We’re extremely pleased to be a part of Network Solutions first ever Grow Smart Biz Conference in Washington DC next week (October 29th).

Jake Weatherly, our VP of Customer Experience will be speaking on a panel during the one-day educational workshop and  networking event at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington DC.

All small business owners, entrepreneurs and aspiring CEOs should attend to learn how to overcome challenges that all small businesses face. Attendees will leave the conference with:

• Insights into best practices of successful small businesses
• Strategies for growth despite the current economy
• Cost-effective ways to market and promote their businesses
• Tips for raising capital, and
• An opportunity to connect with small business owners, experts, and solution providers

Check out this link for more information about the other speakers and how to register before time runs out!

I got an e-mail about this one overnight:

Return of the Angels: How Angel Investment is Changing

It’s a $40 evening affair in San Francisco, with a panel of three good speakers and a very interesting agenda. If I were in the San Francisco Bay area working on any kind of a startup, or even thinking about it, I’d probably attend.

Here’s the summary:

Angel investors are the new black. In a down market, with venture activity slowing, many entrepreneurs are looking to angels for salvation.
But they may be in for a rude awakening–angels are not exempt from economic pressures, and their outlook, strategies and requirements are changing.

If you’re not in the Bay area, it’s still a good reminder that things have changed. Angel investment is more organized than it was, and with the changing financial landscape . . . well, if nothing else, start doing Web searches for angel investors and see what comes up.

If you do that Web search, be careful with the paid or sponsored results. Here are a couple of tips:

• Buying lists of investors is a bad idea. You need to target your investors carefully, not send out mass missives. Investors you can’t find by a combination of asking locally and searching the Web are not good targets. Here’s some background on that.
• Buying ready-made business plans is another bad idea. You make your own plan; you don’t buy one from a consultant. If you have the budget to work with a consultant, check references first, and make sure that consultant helps you do your plan, rather than doing a plan for you. Here’s some background on that one.

Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog. Over 57 million Americans read blogs. There are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day.

That’s a lot of conversation.

Does your business have a blog? More and more, people looking for information on your business are going online to see if you have a website. Having a blog is the easiest and fastest way to get new information about your business online and to your customer.

BlogWorld and New Media Expo, is taking place next month in Las Vegas and if you are a business owner, marketing, PR, or media professional who is interested in learning how to take advantage of the opportunities that blogging and new media represent to you and your clients, then you might want to check out the information on this conference.

Kimberly L. Coerr from Blog World Expo offered blog.bplans.com a code to pass along to anyone who wanted to get a discount for 20% off any registration type at the Show. Visit the website blogworldexpo.com and use the code “BHLDKC” to receive the discount.

Take advantage of this quick – the registration window is closing soon!

‘Chelle Parmele
Social Media Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software

Sabrina Parsons and I will be headed down to San Francisco this weekend to attend BlogHer ’08.

Sabrina will be speaking:

What We Do: Taking Care of Business
If you’re a blogger, and your blog contributes to your livelihood…whether through direct monetization or as a platform to get freelance and consulting work…then it’s a business. But what does that mean? What should you be thinking about? Three experts are on hand to get down to brass tacks. Starting with taxes.

Kelly Phillips Erb is back to give you the low-down. Linsey Krolik will answer your legal questions, including when incorporation makes sense. Finally Sabrina Parsons will try to demystify the number one question many freelancers and consultants have: How do I quote for my services and build a proposal that attaches the appropriate value to my time and the work I do?

Friday, July 18th 2008, 10:30am – 11:45am – California West room at the St. Francis Westin.

I’ll be attending the sessions and meeting some fantastic women who have either made a business of blogging, do it for fun or an outlet, or to teach and share their knowledge.

I’m very excited about attending the conference and hope to bring back a lot of great stories about the event to share.

‘Chelle Parmele
Social Media Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software