This Saturday: Shop Small!

Want to make a huge difference to your local economy? Shop at small, local businesses this Saturday (Nov. 26).

Small Business Saturday® is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is encouraging every American to support small businesses by doing some of their holiday shopping on the Saturday after Thanksgiving at small businesses.

“Small businesses are the foundation of our economy – half of America’s workers either own or work for a small business,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills.  “Small Business Saturday® is an opportunity to show our support for our friends and neighbors who throughout the year are growing our local economy, as well as supporting many local initiative and organizations.”

Nov. 26 marks the second annual Small Business Saturday®, a day to support the local small businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. First there was Black Friday, and then Cyber Monday, and now Small Business Saturday® will help drive shoppers to America’s job creators. Small businesses have generated two out of every three net new jobs over the past 15 years and employ over half of all private sector employees.

For more information on how to support Small Business Saturday® in your area, check out www.sba.gov/saturday or visit Facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday and follow them on Twitter @SBAgov, #SmallBizSat.

What's new on e-magnify.com?

As you may have noticed, e-magnify.com has a new look -- and this new blog! Here you'll find news about E-Magnify's programs and services, links to useful resources, and information you can use to start or grow your business. 

Don't miss a thing!
This blog will now be our main point of communication with you. Please subscribe to the blog to receive updates (in your email) on the days we post new content. It's easy to subscribe: just enter your email address in the "Subscribe" box to the right. 

You can also add us to your feed reader and stay up-to-date with us that way. (Please note that the RSS feed has changed, so you'll need to update your feed reader if you were using the old feed.)


What else is new? 
We've updated the look and feel of the whole site, as well as some of the content. One noticeable change is the addition of three "pathways" designed to help you find the most pertinent resources for the stage of business you're in. We call them our "Three E's," and you'll see them featured on the homepage. As we grow the site's content, the resources under each of these sections will grow too

Do you have a business idea or are just starting out? This section is for you if you're in the Entry stage of business. Here you'll find a handy assessment tool from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help you determine your readiness (and next steps) for small business ownership. You can also register for a free, one-on-one counseling session with an E-Magnify business counselor.

So you've had your business for awhile now, and you're looking to grow it. When you're no longer a start-up but still on your way to reaching your goals, we call that an Emerging business. In this section you'll find resources such as free business counseling, connection to peers and a personalized advisory board, and business training to help you take your enterprise to the next level.

As your business has grown, so have the challenges and opportunities you're facing. The resources in the Established business section can help you get a handle on issues such as human resources, government contracting, and importing/exporting. For peer-to-peer and advisory board support, check out the Women Presidents’ Organization and ATHENAPowerLink^®.

Our center has been providing resources and assistance to women business owners for more than 20 years, and we're excited about this next chapter online. Please take a look around and let us know what you think.

Small Business Saturday: Nov. 26

E-Magnify is pleased to support the second annual Small Business Saturday on November 26, 2011. Small Business Saturday is a day for dedicating a portion of holiday shopping to local, independently-owned small businesses.

American Express, the founding sponsor of Small Business Saturday, created the national program in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: more demand for their products and services. The second event will build on last year’s inaugural program that drove millions of dollars to main street merchants.

Small business owners can visit Facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday to download online promotional materials that will help them drive sales to their business on Small Business Saturday.

American Express is giving $100 of free Facebook advertising to 10,000 business owners who sign up at facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday to help build online buzz and drive customers to their stores on Small Business Saturday.

American Express is also giving a $25 statement credit to 200,000 Cardmembers who register their Card and use it to shop on Small Business Saturday at any locally-owned, independent small business that accepts American Express.

Learn more at Facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday or www.smallbusinesssaturday.com.