A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending Entrepreneur magazine’s 2012 Growth Conference in Long Beach, Calif., as a member of The UPS Store team, which sponsored the event.

For the more than 850 entrepreneurs who convened at this year’s Growth Conference, there was an undeniable feeling of optimism and determination to learn and grow their businesses.

I admire entrepreneurs. I know many in my own life and career. Each of The UPS Store franchisees is an entrepreneur in his or her own right. What they do is truly amazing. It takes an enormous amount of courage to chart a path, not knowing where you’ll end up in the end.

The conference kicked off with a keynote address from entrepreneur and small business expert Chris Brogan. I was fortunate to sit at a table with one entrepreneur who was hoping to glean some motivation from the speakers to help her get started with her business.

When Chris took the stage, I knew we were in for a fantastic day of learning and growth. Chris spoke about the hard lessons of being an entrepreneur and what you can do to focus on growth in your business. Being the social media buff that he is, Chris spoke about the importance of focusing on relationships versus transactions within social media, becoming a relationship-minded business. (Watch the complete video of Chris Brogan’s keynote.)

The rest of the day was packed with great content and networking opportunities. Several leading entrepreneurs and small business experts hosted workshop sessions that helped attendees learn how to raise capital to start a business, increase productivity and output, use social media to market to consumers and create consumer passion for your brand. One of our very own franchisees, Gary Williams Jr., was also featured in a panel discussion during one of the workshop sessions.

The highlight of the day was the awards luncheon, where Entrepreneur magazine and The UPS Store awarded the winners of the Entrepreneur of 2011 contest. The most inspiring one came from winner Lee Rhodes, a cancer survivor who founded glassybaby. Lee donates a significant portion of the company’s revenue to help fund treatment to cancer patients. Her goal is to donate 10% of revenue.

Check out the highlights from the entire day.

How do you travel for 6 weeks to 25 different cities and fit luggage for me and my mom, and all the goodies we’ve purchased along the way in a 1999 Chevy Prism? The simple answer is: you don’t.

My mom and I traveled around the country on The Smoothest Road Trip Ever.  During the promotional tour, I shared my story about how I started my skincare company, Simple Sugars, with young girls and college students with the hope of inspiring them to follow their dreams.

I started the company in 2005 when I was  11-years-old and my mom decided we would have a homemade Christmas. She insisted my brothers and I make the holiday gifts we wanted to give to family and friends. So I made body scrubs with pure sugar and all-natural oils. I have very sensitive skin and have never been able to use commercially produced products without experiencing skin irritations. I decided to make an all-natural product that would be safe for very sensitive skin like mine – one that would be fun to use and smell great, too.  That’s how Simple Sugars was born!  I know, simple, right?

My business has grown a lot over the years but I want more people to learn about it so I hit the road.  My ’99 Prism, also known as The Simple Sugars Super Smooth Mobile, and I logged 9,782 miles. (I just arrived back home in Pittsburgh last night as I write this).

Since the trip required a lot of stuff, and a Chevy Prism isn’t necessarily the roomiest car on the road, I had to figure out how to transport all of our materials. We needed product samples and display signs, tables, t-shirts, our clothes and (my shoes!!)  Plus, we picked up a few items along the way. Well, maybe more than a few, I mean it’s not every day you get to travel around the country right?

The problem was logistics – But I know my shipping partner and one of the sponsors of the smooth trip – UPS loves logistics. I am a pretty expert car-packer by now, if I must say so myself, but even I couldn’t squeeze one more thing into the car by the time we hit Minneapolis.  Well, unless I kicked my mom out – this was not an option even after six weeks of togetherness.

The solution was to use UPS to ship the materials to us at various points along our route. We picked up boxes at The UPS Store locations in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Seattle and Minneapolis and used UPS Next Day Air®, and UPS 3 Day Select®.   We also shipped presents for my family and some of the mementos I acquired along the way back home to Pittsburgh using UPS Ground.

I’ve met so many great people, made some business connections, eaten ridiculously delicious food in some of the greatest cities in the world and seen so much of the beautiful landscape of this country.  In a word, this experience has been awesome! The smoothest road trip ever!

Stay Smooth.

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock. The sound of aged wood and brass chime in their package, waiting to be opened and displayed.

These antique beauties eagerly await their turn to proudly sit on the mantle of their new owner’s fireplace. Fragile and beautiful, the clocks from Old Timers Antique Clocks travel across the country, arriving safely to their new homes unscathed and ready for the new year.

For more than 20 years, Kenneth and Susan Markley, owners of Old Timers Antique Clocks, have been buying and selling shelf and tall case floor clocks from all over the world. Visit their website and you will find many American, Dutch, German, French and English antique clocks in excellent condition and ready to trade.

“When we first entered into a relationship with Antique Networking, we had no idea what our business would become,” Kenneth Markley said. “Now, with scores of ‘hits’ every day, our website sales are beyond our fondest dreams and have placed us among the leading antiques clock dealers in the nation.”

Due to the growing demand for their clocks, the Markley’s head to The UPS Store on 4900 Carlisle Pike in Mechanicsburg, Penn., where franchisee Tim Elder and his crew carefully pack and ship the clocks to their new homes.

“Throughout the years, we have shipped our clocks using Tim Elder’s The UPS Store center,” Kenneth Markley said. “Tim professionally packs each clock himself, using double-boxing to make sure every piece is delivered safely. Their expertise in careful and appropriate packing has resulted in flawless results through the years. To date, Tim and his staff have packed and shipped more than 800 clocks for us and in 2012, we hope to ship many more!”

After a decade of shipping clocks with Tim and his team, the Markley’s have become a part of The UPS Store family. The Markley’s even have their own tally sheet in the back office to keep track of every clock they ship.

“The Markley’s are like an institution here,” Elder said. “When Ken comes in, everyone gets excited to see what type of antique clock we’ll be shipping since many of them require custom made boxes. We look forward to using our experience and creativity to pack each and every clock in such a way that it arrives in perfect condition.”

Obviously, the Markleys’ Old Timers Antique Clocks and Tim Elder’s The UPS Store location are living up to our favorite motto: small business helping small business. Keep on tickin’ into 2012!

Santa’s been working overtime this month getting ready to make his rounds. Just in case you’re reading this Santa… I’ve been really good and I’m emailing my list to your personal account. And because I know Ole’ St. Nick has been working so diligently – and perhaps to offer a small bribe – I’m not going to leave him just cookies.  He’s getting praline layer cake and pretzels dipped in chocolate and covered with Georgia pecans from Savannah’s Candy Kitchen. I’m just saying – I really want Santa to take my list seriously. 

The man behind the candy is Stan Strickland. He’s so sure you’ll enjoy his treats he offers a full money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied. The inspiration to open his small business came from his mother who worked in a candy factory. At home, she made everything from scratch – even measuring with the “cup” of her hand. After spending hours working beside his mother, Strickland developed a similar passion for sweets and continues the family tradition of using only local and all-natural ingredients to make candies and cakes. A local sugar company uses trailer to deliver about 60,000 pounds a month!

When he started more than 30 years ago, Strickland only had one location on historic River Street in Savannah, Ga. Today, Savannah’s Candy Kitchen is the largest candy company in the Southeast, serving about half a million customers each year.

There’s a major rush during the holidays when daily shipments increase from 200 orders a day to about 6,000. Strickland relies on a sleigh with brown wheels and elves dressed head to toe in brown to deliver his precious goods. In December, a small team of UPS employees work on-site loading holiday packages onto trailers for delivery. They use UPS Quantum View® Manage to monitor inbound and outbound shipments and UPS WorldShip® to save time creating shipping labels.

New this holiday season, Savannah’s Candy Kitchen is offering free standard shipping on all online orders.  Click here to check out Stan “the Candy Man’s” favorite items including Chocolate Reindeer Drops… I’m not quite sure what those are but I’m sure Rudolf, Donner and Blitzen don’t like it.

14 days and counting ‘til Christmas!  It’s the time of year filled with sweet treats and those infamous popcorn tins. You know the ones with Frosty the Snowman on the side and filled with different flavors – usually super cheesy, salty and caramel.  If you’re looking for a gift that’s not filled with all those holiday calories that you promise yourself you’ll start working off right after the New Year – a resolution I fail to keep every year – try popcorn! The Popcorn Palace offers a unique selection of tasty holiday treats: Cinnamon Spice, Coconut Cloud Nine, Chocolate Drizzle Caramel Corn, Macadamia Butter Crunch and Berry Your Blues.

Small businesses pop up every day, but only some of them succeed and grow large enough to pop up on national television and find a spot on Inc. 500’s prominent list. Tim Heitmann started with just a small retail store in Chicago 15 years ago and continues to grow ever year. Today he sells and ships 29 varieties of gourmet popcorn to customers all over the country and has been featured on shows with Al Roker and Rachel Ray on the Food Network.

All holiday orders are popped, packed and shipped the same day. “A lot of work goes into producing our micro-batch popcorn, so naturally, maintaining the quality of our product is very important to us,” Heitmann said. The company’s meticulous production operation is the same even during the busy holiday season when orders double. The company depends on UPS to deliver those shipments on time. “We love our drivers who sometimes need to come later to get those last-minute orders.”

If you can’t pop into one of two Chicago locations, you can order online. Through the UPS Small Biz Daily Deals promotion, Popcorn Palace is offering free ground shipping to @UPS Twitter followers using the coupon code: UPSSHIP. Hurry and place your order today – the offer expires on December 13 at midnight CST.

Growth is always a hot topic for entrepreneurs and small businesses on the move. Inc. magazine has joined UPS to host a series of events with the common theme, Delivering Growth. CEOs from the magazine’s 5000 list offer personal and financial tips on growing businesses.

Small business owners in Atlanta and Houston have already learned how to develop joint ventures, expand products and services and successfully market their brand. The next live event will be in San Diego on December 13 to discuss Delivering Growth Internationally. Panelists will share how to find resources for export and custom regulations. If you can’t make it to California, you can join the session online at: www.inc.com/upslive.

The CEOs are sharing personal stories about managing risk while in pursuit of growth. They address topics such as accessing capital (with and without banks), overcoming cultural barriers for international growth and maintaining a reputation for quality in the midst of fast growth.

Panelists are leaders of fast-growth companies, including PopLabs, Jurlique, Ludus Sports, eCardio Diagnostics, SpeakEasy and Abukai. Some of the panelists are former executives at Fortune 500 companies, and have since made the transition to the entrepreneurial community.

From the Atlanta event, moderator Lisa Calhoun describes how small business growth isn’t just about numbers.

Lisa King found the recipe for success in the kitchen of her small apartment in 1987. She was a school teacher in Cleveland, Ohio, during the day, but at night she loved to bake fudgy brownies.  King eventually turned her hobby and passion into a thriving small business – Brownie Points, Inc.

The online retailer specializes in more than 25 different flavors of gourmet brownies, popcorn and chocolate confections. King and 14 full-time employees are busy producing delicious treats year-round, but from September through December she adds about 25 seasonal workers to handle the 30,000 orders she ships each week during the holidays.

Over the years, the business has grown and King relocated to a larger baking and manufacturing facility in Columbus. “We’re determined to provide the best possible customer service, always striving to give our customers more than they expect,” King said. She uses UPS WorldShip® to create shipping labels for large orders and Quantum View® to manage and track shipments.

UPS also dispatches refrigerated trucks for special orders. “We want to spoil our customers – not their brownies,” King says.  All orders are guaranteed to arrive within four days. If the brownies are traveling through warmer weather, King uses UPS Next Day Air®  along with insulated containers filled with dry ice. During the busy holiday season, UPS drivers pick up shipments several times a day. “All of our drivers are great but Mike, our last driver of the day, sometimes has to wait so we feed him brownies and Diet Coke.” 

Through the UPS Small Biz Daily Deals promotion on Twitter, Brownie Points will offer free ground shipping this holiday season. Check out the @UPS twitter account for more details.

My favs: the original kitchen sink brownie and chocolate caramel sea salt popcorn!

The holidays can be a hectic for everyone. But nothing compares to the stress a small business owner feels when he moves an entire year’s worth of inventory in just two months.

Greenberg Smoked Turkeys, a family-operated business based in the small town Tyler, Texas, ships its hickory smoked turkeys to customers all over the country. It all started when Sam Greenberg would smoke turkeys for family and friends in a corner of his dairy barn in the 1940s. Now, his grandson, also named Sam, runs the business and enjoys national recognition from celebrity customers like Oprah Winfrey.

“We do things the way we’ve always done them,” Greenberg said. “We still smoke turkeys the way my grandfather did, using a 72-year-old spice blend that’s been in the family for four generations.”

The company continues to grow with e-commerce and holiday mailers but hundreds of people still do it the old fashion way – they stand in line for hours to purchase a turkey for their holiday dinners.

Greenberg relies on his 15 full-time employees plus 200 seasonal workers to smoke and distribute about 200,000 birds between November 15 and Christmas. Customers have the option to request a day-specific delivery Wednesday through Friday. To handle all of those orders, Sam and his operations team use UPS Guaranteed Ground day specific delivery schedules and Quantum View® Manage for tracking all outbound shipments.  UPS also provides multiple daily pickups to the Dallas operations center about 100 miles away and guarantees orders will arrive within 1 to 3 days – regardless of where the customer lives. The smoked turkeys are shipped frozen, thaw during transit and guaranteed to arrive in good condition.

UPS has been shipping turkeys for Greenberg for almost 30 years. “We also follow the tradition of delivering an excellent product to our customers exactly when they want it – and we can only do that with the help of UPS, which is always reliable,” Greenberg said.

Greenberg Turkeys arrive ready to eat, and Sam and his team have a number of creative recipe ideas available at gobblegobble.com.

Check out this family favorite. They’ll supply the bird and all you need is mayo!

Greenberg Smoked Turkey Pâté

Ingredients                        • Ground turkey               • Mayonnaise

Directions

1. Finely grind turkey in food processor with metal blade inserted. Mix with just enough mayonnaise to spread easily, approximately 1 cup of mayonnaise for each pound of ground turkey.

2. Serve on crackers, scoop with your favorite potato chip and top with a jalapeno slice, or use on plain white bread as a spread for finger sandwiches.

Ground turkey can be frozen in plastic bags for later use.

Tis’ the season to support our small business customers. We’re helping more than 30 small business owners spread the word about their upcoming holiday promotions with the Twitter campaign Small Biz Daily Deals. Every day through December 21, from the @UPS twitter account, we’ll highlight a UPS small business customer.

Consumers can take advantage of deals on gourmet brownies, cookies and candy, children’s clothing and toys and fresh cut Christmas trees delivered right to your front door. Many of the customers are also offering free shipping with special UPS codes just for the holidays.

Here’s a few of the Small Biz Daily Deals:

• Discounts on old-fashioned pies during Priester’s Pecans’ Annual Pecan Pie Sale
• A freshly cut North Carolina Fraser Fir tree delivered in 2 days from Bolster America
• Free Nam’s Bits Chocolate Chip Cookies with your first order from Sensational Baskets
• 10% off any order from Candy.com, one of the largest online candy stores
• Receive 20% off pure beeswax candles at Big Dipper Wax Works through December 31

Search on Twitter for the hashtags:  #UPSsmallbiz or #holidaydeals to follow the Small Biz Daily Deal. And don’t forget about Small Business Saturday on November 26… you can help fuel the economy and save big when you shop small.

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The leaves are changing and the weather is cooler which could only mean one thing, Halloween is here. It’s the time of year when children and adults dress up as their favorite superhero, movie character, politician or the latest celebrity in the news. This year, “The Charlie” (as in Sheen) is one of the most popular – Winning!  My 11-year-old son will dress as the Green Lantern and my 5-year-old daughter as Hello Kitty.  

Americans aren’t scared to spend despite the hard economic times. According to National Retail Federation’s Halloween Trends and Spending 2011 survey the average person will spend about $75 on Halloween related items. This year consumer spending is expected to reach an all-time high at $6.9 billion.

Halloween Asylum warehouse

UPS small business customer Halloween Asylum takes advantage of that spending and has been busy the last few months preparing for today.  The e-retailer creates masks, costumes and props for haunted houses.  “It’s a never ending process” says owner, Nancy Cote, “we start in January at trade shows searching for the hot new product for the upcoming season, and by late summer orders really start to ramp up.”

Cote saves time and resources with UPS WorldShip™ by storing her customer’s shipping information in one place. She can generate shipping labels and send e-mail notifications.  

By using UPS Freight LTL (less than truckload) Cote is able to move some of the company’s larger props and costumes to customers anywhere in the country. “John Doe – a life size corpse that comes back to life, is really popular this year.”

The increase in holiday spending can be good news for other small business owners. Some analysts believe Halloween sales are a good indicator for the holiday shopping season.