Wait” campaign in Mexico City in the months ahead to discourage people from texting while driving. No text is worth a life. That’s a message we’ll send to all wireless users across Mexico. The dangers of texting and driving are just as serious in Mexico as they are in the United States.”
AT&T will also be the first Mexican wireless carrier to collaborate with the Alerta Amber (Amber Alert) initiative at a national level. Iusacell, Nextel and Unefon users will receive text messages when a child is missing or abducted in their area.
And, AT&T will invest to help more students in Mexico succeed in school and prepare for the workforce. This commitment will include corporate contributions and work with outstanding non-profit organizations focused on education. AT&T will introduce new learning opportunities for high school students to develop job skills that prepare them for work and teach them about different careers.
Investing in AT&T’s People
Stephenson also recognized AT&T’s employees in Mexico for their contributions to the company’s success. “Everything that we’ve accomplished and our future plans for Mexico depend on one thing: Our people,” he said. “Our employees are critical to our success, and we’ll support them by making AT&T a great place to work in Mexico.”
Stephenson set a goal for AT&T to be one of the best employers in Mexico. To reach this goal, AT&T will introduce a number of programs to support its workforce. In 2016, AT&T will offer tuition support to help employees pursue educational opportunities to advance their careers.
The company is also committed to diversity, with a focus on women and people with disabilities. AT&T plans to launch a Mexico chapter of the Women of AT&T employee resource group later this year and to collaborate with colleges to recruit female students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. AT&T has already moved quickly to expand opportunities for women: Today, women hold 25 percent of leadership positions in the company’s Mexico operations, up from 10 percent when the company entered the market earlier this year.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
‘Six Degrees of Innovation’; the Six Business Model Features Companies Need To Innovate
Research supported by AT&T reveals predictive model for innovation
June 25, 2015 — AT&T commissioned a study to help companies innovate and make the most of technology. The results show that innovation happens where companies have one or more of six business model traits – “Six Degrees of Innovation”.
The University of Cambridge Judge Business School carried out the research. They studied how new technology and market demand have combined and led to business innovation. The aim was to see if there were any common characteristics in the businesses that did succeed.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
IKEA SECURES CONTRACTORS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF NEW, UPDATED STORE AT SWEDISH RETAILER’S CURRENT LOCATION IN RENTON
IKEA Hires Deacon Corp as General Contractor for New Renton Store
IKEA announced today that they have finally hired contractors for constructing a new, updated store in Renton. The new Ikea store will be built to replace its current store as the Swedish retailer’s Seattle-area presence. The new IKEA store will be built in part of the current parking area, with the older store ultimately being demolished to allow for more parking. Until the new, updated store opens in Spring 2017, customers can continue to shop at the existing Renton store.
IKEA has chosen Deacon Corp. to serve as Construction Manager and General Contractor both for site work and store development. An industry leader throughout the Western U.S., Deacon specializes in construction of retail, multifamily housing, mixed-use buildings, hotels, restaurants and entertainment facilities, as well as healthcare and office buildings. Other firms involved with this IKEA project include: Barghausen, civil engineer; TENW, traffic consultants; and Atlanta-based GreenbergFarrow as the project architect.
The Lions Den Seattle and Tom Douglas Launch Round Two for Start Up Submissions
The Lions Den Seattle by Tom Douglas and Jeri Andrews Announces 2nd Round
The Lions Den Seattle is a lot like the City of Seattle. The Lions Den Seattle and the City of Seattle have always been at the precipice of innovation. A brainchild of Tom Douglas, of Tom Douglas Restaurants, and Jeri Andrews, entrepreneur and philanthropy master, The Lions Den Seattle has become an innovative and generative entrepreneurial think-tank turned investment opportunity. Think Shark Tank with a soul and start-up support done right – and this year, The Lions Den Seattle is approaching new heights, accepting a second round of startup submissions for the October 22nd Lions Den Pitch Event.
Just four months after the inaugural The Lions Den Seattle event, Sara Johnson, owner of Grass & Root Juice Company, inked a deal with Hotel Ändra owner Craig Schafer. Although the details of their agreement are not public, The Lions Den Seattle discloses that Sara was able to keep 100% ownership in her company. After purchasing a dilapidated truck, Sara is on her way to bringing juice to our streets. She intends to open for business later this summer, and until then is working on the design and build out of her juice kitchen on wheels.
This year’s “Best in Show” winner, Stacy Flynn, presented her startup called Evrnu, a revolutionary, new technology that recycles cotton garment waste to create premium, renewable textiles. After The Lions Den Seattle, Stacy has successfully generated beautiful fabric and garnered great interest from current clothing labels to utilize the fabric for the manufacturing of upcoming fall collections.
The next big Lion’s Den Pitch Event will be held on October 22, 2015 at the Palace Ballroom in downtown Seattle. Six finalists will present to a panel of Seattle’s who’s who within the business community, including Tom Douglas and Jeri Andrews. The panel will listen, ask questions, and decide if they want to partner. Provided with capital and expertise, your late night garage project or genius idea might just turn into the next billion-dollar company.
Co-founders Tom Douglas and Jeri Andrews are now accepting applications for the second round of The Lions Den Seattle, seeking businesses that range in levels of fundraising stages. Ideal submissions are those that incorporate socially conscious elements, or in some way provide a benefit to our community. All startups are welcome to apply, including (but not limited to) food, consumer products, technology, manufacturing, and retail.
Applications are due August 20, 2015; please visit www.thelionsdenseattle.com for more information on submissions and event details.
Fair Work Center launches to help workers navigate Seattle’s new labor laws
Fair Work Center Nonprofit will partner with new law clinic at University of Washington
SEATTLE—With new wage laws now in effect in Seattle, the nonprofit Fair Work Center has launched to help workers better understand their rights and the city’s labor standards.
“Seattle is fortunate to have a suite of newly adopted labor laws, including one of the highest minimum wages in the country,” said Director Nicole Vallestero Keenan. “Fair Work Center has been established to help workers make sense of their rights to paid sick leave, wage theft protections, minimum wage and more.”
Workers with questions about the phase-in of $15/hour minimum wage, securing paid sick leave, or other issues can connect with Fair Work Center online at fairworkcenter.org; by email at help@fairworkcenter.org. The center will provide services in Vietnamese, Spanish, Somali and English. The Fair Work Center offices are located at 5308 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South.
“It’s understandable that workers will have questions about their rights under the city’s laws,” said Kellye Testy, Dean of the UW School of Law. “The new UW program, in conjunction with Fair Work Center, will help them get the benefits they’ve earned.”
Fair Work Center’s Board includes:
- Rebecca Smith, National Employment Law Project
- Candace Inagi, Development Director, Asian Counseling and Referral Service
- Rebecca Saldana, Executive Director, Puget Sound Sage
- Rich Stolz, Executive Director, One America
- David Rolf, President, SEIU 775
- Marcus Courtney, Senior Field Representative, AFL-CIO
Vallestero Keenan brings 10 years of experience in research, advocacy campaigns, civic engagement, racial justice organizing, social services, and community and business outreach. Prior to joining the Fair Work Center, she served as the Policy Director at Puget Sound Sage – where she led the policy and analysis work on labor standards.
She began her career through community engagement and youth engagement roles at the Washington Environmental Council, El Centro de la Raza and the Washington Bus. Vallestero Keenan served as Board President of the Asian Community Leadership Foundation until 2015.
Fair Work Center is fiscally sponsored by a 501c3 nonprofit organization committed to helping workers navigate Seattle’s new labor laws.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Motion Picture and TV Industry is Responsible for more than 37,600 Jobs in Washington
Motion Picture and TV Industry Directly Employs More than 8,500 Local Workers and Paying $348.5 Million in Wages
Supporting TPA and Strong Trade Agreements Will Boost Washington’s Film and TV Economic Sector
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as Congress continues to consider Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) is revealing new state economic data in Washington, showing that the state’s film and TV industry directly employs more than 8,500 workers, paying $348.5 million in wages. That economic activity is the foundation of a vibrant statewide industry that consists of more than 2,150 motion picture and television industry businesses and is responsible for more than 37,600 jobs.
Overall, the American motion picture and TV industry supports 1.9 million jobs nationwide. Overseas markets are critical to the success of the US motion picture and TV industry, which registered $15.8 billion in exports and a positive services trade surplus of $13.4 billion in 2013.
To continue growing film and TV exports, it’s important that Congress pass trade promotion authority (TPA) legislation. This legislation is an important step towards finalizing strong trade agreements like TPP that will allow the motion picture and TV industry to create more jobs in the U.S. by reaching some of the world’s biggest and most important markets.
The motion picture and television industry’s economic impact touches every corner of the U.S., including Washington, which hosted the production of 7 movies and 3 TV series from 2013 to 2014. A few example productions include “Captain Fantastic,” “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” and “The Legend of Mick Dodge,” among others.
MPAA Chairman and CEO Senator Chris Dodd stated, “The motion picture and television industry is a major American exporter and driver of economic growth. Passage of TPA is a key step for completing trade agreements like TPP that will increase America’s global competiveness and promote the good-paying jobs that our industry supports in all 50 states.”
Click here for an INFOGRAPHIC that further outlines the link between trade, movies, and American jobs. And visit TheCredits.org to find out more about the creativity, innovation, and workers behind-the-scenes of the American movie and television industry.
About the MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Its members include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
NFL HALL OF FAMERS GET ALL-STAR TECH DEMO IN “STARTUP NATION”
New England Patriot's Owner Robert Kraft Brings Delegation of 19 NFL Hall of Famers to Meet with Ten Leading Startups in Jerusalem with Mayor Nir Barkat
OurCrowd, equity crowdfunding platform and investor in Israeli startups, together with Jnext – the Jerusalem Development Authority program supporting and promoting tech-entrepreneurship in the city, hosted 19 members of the U.S. Pro Football Hall of Fame for an exhibit of the latest technologies coming out of the “Startup Nation.”
The goodwill trip to Israel, coined "Touchdown in Israel: Mission of Excellence,” was organized by New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, in coordination with Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer. The week-long visit kicked off with the technology expo in Jerusalem’s Old City. Members of the delegation received an up close look at the best of Israeli high-tech innovation via ten hand-picked companies, seven of which are funded on the OurCrowd equity crowdfunding platform.
"Jerusalem was recently voted by Time Magazine as one of the world's five emerging tech hubs and that can truly be seen today,” said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. "I think it's a combination of really understanding our past and the beauty and the power of Jerusalem and its history. I believe in a very strong connection between our past and our future. More and more high tech entrepreneurs see their future here."
Patriots owner Kraft said the visit was transformative for the entire delegation. "I don't think there's a better place that you can bring people no matter what their faith might be. They come here and their lives are changed,” he said.
The NFL legends were greeted with a demo of ReWalk, a wearable bionic skeleton that allows individuals with spinal cord injuries to walk again.
OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved introduced the football greats to a demonstration of OurCrowd portfolio company Elminda, the world’s first FDA-approved neural functional assessment tool to visualize serious brain trauma and illness. Elminda was recently named one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world by Fast Company.
“Elminda is a perfect example of the kind of breakthrough technology coming out of Israel which is close to the hearts of these football greats. It offers a potentially huge breakthrough for mitigating sports injuries, detecting sports based concussions, advancing brain research and changing the lives of the two billion people worldwide living with brain disorders," said Medved.
“Through crowdfunding, the investment world is being democratized and individual investors can now get a stake in Israeli technology meaning they have a stake in Israel,” said Ron Dermer, the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.
Other companies on display included OrCam, an intuitive portable device with a smart camera designed to assist the visually impaired; Glide, the world’s first and only messaging application with streaming video technology; Inpris, technology that recognizes the individual movements of each fingertip anywhere on a touch-screen; MUV Interactive, a state-of-the-art solution for interacting with multiple screens and media sources through touch, remote and voice interaction; BriefCam, the video analysis software keeping our city streets safe; Consumer Physics, makers of SCiO, an advanced optical spectrometer that allows users to identify the chemical makeup of anything around them; Cimagine, the most visually advanced and user-friendly way for consumers to envision and interact with physical products in virtual reality and Highcon, which manufactures the Euclid, a machine that automates packaging production by bringing it into the digital age.
The response of the players to the technology on display was powerful and immediate.
“I think the exoskeleton’s ability to help a paraplegic walk is such an emotional thing to see," said NFL Hall of Famer David Baker. "[We were interested in] every one of these companies, from helping the consumers to helping blind people read, to helping process information better. For a lot of our players, [we appreciated] the ability to understand what’s happening in the brain with a concussion. It was all fantastic.”
“It's been very, very great and exceeded my expectations to a great extent," said NFL Hall of Famer, Curly Culp. "I'm just so glad to be here and learn about the history of Israel and how things are moving forward. I think the hospitality, the people, the history of this place, the holiness of this place you know it's a very spiritual and educational experience for me.”
About OurCrowd: OurCrowd is an equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors to invest in Israeli and global companies. Managed by a team of seasoned investment professionals and led by serial entrepreneur Jon Medved, OurCrowd vets and selects opportunities, invests its own capital and brings startups to its accredited membership. OurCrowd investors must meet stringent accreditation criteria and invest a minimum of $10,000 per deal of their choice. OurCrowd provides post-investment support to its portfolio companies, assigning industry experts as mentors and taking board seats. OurCrowd has raised over $130M in equity crowdfunding for its 70 portfolio companies, which include leading companies, such as: Borro, BillGuard, Consumer Physics (SCiO), BioCatch, Abe’s Market, and ReWalk, OurCrowd’s first portfolio company to complete a successful IPO on the NASDAQ
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Five Steps to Integrating Coaching into your Talent Management Strategy
Coaching means many things to many people. Many times a certain technique that is referred to as “coaching,” isn’t really coaching at all; it’s actually counseling or feedback. For example, you may have heard or had this happen to you – a manager will say, “Let me give you some coaching around ABC,” and they proceed to explain to an employee why the employee failed to accomplish a task. The manager then explains the way ABC needs to be done. More times than not, the recipient of this so-called “coaching” walks away disillusioned by what they think was a coaching experience and perhaps, deflated and unmotivated. As a result, coaching can get a bad rap and employees may begin to disengage. So what does a real coaching conversation look like? Well, something like this: “So, how do you think your presentation on ABC went?” The employee is given time to reflect, respond and be an active participant in the conversation. The manager continues to ask thoughtful questions such as: “What would you have done differently?,” ”What actions will you take?,” or “How can I support you?” Do you notice the difference? This is a coaching conversation—the employee is empowered to act while being supported by their manager. The employee gains confidence knowing that they own the outcome while feeling acknowledged and supported by their manager.
Now more than ever, there is a great opportunity to bring coaching into organizations. According to Gallup’s study on the global workplace, only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work or are psychologically committed to their jobs and likely to be making positive contributions to their organizations. Therefore, 63% are "not engaged." If this is the case, then why not integrate coaching into your talent management strategy, not only to increase employee engagement, but to achieve other talent development goals such as developing certain competencies like problem-solving, strategic thinking or filling your talent pipeline with ready-now talent for upward or lateral assignments?
In order to integrate coaching into your talent management strategy, the following five steps should be taken:
1. Educate Your Leaders: Start at the top and educate your executives on the differences and benefits of coaching versus counseling. Interview them on their perspectives on coaching and assess their willingness to participate and support a coaching initiative. Explain the benefits of coaching and ask them where they see applications for coaching inside their organizations.
2. Identify Coaches, Participants and Executive Sponsors: Look for individuals and managers that can become trained to be internal coaches inside your company. These individuals may be inside your talent management and organizational development areas or could exist inside the business itself. Consider having talent management or Human Resources executives trained and credentialed by the International Coach Federation as professional coaches. As a result, they will be in an excellent position to coach executives in the company. Alternatively, you may choose to utilize external coaches. If so, you can submit a request via the International Coach Federation Coach Referral Service website or ask colleagues for recommendations.
Simultaneously, you will want to identify candidates to participate in the coaching program. Therefore, review your succession planning and consider top talent managers, directors and executives. Participants should be excited to be part of the program and willing to make a commitment. Just as important as identifying the coaches and participants is to make certain that you have executive sponsorship. Determine which executives would like to sponsor the program and be a participant. Request that they support you in your coach and participant identification, marketing efforts, during participant enrollment and throughout the program’s life cycle.
3. Manage Expectations: Be sure to clearly set expectations with your internal coaches, individuals being coached, the executive sponsors and, of course, your managers and colleagues. It is best to run the initial program as a pilot and build upon its success. Make certain everyone is clear on the goals of the program, time commitment and their roles and responsibilities.
4. Train: Enroll your internal coach candidates in a coach-training program that is designed to train individuals that work inside companies as a coach. If you choose to enroll internal employees to become coaches, ensure they’re being coached by a coach with experience coaching internal coaches. In addition, be sure to train the individuals who are to be coached on the role and responsibilities of the participant. While training your coaches, be sure to establish a clear and consistent process for enrolling clients, coaching time and exiting clients. The key here is to ensure that everyone participating has a similar experience.
5. Measure Success: Prior to starting the program, determine how you will measure its success. It may be done simply by using a Net–Promoter score or setting up a simple impact study. It doesn’t have to be a rigorous measurement such as ROI. If your program is embraced and utilized (coaching clients show up and participate in the coaching), then that’s a great sign. Interviewing them or surveying them on the benefits they received is also an excellent idea. In addition, be sure to ask the managers of the program’s participants about the changes they may have noticed in their employee’s behaviors after being coached.
In a time where we’re surrounded by change and have so many demands on our personal and professional lives, the need for coaching is at an all time high. Coaching is a model for engagement, empowerment and accountability. It teaches those being coached to be responsible and to “own” their results. By engaging in coaching, you’re making a decision to replace mediocrity with high-performance. So let’s ask ourselves, who and what company doesn’t want full engagement and high-performance?
Renée Robertson is a two-time International Coach Federation Prism Award Winner for Internal Coaching, in addition to being the CEO of Trilogy Development. She shares her insights and first-hand experience in her new book, The Coaching Solution: How to Drive Talent Development, Organizational Change and Business Results. To learn more, visit www.trilogydevelopment.com.
Friday, June 19, 2015
First Choice Human Resources HR Firm Announces Rebrand and Relaunch
First Choice Human Resources, formerly Human Resource Works, relaunched May 2015.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (June 18, 2015) – First Choice Human Resources, formerly Human Resource Works, recently announced its rebranding and relaunch.
The rebrand is part of the firm’s organization-wide restructure, designed to bring more efficiency and affordability to its clients.
“We evaluated the problem areas within the HR industry,” said owner Chris Spence. “We spoke to the market and determined that HR and its process are not something easily understood. Clients wanted simpler definitions, more transparency, and quicker turnaround on requests. We believe in listening to the consumer, so this rebrand indicates a clear new direction for our firm, which we believe will set a trend that other HR firms will follow.”
Founded in 2014 as Human Resource Works, Spence and his team moved quickly to establish a presence in the HR industry.
“Our relaunch focuses on providing simple and fast HR services and freeing business owners so they have time to focus on the business’ bottom line,” said owner Chris Spence, PHR, SHRM-CP. “Our rebranding asserts First Choice Human Resources as San Antonio’s quickest, most accessible firm, by assisting business owners and management.”
Spence, who is certified by the HR Certification Institute and Society for Human Resource Management, moved to San Antonio in 2004 to attend Trinity University, where he received a double major in Business and Speech Communication. He is one of the youngest business owners in the human resources industry, part of a growing trend of entrepreneurship among millennials. After Trinity, he then graduated from St. Mary's Law in 2011. He indicated core service offerings will not change. These include: Compliance, Hiring, Recruiting, Employee Relations and more.
ABOUT FIRST CHOICE HUMAN RESOURCES:
First Choice Human Resources is a full-service human resource firm serving San Antonio business owners since 2014. First Choice Human Resources’ mission is to deliver HR services for small businesses and provide a team of professionals able to assist with all human resource needs including, Employee Relations, Payroll, Recruiting, Workforce Reduction and more, at a fraction of the cost of hiring a single HR professional. For more information or to schedule a free consultation, please visit www.firstchoicehr.com or to speak with a team-member, please call 1.800.844.3694.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
National “Small Business Revolution” documentary project features Seattle craft beer maker Reuben’s Brews
Reuben's Brews Owner Adam Robbings among 100 business builders featured in yearlong campaign celebrating the crucial role of small businesses in our communities
Seattle – June 9, 2015 – When the craft-brewing bug bites, it’s sometimes hard to think of anything else. With new recipes, beers and methods always developing, it’s no surprise that the craft-beer boom seized entrepreneur Adam Robbings.
After the birth of his son, Reuben, Robbings received a special gift that would change the course of his life – a home-brewing kit. After throwing himself into experimenting with new beers – and always focusing on the quality of its craft – Robbings’s business, called Reuben’s Brews, has become one of the most celebrated breweries in Seattle.
Now, Reuben’s Brews is getting national attention from Deluxe Corporation’s Small Business Revolution documentary project. The Small Business Revolution, which also features "Shark Tank" star Robert Herjavec, is a yearlong campaign that celebrates the vibrancy, variety and community impact of small businesses across the country. Its latest story is a photo essay profiling Reuben’s Brews, one of 100 profiles of inspiring small businesses that will debut throughout 2015 at SmallBusinessRevolution.org.
The trophy case at Reuben’s Brews is a testament to the company’s commitment to quality and focus on developing a strong business – which means paying attention to the reactions of customers and beer lovers who come through the doors of the brewery. Reuben’s Brews has been recognized as a top-ten brewery nationwide several times in the past few years, and though Robbings has plans to open a brand-new, much larger brewery, he says he’s not leaving Seattle – or even planning to distribute his beer nationally. His focus on perfecting his product and providing great service caught the eye of the Small Business Revolution.
Deluxe developed the Small Business Revolution to focus on the importance of personal touch and local involvement in an era when business is becoming increasingly impersonal. The campaign is capturing the stories of small businesses and their customers, families and friends – all of whom are a crucial part of what makes our communities whole.
“The hands-on customer service, the entrepreneurial spirit and the deep community involvement people find in the small businesses they frequent make all the difference,” said Amanda Brinkman, chief brand and communications officer for Deluxe Corp. “Telling these moving, inspirational stories and putting a spotlight on these owners is our way of celebrating the best parts of American business.”
The Small Business Revolution will unfold throughout 2015, as a part of Deluxe’s 100th anniversary celebration. Since 1915, Deluxe has helped small businesses and financial institutions grow and thrive by providing a range of business services, from websites and logos to social media and email marketing to checks and other financial services.
The Small Business Revolution will also award $25,000 to one small business later this year. Anyone can nominate their favorite small business at SmallBusinessRevolution.org, and Shark Tank's Herjavec will help Deluxe choose the winner who best exemplifies the Small Business Revolution spirit. The person who nominates the winning business can see how it feels to be a "shark" by personally delivering the $25,000 prize.
About Deluxe Corporation
Deluxe Corp. is a growth engine for small businesses and financial institutions. Nearly 4.6 million small business customers access Deluxe's wide range of products and services, including customized checks and forms, as well as website development and hosting, email marketing, search engine optimization and logo design. For our approximately 5,600 financial institution customers, Deluxe offers industry-leading programs in checks, customer acquisition, fraud prevention and profitability. Deluxe is also a leading provider of checks and accessories sold directly to consumers. For more information, visit us at www.deluxe.com, https://www.facebook.com/deluxecorp or www.twitter.com/deluxecorp.
This press release was posted at no charge by the Eastside Business Press Release Service.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Eastside Business is Back
Eastside Business Returns to Help Promote Businesses in Bellevue and on the Eastside
Eastside Business and EastsideBusiness.com are back with a vengeance - and a new concept in self-publicity for businesses on the Eastside. Eastside Business has always been about promoting business on the Eastside, but now we are going to help you promote your own business. Send us a press release and we will post it here on Eastside Business for FREE!
More details to follow, but in the meantime, subscribe and look for more details to be revealed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)