Today I’m flying out to a conference where hundreds of tech startups will be vying to catch the world’s eye. It’s perfect timing since this happens to be National Small Business Week (NSBW) here in the U.S. and the theme this year is “Dream Big, Start Small.”
Each of those entrepreneurs have big dreams – maybe even hoping to become the next Dell. And we not only welcome them, we want to help them! By providing small businesses with the tools, technology and resources they need to be successful, we get to play a part in creating between 70 and 90 percent of the world’s jobs.
With so much going on during NSBW, there is probably a small business event happening right in your backyard, Entrepreneur noted. If your backyard is in Miami, Chicago or New York, that could be one of our Northside Small Business Innovation Meetups held in conjunction with Intel and Northside Media. Even if you can’t attend in person, you can follow the conversation by watching #smallbizinsider and following @DellInnovators.
The conversation around small business, entrepreneurship and innovation will also live online with Northside Innovation Insider, a dedicated content hub showcasing highlights from the meetups and festival, as well as profiling local innovators, trends, ideas and challenges related small businesses.
"We want to explore the positive influence that having all these innovators under one roof has on each individual involved, as well as the whole,” Tyler Koslow explained as the impetus for the events.
Attendees will have the chance to learn how local start-ups and small businesses are leveraging technology to create a sustainable, global community.
It’s a very different environment for entrepreneurs today than it was 52 years ago when President John F. Kennedy established America's first NSBW.
“[Then] owning a ‘small business’ meant struggling to survive,” small business expert Rhonda Abrams wrote in USA Today. “Today, the American dream is to own your own business. Entrepreneurs are role models and small businesses are vibrant, diverse and economically important.”
That role model position is one reason Dell partners with its customers, suppliers, and employees to support United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8. Watch for more to come on a new initiative that will be led by the UN Foundation Global Advocate for Entrepreneurship, Michael Dell.
Our roots as a scrappy small business ourselves were strengthened when we transitioned back to a private company, and they continue to be a driving force in our efforts to support entrepreneurs.
