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| www.missionsmallbusiness.com |
Chase and Living Social believe in the power of small business and have teamed up to launch Mission: Small Business, a nationwide grant program offering up to $3 million to small businesses like Studio 4 PR. The program will award 12 individual grants of $250,000.
I really want this. But, I need 250 votes to qualify. And, the deadline is midnight tomorrow (June 30th).
If you want to hear more about why I want the grant, keep reading. If you want to cut to the chase, please go to Mission: Small Business. After clicking support on the homepage, look for Studio 4 PR and vote for us. Thank you!
The Backstory
Studio 4 PR provides comprehensive public relations services to creative, independent, and what I call "kitchen table" entrepreneurs. It's based on the premise that in order to get noticed, the entrepreneur has to Get R.E.A.LTM.
Now, here are the statistics that shocked me. According to the 2008 Census, 75% of all U.S. businesses have less than 500 employees. And, (wait for it) more than 50% are home based. This means that entrepreneurs make a critical contribution to the U.S. economy, yet they are the most underserved by public relations firms.
PR Firms are Charging What?!?!
Why is this? I'm sure there are a lot of reasons. Thanks to the Tiger Woods and Lindsey Lohans of the world, entrepreneurs don't think they fall into the same (cess)pool for one. But, I'd wager that it comes down to cost. In 2010, the average monthly billing for a PR firm was $8,358. That's actually down from $9,808 in 2009, but that's neither here nor there. What I want to know is what entrepreneur, what solo or home-based vital contributor to the revival of the economy, is spending $8,000 in five years, let alone per month, to make headlines when there's no guarantee he'll ever reap his investment. None! (Or at least none that I could find.)
So, the entrepreneur isn't getting the recognition he deserves because he doesn't have the money, but he also doesn't have the time (hello, he has a business to run), and let's face it, he doesn't really know how to write a press release, make friends with the media, pitch a story idea, or make public relations an integrated part of doing business.
The media, on the other hand, has a whole different set of problems. Ad revenue is down so journalists are either out of work, working for less, or now doing the work of two or three. Bloggers are gaining the credibility and notoriety that was once reserved for pulitzer prize winning reporting. The days of being able to search for great stories and spend the time to flesh out the details has been replaced by Twitter updates and Facebook posts.
It's Time to Get R.E.A.LTM
This disconnect is what got me to thinking. If there were a way for the entrepreneur to tell his story so that it reached his target customer (without having to mortgage his house and sell his kids to pay for it) and if there were a way for the media to find him, that would be a good thing. The entrepreneur would get noticed and the journalists could get excited about covering the news again.
Just How Big (and Long) is that Pipe Anyway?
Right now, we're at that juncture every start-up faces. The how-the-heck-am-I-going-to-pay-for-this-great-idea phase.
Which is why grant programs like Mission: Small Business are so important to small business and to our economic future. They provide a jumpstart that might otherwise take a business years (if ever) to achieve.
Every great (pipe) dream became a reality because enough people believed in it.
If you think that Get R.E.A.L Biz Buzz could provide an affordable way for entrepreneurs to get noticed, please go to Mission: Small Business. After clicking “Support” on the home page, look for our business and vote for us! Thank you!
