Posts Tagged ‘Champion’

Small Business Influencer 2011 Champions: Some Special Shout Outs & Recommendations for Next Year’s List

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

As you know, KikScore was nominated for the top 100 list of the Small Business Influencer’s 2011 list of Champions. Late Monday evening, the winners for this honor were announced. We are happy to see those who made it in and couldn’t help but notice some names that are particularly important to KikScore. These people have been a great help to KikScore as well as the rest of the small business world and we cannot help but admire all they’ve done. It is with this that we are proud to give a special shout out to a select group of people!

Some Judges We Want to Mention

Ramon Ray – Ramon is an editor and technology evangelist for Smallbiztechnology. He has written tons of great articles, including a write up on KikScore on BusinessInsider. We’re really grateful to have had Ramon take the time to help market KikScore and build the brand. Great job with everything you’ve been up to, whether helping us out or judging the Champions list!

Anita Campbell – Anita is a publisher for Small Business Trends and BizSugar, as well as another one of the judges for Small Business Influencer 2011. What makes Anita so special to us is her constant support of KikScore. She got us invited to the webinar for Focus.com on security for small and medium businesses and has suggested small businesses to use Kikscore. Thanks for all your help and keep up all of the amazing work Anita!

Ivana Taylor – Yet another judge, Ivana is DIY Marketers’ small business evangelist. In a nutshell, she’s an incredibly helpful source of information for all things small business. Our hats go off to you, Ivana! We can’t wait to see what you do next!

The Champions of this Year

Shashi Bellamkonda – Shashi, the business swami of Network Solutions who made it into the top 100 list of Champions, has been a huge supporter and incredible help to KikScore. Among the many things he’s done, Shashi was a big part of Social Commerce Camp DC, which was a blast. You’ve been and continue to be an enormous help to all of us at KikScore and we want to congratulate you on making it into the top 100!

Melinda Emerson – Also known as SmallBizLady, Melinda has also made it into the top 100. Among many things, Melinda is the host of Twitter’s weekly talk show, #SmallBizChat. Needless to say, she is the whole reason KikScore got the opportunity to be the guest of honor on #SmallBizChat one week. Congratulations Melinda! You’ve helped us so much and we’re really excited on your making it to the top 100!

John Lawson – Another Small Business Influencer 2011 Champion, John is CEO of 3^rd Power Outlet and ColderICE Media. John helps KikScore out with introductions as well as with The KikScore Startup & Small Biz Daily. His efforts have been a great help and we at KikScore are lucky to benefit from his expertise. Thanks for all your work John and enjoy your Champion position!

Laurie McCabe – A partner at the SMB Group and a small to mid-sized market expert, Laurie is yet another deserving Champion. A while back, Laurie took the time to interview KikScore for one of SMB Group’s podcasts. This was a great opportunity as well as a great honor. You’ve been great Laurie! We’re so happy to see you make it to the top 100!

Our Recommendations for Next Year

Tinu Abayomi-Paul – Tinu is part owner of the amazing Free Traffic Tips. She is truly an example of a small business expert as well as great person. Thanks for all of the guidance you’ve given the small business community, Tinu!

Shonali Burke – Owner of Shonali Burke Consulting and editor of WomenGrowBusiness, Shonali has a treasure trove of advice for us all. Alongside being a PR expert for small businesses, she truly is digital PR pioneer. Keep up all the great work, Shonali!

Jill Foster – Jill has taken on many different roles. The founder of Live Your Talk, a public speaking advocate, a blogger, and the founding editor of WomenGrowBusiness, Jill has a thing or two to teach small businesses. You continue to teach us all and for that we thank you!

To those who made Small Business Influencer 2011 possible as well as those who provide inspiration to countless small business, thank you! To everyone who made it to the Small Business Influencer 2011 top 100 list, congratulations! We think it’s awesome what is being done to recognize the folks who enable small businesses’ success and are so happy that we were nominated! We hope to see you all make the list again next year!

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Posts Tagged ‘Champion’

Small Business, Big Impact: The Blue Key Campaign

Friday, June 10th, 2011

Nowhere to Go

Can you imagine fleeing from your own country in fear of persecution? What about being forcibly removed from your country? Even though we don’t always see it, the truth is disturbingly clear: refugees are suffering all over the world.

“At the end of 2009, there were 43.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, the highest number since the mid-1990s.” Although I wish it weren’t, this statistic is all too true. While tragedy movies continue to pull at our heart strings, we need to realize that fiction is no substitute for the horrors of real life. Not too long ago, Abdullah Omar and his wife Khadija were forced to give up their child just so that she could survive. And this is just one of the startling experiences that have devastated refugees within the last few years!

Image of Refugees at camp in Nyala, South Darfur, UN Photo/Albert Gonzalez Farran

One Step at a Time

What’s the one thing that these refugee experiences have in common with tragedy movies? Neither of them have to end in tragedy. The USA for UNHCR, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, has been working to raise both awareness and funds in the U.S. for refugees the world over. Their latest project, the Blue Key Campaign, aims to get U.S. citizens to show their support for refugees.

The USA for UNHCR’s Blue Key Campaign can be summed up in their mission statement:

“Our goal is for 6,000 people to get their own Blue Key over the next 6 weeks, to tell UNHCR’s 6,000+ staff that their work matters. Will you be one of them?”

This Blue Key pin or pendant costs only $5 and does far more than its monetary value ever could. Many people all across the U.S. have signed up for a Blue Key and, as of now, the USA for UNHCR is about 33% toward their goal. However, this campaign is about far more than money; it’s about showing support. In addition to getting your own Blue Key, you can:

• Show your support through social media. Share USA for UNHCR’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/UNREFUGEEES) and tweet about their work and the campaign #bluekey hashtag.

• Donate a tweet per day to USA for UNHCR to help raise awareness on Twitter by signing up at www.justcoz.org/UNRefugeeAgency.
• If you blog, are active online and empathize with the cause, join the campaign as a Champion.

We’ve All Got Our Role to Play

From the USA for UNHCR’s statement, it is obvious what’s being explicitly asked of individuals. But what should businesses do? Of course, it means a great deal when big businesses engage in philanthropic campaigns such as this, but that’s not where this campaign needs to end. If we look at this from the other end of the spectrum, this is where small businesses and startups can really show their true colors.

Before you ask me what this statement means, ask yourself one thing: Can a small amount of money provide great benefits to others? If you’re involved in a small business or startup, you’d better think so. After all, this is pretty much your slogan. Small businesses and startups ask for a little money so that they can use their products and services to help others. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, it’s time to practice that Golden Rule we’ve all heard a million times.

Do to Others…

I leave you to finish this statement, since the choice is ultimately up to you. Small businesses and startups provide innovative products and services to their customers, but there is always more that can be done, in or out of the office. Just as your products and services make life easier for customers, you should strive to perform actions that help the whole world.

If you have the time and $5 to spare, please get a Blue Key and show your support.

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