Small Business Summit Center

"It's been like 'Godfather III' - just when I thought I was out, I get sucked right back in," says serial entrepreneur Tom Scott with a comfortable chuckle. Once known as half of "The Juice Guys" - Tom Scott founded Nantucket Nectars with college classmate Tom First not long after they graduated from Brown University in 1989 - Scott turned a desire to live in Nantucket into a thriving business.    Read more >>

"The secrets of real entrepreneurial success: that is what our panelists will share," said moderator and small-business expert Jane Applegate in introducing the all-stars on the New York Times Small Business Summit's opening panel. They came from diverse backgrounds: restaurateur Wally Ganzi; Manhattan Portage CEO, founder and trendy handbag retailer Su-hwei Lin; Jobster CEO Jason Goldberg - whose company is reinventing the job-search process - and Jason Ackerman, CFO and cofounder of FreshDirect.com, a Queens-based business with the goal of revolutionizing how food moves from farms to consumers' tables.    Read more >>

"Build a strong foundation. Don't be too opportunistic. Go into growth with the long term in mind," said Marc Shuman, founder and CEO of garage makeover company GarageTek. He summed up a lesson of the summit's panel on growth that is so rapid it almost undoes the business. Shuman is a poster boy for CEOs who almost lost the company because it grew too quickly.    Read more >>

"We launched right in the middle of the low-carb craze in March 2004," recalled LesserEvil Snacks cofounder Michael Sands, a pained grimace touching his voice. Although the founding idea of LesserEvil is making snacks that taste good but are low fat and contain no ingredients that cannot be pronounced - who wants to eat those chemicals anyway? - low carb just did not match up with kettle corn or "krinkle sticks," no matter how healthy they might be.    Read more >>

If no one knows your business exists, you cannot possibly prosper. Smart small-business owners understand that there are affordable strategies for getting known, even in today's media-saturated world. This is the encouraging message delivered at the afternoon publicrelations-marketing breakout at the New York Times Small Business Summit. Who is your target customer?    Read more >>

"There is a huge movement afoot for green activism," said Marsha Firestone, president of the Women's President Organization and moderator of the New York Times Small Business Summit panel, Save the Planet, Grow Your Profits. This is not entirely about altruism, Firestone stressed, because today the time is ripe for businesses that zero in on green consumers, many of whom are prepared to pay a premium in order to advance an environmentally sensitive agenda.    Read more >>

Elegant toasters selling for less than $25 in mass market retailers. Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired furniture for cats. Hundreds of hours of television, all focused on one theme: Design and how it is changing our lives. "Everyone desires it now," says Susan Sobbott, president, OPEN from American Express, in voicing the theme of an American-Express sponsored roundtable discussion, "The Business of Design."    Read more >>

"Coolness factor." "Drama." "Big excitement." Search the web for information on the new Plum Card from American Express and what surprises are the unlikely adjectives that keep getting attached by bloggers and online commentators to what in fact is a credit card specifically geared for small business. Their verdict is in: this is one hip card. When was the last time you thought what is in your wallet is cool?    Read more >>

We invited OPEN from American Express Business Cardmembers to talk about their successes. Click here to hear their stories.   Read more >>

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