From Passion to Small Business Owner
Miss Birdsong’s Sweet Tooth was created in Memphis, Tennessee as a partnership between Tabitha Birdsong and Pamela Collins, two college friends who share a love for sweets.
They started their business making candy apples as party favors for events like birthday parties, weddings, festivals, and fundraisers.
Participating in local events not only showed support for the community but raised awareness of their delicious products & growing business.
Thanks to the American Small Business Championship, they now offer these delicious candy apples as a supplier to Sam’s Club and Walmart.
American Small Business Champion
Each year SCORE and Sam’s Club (founded by Sam Walton of Walmart) sponsor the American Small Business Championship.
Tabitha entered the American Small Business Championship & became one of the 102 winners receiving:
- $1,000 Sam’s Club gift card
- Expense-paid attendance at a regional Championship Celebration & Symposium
- SCORE mentoring for one year
- Significant national publicity
The Grand Prize
While many see the $1,000 Sam’s Club gift card as the big prize, Tabitha capitalized on the tremendous networking opportunities offered with her invitation to the regional Championship Celebration & Symposium.
“I’ve made so many connections through this opportunity. When you get in the room with 101 other small business owners, it’s the biggest networking arena! I now have contacts in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C. and more,” she said.
“You gain so much information from the presenters and the SCORE mentors who actually sit tableside with you and address your strengths and challenges so that you can use to grow your business,” she added.
These networking & mentoring opportunities led directly to Miss Birdsong’s Sweet Tooth becoming a supplier to Sam’s Club and Walmart in her local area.
Opportunities for You
As exciting as Tabitha’s story is, you have the opportunity to create your own success story with SCORE.
Supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and a network of 11,000+ volunteers, SCORE offers services including:
- FREE business mentorship from volunteer MENTORS who share their expertise across 62 industries
- FREE, confidential business COUNSELING in person or via email
- FREE business TOOLS, templates and tips online
- Inexpensive or free business WORKSHOPS (locally) and WEBINARS (online 24/7)
To learn more about how SCORE can help your small business, visit their website.
You will find stories of the 2015 American Small Business Championship entries & winners here.
This post is brought to you by Sam’s Club and The Motherhood. As always, all opinions are my own.
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