The Chicago New Media Summit, slated for this fall, will launch its mission of pioneering Chicago as the new media capital of the country. Jim Tracy, president of ABC, was invited to collaborate with thought leaders from the Internet, media, entertainment, and advertising to share technology and trends, create alliances, promote new ventures and point to what’s next for Chicago.
We see an opportunity here to work together and create new opportunities for small business owners, as new media can be the great equalizer for small business. America’s Best Companies will be positioning itself as a leader in bringing these new media tools to market. To learn more, visit chicagonewmediasummit.ning.com.
Check Out Our New Videos!
We’ve collaborated with Mimi Productions, an Emmy Award-winning film production company, to bring you a host of new online videos about ABC. To see our latest streaming videos, visit
gowithabc.com, or look us up on YouTube and share them with a fellow business owner! We have animated videos to introduce you to our
products and services, interviews with the staff, helpful tutorials and more. To learn more about Mimi Productions, visit
mimiproductions.com.
Streamlined Site
America’s Best Companies introduces its redesigned website—more user-friendly and navigable than ever before. The site features videos, a special “members-only” area, the ABC blog, a direct link to America’s Best magazine and much more! Visit
gowithabc.com to check out our new look.
Summer Intern Program
After weeks of recruiting, we’ve assembled a dynamic team of students from all over the country to help us build community outreach and public awareness. It is a truly mutually beneficial program, as we’re providing a rewarding and real-world educational experience for the students, while at the same time utilizing their educational backgrounds and various skills to help pilot the fight for small business.
Partner Update
We continue to expand our offerings with new partners and services, and are pleased to announce the following additions to the ABC Partner Program:
UPS is expanding its partner offerings to include their freight division.
ABC benefit: Discounts are 65 percent for LTL shipping for Intrastate, Interstate and to Canada, and 35 percent for shipping to Mexico or Alaska. Members will still receive discounts up to 28 percent on regular UPS shipping and discounts up to 10 percent from The UPS Store.
Hewlett Packard has added to their benefits for members.
ABC benefit: A 4 to 15 percent discount on all their non-promotional products, in addition to their original discounts up to 30 percent on their aggressive Smart Buys.
ADT Security Services is America’s No. 1 provider of electronic security systems and services.
ABC benefit: ADT is offering solid protection to ABC members with discounts of up to 25 percent on both an intrusion package and a video surveillance package.
Anchor Funding Services is a factoring company that can offer funding to our members via the purchase of their business-to-business invoices.
ABC benefit: Anchor is offering to provide free cash flow and credit analysis to our members.
Small Biz America is a company that does online radio and podcasts.
ABC benefit: A 30 percent discount for both podcast production services and custom-made radio interview segments that are sure to position you as an expert in your field.
PrintingForLess.com can fulfill all of your medium-sized, full-color printing needs.
ABC benefit: Receive $50 off your first order.
The X Banker can get your small business financial house in order. Let the X Banker show you how to improve your business credit to qualify for loans in this tight financial climate.
ABC benefit: Receive 20 percent off all services.
Background Info USA: Make sure you know who you are hiring with employee background checks by Background Info USA.
ABC benefit: Up to 40 percent off each background check, and no setup fees, monthly fees or monthly minimums will be charged.
New ABC Web Seal
Show your support for America’s Best Companies on the Web. Members of ABC can now add some extra prestige and credibility to their websites with our ABC Web seal—we’ve designed a variety of seals to look great on any site. Proudly display your membership in America’s Best Companies with a link to ABC! Simply add the HTML code from our “Link to ABC” page at
gowithabc.com/about/LinkToABC.aspx.
Good News for Small Biz
The NPD Group, an organization providing consumer and retail information, just released a report showing that only 14 percent of consumers shopped at a warehouse store in the past year, and only 10 percent of those purchased electronics. Why such a low amount? According to Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for The NPD Group, the two biggest reasons are lack of service and too few knowledgeable salespeople.
“Consumers have confidence in the products being sold, just not in the people selling them,” said Baker. “But buying through these channels is a trade-off between low prices and low levels of service. As products get more complicated and interconnected, getting good, reliable customer service is going to outweigh getting lower prices for some consumers.”
Keep an edge over your competition by having a knowledgeable staff, and watch your one-time
shoppers turn into repeat customers!
The ABC eWeekly
Get the inside information to help your business thrive! Our eWeekly is a collection of carefully chosen small business tips, staff-written articles and relevant information covering all the topics facing small business today. Learn what small businesses need to know to succeed—best of all, it’s FREE! Visit
gowithabc.com/eweekly to register.
Survey Says
The results are in! According to our online poll at gowithabc.com, the biggest challenge facing small businesses today is pressure from big-box stores (50 percent), followed by pressure from online competitors (27 percent). We'll continue to cover solutions to these issues in America's Best.
Thanks for voting!
