Sheryl Sandberg, the company’s chief operating officer, today announced that 50,000 small businesses in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy will have the chance to claim up to £80 of ad credits to use on Facebook.
How companies can access the offer has not yet been revealed. A spokesperson told BusinessZone.co.uk that the details will be announced during the coming weeks.
Funding Is Available
This Saturday, November 26th, is the second annual Small Business Saturday, promoted by American Express. The point of Small Business Saturday is to let small businesses in on a little piece of the holiday shopping pie. Through promotion, customers are encouraged to shop at small businesses on Saturday, the day after Black Friday. American Express is doing more than simply promoting small businesses; they are also helping them with financing. In the recent blog post “Small Business Saturday with American Express to Revitalize the Economy,” the Business Finance Store discusses some of the things American Express has been doing to support small businesses and how to benefit from it.
The current economy is a tough but exciting time for small business owners. The
US Federal Contractor Registration recommends small businesses take steps to stay competitive in light of recent news reports. A report released by the Government Accountability Office in June 2011 found that seven agencies were not in compliance with federal laws mandating that each agency’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization report directly to that agency’s head. At
Hewlett-Packard is reaching out to partner with small businesses in the Silicon Valley tech sector, the Santa Cruz Sentinel recently reported.
Though HP famously began in a garage in Palo Alto, California, the company is now the worlds largest maker of personal computers and employs more than 300,000 workers, according to the Santa Cruz newspaper. Aware that its large size makes it more difficult to quickly adapt its software development initiatives in response to the rapidly changing technology marketplace, the company created Startup Central last fall to facilitate partnerships with smaller tech companies.
Over the next three years, HP plans to invest $100 million in Startup Central, mostly in the form of product discounts given to software developers and other entrepreneurs.
Small businesses are investigating creative methods to boost employee morale, rather than just handing out bonuses.
When small business news writers and experts begin to brainstorm ways that owners can help retain staff and keep them satisfied, suggestions such as book clubs or a cookouts rarely make the list.
However, as the economic recession continues to burden small businesses disproportionately, keeping employees satisfied is growing more difficult and forcing many owners to get creative, rather than just continuing to offer bonuses they cannot afford.
For example, Don Lee, owner of a small video production company in Columbus, Ohio, builds morale by hosting a cookout with contests every week, having a company mascot named Louie and even creating a community garden, the Vancouver Sun writes.
“The spirit of the employee has to be strong to go that extra mile,” said Lee.