Local students getting face time with Warren Buffett

Four local students are finalists in the "Grow Your Own Business" challenge - and will present their business ideas to investor Warren Buffett later this month.

It's a competition sponsored by the Fairholme Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization that invests in education. Winners will be announced in Omaha on May 19, and will receive $5,000.

The national finalists -- made up of five individuals, and three groups -- will present to a panel that includes Buffett. Online voting plays a role, too, and the public can cast votes through May 13 at www.smckids.com/vote.

Here's the local contingent:

-Individual finalist Jake Johnson, who attends Woodlawn School. His business, Beaux Up, is described on the website as "a new twist on the classic self-tie bow tie allowing a completely customizable experience for the wearer - a patent pending clip that separates the bow tie into two halves."

-Team finalists Aiden Farren, Joel Perez and Logan Etienne, who attend Hornets Nest Elementary. Their business idea, called Helping Fields, "hopes to solve two problems," according to the website.

"The first problem we hope to solve is to create a place where people in our community who do not have their own land can grow a garden." "...The second problem we hope to solve is for our school's backpack program...the backpack program sends those students home with backpacks of food so they have enough to eat. Even though the backpacks give those students food to eat, the backpacks do not have fresh, healthy foods, like what would be grown in our garden."

The best times to post on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more

Running social media for your small business can be time-consuming. So don't waste energy posting at non-optimal times of day. Here's your guide, courtesy of marketing blog SumAll.

While the best times will vary based on the type of business, audience and schedule, here's a general sense of when is best to post, according to SumAll:

Twitter: 1-3 p.m. weekdays.
Facebook: 1-4 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. weekdays.
LinkedIn: 7-8:30 a.m. and 5-6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Tumblr: 7-10 p.m. weekdays and 4 p.m. Fridays.
Instagram: 8 p.m. Monday, 5-6 p.m. other weekdays, sweet spot at 6 p.m.
Pinterest: 2-4 p.m. and 8-11 p.m. weekdays. But weekends are the best time.
Google+: 9-11 a.m. weekdays.

Read more here. The main takeaway: get people's attention during their downtime, whether it's in the morning during the commute, during a lunch break or during even rush hour.

The site also has interesting posts on e-commerce trends and getting the most out of analytics.

Side note: I like that SumAll gives you the estimated time it will take you to read a post. Interesting concept.

Documentary screening, training, awards for Small Business Month

Small Business Month in Charlotte is underway, and there are a host of events designed to celebrate and educate local small business owners. 

Over the course of the month, the City and its partners will provide local business owners with networking opportunities, access to forums where they can discuss business strategies, and awards ceremonies to celebrate local small businesses and minority-owned businesses.

Here's a list of Small Business Month happenings around the city. For more details, visit CharlotteBusinessResources.com. 

Monday, May 5

"Startupland" screening (5:30-9 p.m.)

Hosted by CPCC’s Small Business Center at Tate Auditorium, CPCC Central Campus. Exclusive screening of "Startupland," a documentary series that captures the journey of five startups alongside interviews with legends of the technology industry. There will be networking and local food trucks starting at 5:30 p.m. The screening beings at 6:45 p.m.

Tuesday, May 7 

Mayor’s International Community Awards (4-7 p.m.)

Hosted by the City of Charlotte in partnership with the Charlotte International Cabinet at Booth Playhouse. Event honoring foreign-owned firms and three individuals or organizations for their outstanding contributions to the international community. 

Monday, May 12 

City Council Recognitions 

- The Small Business Week proclamation will be read at the Council business meeting, along with 

recognition of the Charlotte Business Resources Consortium. 

Staying in the Game: Unwritten Rules for Small Business Success (10 a.m.-2 p.m.)

Hosted by Pride Communications at Wake Forest School of Business Charlotte Campus. Event to educate small business owners about best practices, provide helpful resources and allow business owners an opportunity to interact directly with industry experts and other successful small business owners. 

Tuesday, May 13 

Think Global, Act Global 2014 Small Business Conference (7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.) 

Hosted by Central Piedmont Community Colleges Small Business Center at Harris Conference Center. Keynote speaker, James Foley, will share personal experiences, tips and techniques to reduce risks and take advantage of global opportunities. 

Mega Marketing Event for Small Businesses (1-5 p.m.)

Hosted by Charlotte SCORE at the Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark Hotel. Small businesses can learn simple strategies for online marketing from Constant Contact. 

Thursday, May 15 

Power Up Challenge – NorthWest Chapter Luncheon (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Hosted by the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. Competing for a cash prize and package of in-kind services, local entrepreneurs and small business owners will present how their businesses can support the growth of Charlotte's economy through innovation and entrepreneurial skills. 

Tuesday, May 20 

Capital Ideas: Entrepreneurs, Expansion and the New Financing Landscape (7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) 

Hosted by the Charlotte Business Resources Consortium at UNCC Center City. Conference to network and learn about small business financing options. 

29th-annual NAWBO Charlotte Awards Gala (6-9 p.m.)

Hosted by National Association Women Business Owners at The Charlotte City Club. This event applauds the success of honorees, provides visibility and recognition of their leadership and innovation, and recognizes best practices in business. 

Wednesday, May 21 

Grow Your Business While Growing Your Staff: On-the Job Training Grants 

Hosted by Charlotte Works at the Charlotte Works Employer Engagement Center. Impact your bottom line while improving the skills of your new hires with a WIA On-the-Job training grant. Awards up to $15,000 per trainee are available to qualifying companies to train their new hires in skilled to professional positions. 

Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte Monthly luncheon (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Hosted by the Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte at Johnson C. Smith University. After networking and lunch, keynote speaker Mayor Dan Clodfelter will speak on current issues that affect Charlotte. 

Starting and Growing Your Small Business (5:30-6:30 p.m.) 

Hosted by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. Check the online calendar for locations and other dates. Get good, solid advice about business plans, lessons learned about developing your business, and free SCORE support services. Free library research services can help small business owners collect reliable information on competitors, prospects and suppliers, get market area data, and more. 

ReferenceUSA: A Powerful Tool for Your Business (5:30-7:30 p.m.)

Hosted by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. Check the online calendar for locations and other dates. Find new business leads, company info, news articles, addresses, phone numbers, and conduct job searches and market research. Presenter: David Turner from ReferenceUSA. 

Thursday, May 22 

Think “BIG” – Business in Government (1-7 p.m.)

Hosted by the City of Charlotte’s Business INClusion Program and Mecklenburg County at the Charlotte. Mecklenburg Government Center, Room 267. 

Procurement representatives from a variety of entities will be on-hand to talk with business owners and provide guidance and best practices on how to do business. 

JJ's Red Hots, local beer vendors brew up top dogs

Recently, JJ's Red Hots and local breweries and bottlers had some fun touting the idea that hot dogs and beer go well together.

Through the seven-week "Brew Dogs" adventure, the group collaborated to create signature hot dogs, using beer as a key ingredient. JJ's locations in Dilworth and Ballantyne sold each signature dog and the creator's beer on tap for a week.

"The initial idea is 'We're a small business, you're a small business,'" says JJ's owner and co-founder Jon Luther. "They're creative people, we're creative people, let's come up with something and have fun with it." "...We have complementary products, and complementary customer bases, too. Their customers are our customers, and vice versa."

The top seller? The BeerBQ hotdog, inspired by Triple C Brewing Company. JJ's locations sold 237 of the dogs featuring pulled pork, crunchy onions and Triple C's smoked amber ale used for the BBQ sauce.

Here are the other beer ventures involved, along with their hotdog creations and numbers sold. And click here to see photos of all the dogs.

The Unknown Brewing Co., The Dog Without Boundaries, featuring beer cheese, bacon, Sriracha and fried okra (fried in batter made with their Over the Edge beer). 187 sold.

NoDa Brewing Co., DogMadChad, featuring bacon, grilled onion and peppers, sweet pickle chips and mustard made with NoDa Stout. 148 sold.

Charlotte Beer Blog (charlottebeer.com), Put That In Your Pipe, featuring bacon, smoked cheddar, red onion, smoked jalapeño ketchup. 140 sold.

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Doppel Dog, featuring JJ's house-made bratwurst, copperkraut ( traditional sauerkraut steeped in OMB's Copper Ale and anise seed), beer mustard and fried jalapeños. 127 sold.

Good Bottle Co., Goodness Gracious, Great Dogs on Fire!, featuring chili, bacon, jalapeño and corn salsa, tabasco and Andy Capp hot fries (from the packaged snack). 94 sold.

Salud Beer Shop, La Dominicana, with plantain chips, onions, banana peppers and BBQ sauce. 80 sold.

Give these inexpensive employee perks a try

I recently came across this story on the Ragan Communications site about inexpensive ways to boost employee morale. Business publications love this story line, so sometimes the topic can be tired. But this one had some great examples, such as:

• Sending flowers when an employee is sick.
• Rewarding a job well done with a dinner for the employee and his/her spouse at a local fine restaurant. 
• Having potluck cooking competitions and baby-picture contests. 
• Offering employees bicycles to use. 

For more good examples, check out this story I wrote last year about giving employees a reason to stay. You'll hear the strategies of local small business owners who treat employees with everything from pedicures to gas cards to unlimited coffee year-round from the shop next door. 

And for the full story on Ragan.com, click here. It's worth a read! 

And the 2014 Family Business of the Year award goes to...

Charlotte-based Rose Chauffeured Transportation won 2014 Family Business of the Year in the medium-sized business division from the Wake Forest University Family Business Center.

H.A. Thompson and his son Andy have built the Rose name into the largest corporate ground transportation company in the Carolinas, according to Wake Forest. They grew the business from one car in 1985 to 53 today. 

Recipients will be recognized at the sixth annual awards celebration 6-8 p.m. May 8 at The Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road, Charlotte. 

To be nominated for the Family Business Awards, a business must have its headquarters in North Carolina. Businesses are evaluated based on innovative business strategies and practices, business growth and development, contributions to the community and industry, involvement by family members and generations, and commitment to family well-being. The nomination process is open from July to November each year.

Winners are named in four categories: century, large, medium and small. 

To nominate a family for the 2015 Family Business of The Year Award visit www.familybusiness.opcd.wfu.edu/awards. Deadline is Nov. 7 for nominations and Dec. 5 for applications. 

Want to go to the awards ceremony? Visit The Family Business Center website. Tickets are $125 each or six for $600.

Brews news: NoDa Brewing Co.'s can design wins award

Let's be honest: NoDa Brewing Co. has some awesome beer cans.  And the Charlotte-based agency that designed them -- Saturday Brand Communications -- recently won a silver Addy Award in the "Packaging Campaign" category for it. (Also of note: On Friday, NoDa Brewing won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup for its Hop, Drop 'N Roll IPA. Seven other breweries in North Carolina won as well.)

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/04/14/4841234_noda-7-other-nc-breweries-win.html#.U02pPvldXgw#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/04/14/4841234_noda-7-other-nc-breweries-win.html#.U02pPvldXgw#storylink=cpy

Courtesy of Saturday Brand Communications

James Ward, creative director for Saturday, says the team wanted to tap into NoDa’s bohemian, artistic vibe for the designs, suggesting the kind of pop art seen in NoDa and capturing NoDa Brewing's personality.

Also important: Making designs you'd spot right away on shelves and in coolers.

Saturday Brand actually gave the trophy to NoDa Brewing owners Todd and Suzie Ford, so you can spot the trophy behind the bar.

Saturday also created the brewery's mobile-optimized website, which suggests where to find the brewer's beer near you.