Recently in the WIPP Category

WIPP applauds unanimous Senate recognition of Small Business Saturday.   "The leadership by Senators Landrieu and Snowe that brought full and complete bipartisan support together is to be commended," said WIPP President Barbara Kasoff.  "A majority of privately-held small businesses are owned by women, and when shoppers patronize these local companies, they are helping their own communities in many ways.  Women business owners make major contributions to the local and national economy through the creation of jobs, giving back to their communities and serving as leaders in their local business communities."

The Small Business Saturday resolution cites a number of reasons for encouraging consumers to shop local.   Small businesses employ half of the employees in the private sector; create 60 to 80% of all new jobs; and 99% of U.S. consumers agree that it is important to support the small businesses in their community.

Joining Sens. Landrieu and Snowe as co-sponsors were members from the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee that includes Kelly Ayotte (R- NH), Scott Brown (R-MA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Michael Enzi (R-WY), Kay Hagan (D-NC), John Kerry (D- MA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Mark Pryor (D-AR), James Risch (R-ID) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

Click here to read the complete message from President Barack Obama.

When a small business thrives, a community thrives.  "From the mom-and-pop storefront shops that anchor Main Street to the high-tech startups that keep America on the cutting edge, small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of our Nation's promise."  President Barack Obama. 

The White House and the Administration have demonstrated extraordinary support for Small Business Saturday.   Karen Mills, SBA Administrator, and SBA have been leading the charge, and we expect several other Cabinet secretaries to participate in events throughout the country on Saturday.  Some highlights:  Valerie Jarrett is going to participate in the Chicago event and Karen Mills in Boston as well as many US and State elected officials and Mayors throughout the country.  

The White House also  just posted a blog post from Karen Mills on the White House web site with more details, so check out the link by clicking here: White House Blog Article on Small Business Saturday 

And don't forget to check out Small Business Saturday on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #SmallBizSat

More than 150 leading women business owners from Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) gathered at the Annual Leadership Conference to celebrate the recipients of this year's prestigious WIPP 2011 Awards. Julie Reiser, President of Made in USA Certified®, based in Boca Raton, Florida was the recipient of this year's WIPP President's Award because of her leadership in elevating the voice of women business owners in the national public policy arena.

"Julie's continual hard work, dedication and desire to be the change for women-owned businesses and U.S. manufacturers, producers and service providers proves to be an inspiration for all," said WIPP President Barbara Kasoff.

Reiser is President and Co-Founder of Made in USA Certified®, the leading third party, independent, non-partisan certification company for the "Made in USA", "Product of USA" and "Service in USA" claims.
 
Reiser and Made in USA Certified have been frequently featured on FOX Business Live, FOX, ABC, NBC, The Palm Beach Post, Sun Sentinel, South Florida Business Journal, IndustryWeek and USA Today - just to name a few.  She often speaks to groups nationwide on the importance of Buying American, the renaissance of domestic manufacturing and the critical role both play in the revival of our national economy and the creation of U.S. jobs.
 
The WIPP Awards Ceremony was part of WIPP's three-day Annual Leadership Conference in Washington, DC, that ran from October 11th - 13th. The conference agenda included important economic briefings on current policy issues impacting women business owners growth, a very special high level briefing by The White House, a Congressional Luncheon and the exciting unveiling of WIPP's updated Economic Blueprint used as the organization's call to action to the Administration, Congress and Federal Agencies.

WIPP is a national nonpartisan public policy organization, advocating on behalf of nearly 1 million women-owned businesses representing 59 business organizations. For more information, please visit www.wipp.org

By: Elise Mitchell
Chair, Small Business Saturday Coalition
President & CEO, Mitchell Communications Group


Small Business Saturday: Free tools available to ensure success

As part of the second annual Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26, the specialized products and incredible customer service of thousands of amazing local businesses across the country will be on display for consumers as the holiday shopping season begins. Be sure to take advantage of the many free and easy tools available to ensure your business fully realizes the benefits of SBS.

Advertising and PR:

For starters, SBS will be supported by a national advertising and public relations campaign that highlights the importance of shopping small businesses. Participating businesses will be able to download printable point-of-purchase and storefront marketing materials to let consumers know you are participating in SBS.

Free Facebook advertising:

American Express will offer $100 in free Facebook advertising to 10,000 small businesses to help promote SBS and special offers by participating merchants.  Facebook plays a significant role in driving customers to SBS.

Cardholder shopping credit:

American Express will also offer a $25 statement credit to 200,000 cardholders who register and spend $25 or more at participating SBS merchants in the U.S. that accept American Express. This is a discount small business owners can pass along to their customers.

New Social Media Tools:

The recently launched Go Social tool will allow American Express merchants to create coupon-less deals for card holders using digital and mobile platforms such as Facebook and Foursquare. This tool is a way to reward customers and keep them coming back well beyond SBS.

Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday, to be held Nov. 26, is a day designated for consumers across the U.S. to dedicate a portion of their holiday shopping dollars to local, independently owned, small businesses. Started by American Express in 2010, SBS is strategically positioned between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the heaviest shopping weekend of the year, and promotes the vital role local merchants play in communities across the country.


Facebook Posts:

The Small Business Saturday packet will give you everything you need to market your small business on Nov. 26. Learn more about the benefits of supporting "Small Business Saturday" here - (link to this SBS Materials blog post)

Make sure to look for this signage when you shop local on Nov. 26th. (link to this SBS Materials blog post)
Tweets:

The #SmallBizSat packet will give you everything you need for Nov. 26. (link to this SBS Materials blog post)

Make sure to look for this signage when you #shoplocal on Nov. 26th. (link to this SBS Materials blog post)

On October 25, 2011 in Portland, Maine at an event sponsored by AT&T, more than 70 leading women business owners and organizations gathered to discuss changes in technology and how they could identify trends and opportunities to grow their businesses. At the meeting, attendees greeted and celebrated the recipient of this year's prestigious WIPP AT&T Innovator of the Year-Maine.  Susan Corbett, CEO of Axiom Technologies, based in Machias, Maine was the recipient of this regional award because of her ability to utilize innovation in technology while developing solutions for rural broadband deployment since 2005. Axiom has brought high-speed Internet service to Washington County with over 90 Access Points, creating an umbrella over 2,500 square miles.

"Itis an honor to receive the WIPP AT&T Technology Innovator of the Year for the State of Maine. It is inspirational to be part of the team in Maine working diligently to ensure that every home and business have access to broadband connectivity. Although 91% of Maine's homes have access to broadband,49,000 homes throughout the State are unserved. The ConnectME Authority, Maine Fiber Company's Three Ring Binder BTOP Project and the multiple Internet Service Providers in Maine will continue to build "last-mile" broadband networks. We will not stop until this is accomplished," said Susan Corbett.

"Susan's leadership, and her company's focus, dedication and desire to improve broadband accessibility prove to be an inspiration for all," said WIPP President Barbara Kasoff.

The WIPP AT&T Innovator of the Year Award was part of WIPP's nation-wide tour focusing on policy and business growth.  The conference agenda in Maine included important briefings on how to use broadband technology to help people find jobs, build careers and expand their businesses, using social media to build your leadership and visibility, trends and opportunities in the technology sector and a discussion on where privacy and social media intersect.

Visit WIPP's Facebook page to stay updated on awards.