Information for the Innovative, Enterprising and Brave

May 2015

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Last year, hundreds of new businesses launched in Loudoun. Maybe one of them was yours. At Loudoun Economic Development, we want your business to succeed. One of the tools we offer to help you grow is Loudoun Small Business Week, which this year runs from May 11-17.

"Talk to almost anyone who started a small company and made it big, and the two things that took them from idea to IPO are the personal connections they made, and the information they put to use," says our director, Buddy Rizer. You'll get to do both during Loudoun Small Business Week 2015.

The week kicks off on Monday, May 11, with a special presentation by Eric Major, the CEO of the international medical device company K2M. The week ends with farm and winery tours Saturday and Sunday, May 16-17. Other highlights include a screening of the documentary "StartupLand" and a Tap Takeover by Loudoun craft brewers; both will be held at the Alamo Drafthouse in Ashburn on May 12.

Those are just a few of almost two dozen events happening next week, many hosted by Loudoun Small Business Week cosponsors CIT, the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, the Mason Enterprise Center - Leesburg, the Northern Virginia Technology Council, the Small Business Development Center, and the Town of Leesburg.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors plays a primary role in making sure Loudoun has a business climate that's favorable to companies of all sizes. During Small Business Week, each member of the board will visit small businesses in his or her district.

If you attend any Loudoun Small Business Week events or activities, please tweet about it using the hashtag #LoudounSBW. Our staff will monitor Twitter and select prize winners who'll also be featured on the economic development blog. For other details, watch the short overview video here, and visit www.LoudounSBW.org.

Read It and Reap

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull

Do you want to run an organization that dares to do what others don't? The kind of organization that fosters employee creativity? In this book, the president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios shares his insights into how to create what he calls a "sustainable creative culture." He tells the story of Pixar in a way that you can apply their lessons to your own company. Highly readable and full of practical strategies, this is a fascinating book about a company that succeeded when everyone said they would fail. Check it out for free from the Loudoun County Public Library.

Gut Check From a Guru

"America's small businesses are the backbone of our economy, employing half of our country's private sector workforce and creating nearly two out of every three new jobs in our country. Representing the quintessential American ideals of hard work and ingenuity, small businesses -- from startups to mom-and-pop shops -- are crucial to our national prosperity and economic security. During National Small Business Week, we recommit to advancing these vital enterprises, and we celebrate their contributions to our collective American story." -- Presidential proclamation for National Small Business Week 2015