The Great American Small Business Challenge is sponsored by a non-profit organization utilizing private, public and non-profit resources to provide small business owners with the tools, training and support they need to feel more optimistic, confident and energized about their business. The GASBC is coordinated by an all-volunteer staff who is passionate about helping small business owners take the actions that will help them turn their business into the successful and profitable enterprise they have always dreamed of owning.

Small business owners registered for the Challenge will have access to the resources, products and people that can help make their business development process faster, easier and better. Utilizing free web-based business development software, small business owners will learn how to set-up their organizational infrastructure, plan strategies and establish the best-practices that can help them achieve their short and long term business objectives.

Participants are encouraged to utilize the resources of their local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) so they can work one on one with a SBDC counselor. Business owners who participate, will complete a four-step, award winning, business development process and will have the opportunity to earn awards after each step in the process is successfully completed. The Challenge is a year long event that will run from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009.

Small business owners are encouraged to register for the Challenge early (prior to January 1, 2009), so they have time to complete the Challenge successfully. However, we have structured the Challenge to make it easy for small business owners to complete each step in the process. So, even small business owners that get a late start or get sidetracked by outside commitments, should still have plenty of time to earn an award (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum). Again, Awards are achieved when certain milestones in the business development process are reached. Each milestone, or completed step in the four-step process, is associated with a corresponding award. (see Awards for more details)

Challenge participants will also have an opportunity to list their business and the products and services they provide on the GASBC web site. We will provide a direct link to the company's web site to let others know about the company and to direct more traffic to the business owner's web site. Small business owners who earn awards will have an opportunity to be featured in our GASBC promotional campaign.

The Challenge is all about learning. It is a four-step process of discovery that teaches you an easier and more effective ways to manage your business and to plan that strategies that will make your business more successful. GASBC participants will learn how to run their business without letting their business run them. The goal of the Challenge is to help small business owners:

• Identify A Vision For The Future: Clarify what you are creating and articulate what success looks like.
• Create Objectives: Determine what efforts and actions you need to take to attain or accomplish your goals.
• Plan Strategies: Create an action plan that outlines how you will meet your goals.
• Track Your Success: Identify the key indicators that will help you measure whether your goals have been reached.
• Document Processes: Identify how each part of your business works.
• Develop a System: Create a coordinated and organized way in which each part of your business can effectively work together to accomplish your goals.
• Create Roles and Procedures: Decide who is responsible for performing work and how work is to be carried out.
• Continuously Improve: Make changes to achieve better results.
• Document Know-How: Keep a record of the (technical) knowledge and skill required to perform a role or procedure.
• Identify Best Practices: Use the Most Efficient (least amount of effort) and Effective (best results) way to accomplish a task.
• Develop Professionally: Utilize the tools, training, people and resources at your disposal to enhance your skills.
• Innovate: Create opportunities to deliver more value to customers.
• Develop Core Competencies: Develop the skills and expertise that allows you to outperform and outshine your competition.

Today, there are over 26.8 million small business owners who have the daunting task of determining how to spend their hard-earned money wisely. Small businesses owners are constantly inondated with product offerings, free-trials and other services that they may not have the time to carefully evaluate. Companies that advertise to small businesses know that the competition in the small business market is fierce. Although print, online, radio and TV advertising may create brand awareness, these marketing strategies are costly and ROI may be difficult to determine. Just because a customer tries your product/service doesn't necessarily mean that your customer will continue to use your product/service. Today, your competition is only a mouse click away. Therefore, creating loyal customers is key.

To create customer loyalty in today's small business marketplace, companies have to go further to attract and keep small business owners. Companies that go the extra mile to make sure that customers understand how their company's product, service or technology can help them run their business more efficiently and effectively, is critical to creating customer loyalty. If your company truly cares about the needs of small business owners and if your organization has a valuable product, service or technology that can help SMB achieve greater success, we encourage you to become a GASBC Sponsor. Sponsors can donate products or services to support the Challenge, Challenge participants and/or participating Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs). Sponsorship requires a product or service donation and/or a significant product/service discount for GASBC participants or SBDCs.

Examples: Product/Service Donations

• Online Conferencing
• Printing Services
• Marketing Services
• Postal Services
• Office Supplies
• Software
• Direct Marketing
• Advertising Services
• Virtual Administrative Services
• Telemarketing
• Grant Writing

Companies who provide professional services can also Sponsor the Challenge by creating and conducting a series of live webinars that can help small business owners understand important business topics or concepts. 

Examples: Webinars

• Accounting
• Legal
• Web Site Development
• Computer Software Training
• Tradeshows Displays
• Sales Strategies
• Networking
• Telemarketing
• Government Contracting
• Search Engine Optimization
• Internet Marketing

If you are a smaller company and want to support the Challenge but are unable to offer a product/service donation, you can become a Challenge Supporter by donating your time and talent or you can help spread the word about the Challenge by placing a GASBC logo on your web site and promoting the Challenge to your clients.

To Sign-up/Register for The Great American Small Business Challenge (GASBC), please click the appropriate Sign-up form.

• Small Biz Sign-up
• Sponsor Sign-up
• SBDC Sign-up

Small Biz Owners, SBDCs and Sponsors, CLICK HERE  to JOIN the GASBC ONLINE COMMUNITY!