Calling for Small Business Week NominationsEach year since 1963, U.S Presidents have called for a nationwide celebration of Small Business Week to acknowledge the significant contributions of small businesses to the national economy and society.
Do you know a small business that is thriving, growing, increasing sales or production? Or one that has overcome adversity and is making an impact in the community? Maybe it's even your business? Take just a few minutes and nominate it for a Small Business Week award.
Nominations will be judged on staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales and/or unit volume, improved financial position, innovativeness of product or service offered, response to adversity, and contributions to the community.
> Read more and download the one-page nomination form La Vida Es Una Aventura“Life is an adventure and you live a greater adventure when you are willing to take more risks,” reads the legacy in Carmen Nazario’s high school year book. Though she didn’t have a crystal ball, Carmen’s quote selection would be foretelling of her future.
Carmen served as a computer programmer during the Vietnam War; gaining skills that much later would help her establish her own company. After leaving the Army, she attended school, got her Bachelor’s degree and started work as an Information Technology professional. Nearly 20 years later, Carmen took another huge risk. As a single mother of three she decided to start her own business in the field she knew best, software development and consulting.
“I knew there must be a better alternative to the way the company I worked for was doing things,” said Carmen. “I thought I could do it and that I could do it better.”
And she did, although it wasn’t easy.
> Read Carmen's Success Story
Best Friends and Business Partners Put e200 Skills to Work
Lori Oswald-Kosmas and Toni Hyde were drawn to entrepreneurship from different places. Lori didn’t like the desk-bound nature of her former corporate job and decided she wanted a change; Toni entered the industry after her father’s terminal illness forced her to leave college and return home to work and care for him. Toni’s father was an entrepreneur and instilled that drive in Toni before passing away.
Following their natural inclinations and recognizing they each had a flair for sales, in 2004 Lori and Toni teamed up to start Beyond Uniforms & Apparel in Hillsboro, Oregon. With over 30 years of combined marketing industry experience, this duo had strong ideas about how to start their company. Eight years later, Toni and Lori continue to work together selling uniforms, flame resistant clothing, safety clothing, promotional marketing products and corporate apparel to customers all over the United States. Impressively, their revenue doubled in 2011, and they now proudly employ 7 people.
> Read Lori and Toni's Success Story
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