About

Although it’s not the only form of philanthropy, the American Small Business Advisory (ASBA or We) gives away over $25,000 a year in scholarships and awards to participants of it’s Creative Composition Contest(s) alone. But when we are not trying to support the student community, we provide Fortune 500 solutions to the other 99% of businesses.

With a mission focused on accelerating the growth cycle of businesses by providing expert guidance and creative financing solutions to entrepreneurs, the ASBA has helped thousands of small and mid-sized business owners secure millions in financing in the form of grants, forgivable loans, SBA pandemic recovery programs, and commercial financing solutions.

Today, the ASBA focuses on assisting entrepreneurs in five of the six key components of every disruptive business: marketing, sales, leadership and personal development, process development, recruiting, as well as financing (our “Key Subject Matter Areas”). All our clients need is the vision and ability to lead! 

We are hosting nationwide creative content competitions on a semester, bi-monthly, and monthly basis. This is perfect for those looking to learn more about marketing, sales, leadership and personal development, process development, recruiting, or financing and/or published in written and visual form to our internal blog and syndicated web and social media publications.

Who Can Participate

Although applicants with a background in finance, economics, business, journalism, videography, communications, theater, music, advertising, government business management, and marketing majors will have a natural advantage, ANYONE FROM ANY MAJOR CAN WIN! 

So we encourage everyone to enter that has an interest in or would like to learn more about marketing, sales, leadership and personal development, process development, recruiting, or financing! All who meet the criteria will be considered. We are an equal-opportunity company and do not discriminate based on personal characteristics. 

Joint/group submissions are allowed.

How We Select Winners

Winning entries will be judged on writing ability (and readability), format/style, depth and accuracy of research and quotes, understanding of your work’s subject matter, relevance to readership/viewers of americansba.com and similar publications (as described more fully below) and our key subject matter areas (marketing, sales, leadership and personal development, process development, recruiting, and/or financing), whether the work presents (and supports) a PROBLEM and SOLUTION (which can be of any kind i.e. personal/author specific, reader specific, industry specific, etc) meet or exceed entry criteria, and use of source citations/backlinks for all utilized research. 

All entrants must meet the minimum word requirements for the subject contest(s), be related to the topic or theme, include source citations or links, be readable, and convey a generally accurate understanding of the subject-matter. So don’t let perfection or the lack of expertise hold you back. You could still win and even if you don’t, you might still get published after some substantial revisions. 

Eye-catching educational content written (and/or delivered) in a helpful yet authoritative tone typically performs best. Although it’s not required, feel free to use online tools (example: SEMRush, SpyFu, or UberSuggest) to select keywords and topics that are relevant to current events and market demand for additional points! Extra consideration will be given to those who can use keywords effectively and/or rank in Google top 10 search results for your topic/subject!

Contest Details

Spring, Summer and Fall Semester Contest

Winning participants for the semester contest will receive the following scholarship award amounts:

• 1st place – $1,000
• 2nd place – $500
• 3rd place – $250

Please prepare one of the following for a valid semester contest entry:

• Blog article, case study, whitepaper or ebook – between 7,500 and 15,000 words and (preferably) SEO-optimized
• Explainer, vlog or video sales letter (VSL) style video – between 3 and 5 minutes (animation is ok) with transcript
• Recorded presentation or webinar – between 10 and 15 minutes with transcript

Bi-Monthly Contest

Winning participants for the monthly contest will receive the following scholarship award amounts:

• 1st place – $500
• 2nd place – $250
• 3rd place – $100

Please prepare one of the following for a valid semester contest entry:

• Blog article, case study, whitepaper or ebook – between 1,500 and 3,000 words and (preferably) SEO-optimized
• Explainer or video sales letter (VSL) style video – between 30 seconds and 1 minute (animation is ok) with transcript
• Recorded presentation/webinar – between 1 and 3 minutes with transcript

Process

Create and submit a qualifying creative content piece before June 20, 2021. Winners will be notified on or about 30 days after the last day for submission and awards will be dispersed to the winners within a week thereafter. 

Winning contestants will be spotlighted in our bi-weekly newsletter and their works will be published on our site and/or network of publications in original or edited form with the author credited therein. 

Even if you don’t win, you may still be published. Additionally, you may resubmit content up to three times for our creative composition contests.

By submitting your entry you agree to provide the ASBA with an exclusive, ongoing license to publish your submitted work or any derivative thereof.

Audience

The audience will be US-based small and mid-sized business owners, executives and entrepreneurs who have opted-in to receive business finance, sales, marketing, management, and legal related content that can help them avoid common pitfalls, grow and scale faster, or just make their work-lives easier.

Keep in mind the content is designed to captivate, educate, and stimulate our target audience to learn more. Typically, that means it will need to present and aggravate a problem, educate on available solutions and build authority on the topic, and ultimately provide a soft call-to-action that directs (or subtly nudges) the reader/viewer to inquire and/or engage more.

Topics

You can use and get creative with the SAMPLE/SUGGESTED TOPICS below or deviate from them all together. As long as your work is relevant to our subscribership (Entrepreneurs and Small and Medium-Sized Business Owners), related to our key subject matter areas (marketing, sales, leadership and personal development, process development, recruiting, or financing) and satisfies the other criteria above, then it will be accepted. 

Additionally, feel free to write content specific to a certain industry that may fall more in line with your personal or work experience as opposed to your major or subject matter expertise (ie, lawyers, doctors, hospitality, restaurants, bars, logistics, transportation, construction management, retail, eCommerce, etc). Your ability to resonate with a target audience is largely based on your ability to understand their specific concerns and speak their language. So show us what you got!  It could give you the edge if you’re not currently “studying” one of the key subject matter areas.

Sample/Suggested Topics

• What is a Merchant Cash Advance?
• Why would a business owner take a Merchant Cash Advance?
• Things every new business owner needs to know about commercial financing
• How businesses are getting back on their feet post-pandemic
• Financial checklist for every American small business owner
• Why every business owner should establish a Paydex Score
• Things every struggling business needs to do to get back on track… Now!
• Top 10 best business credit cards… and how to qualify
• How to build and boost your business credit score
• What is a Server Rebate Program? And how to get started…
• What forms of financing are available to small and medium-sized businesses (under 1 year, 2 year, etc)
• How does business credit work?
• How does personal credit work?
• What makes up a FICO score (or Paydex Score) and how to improve it
• What’s the difference between interest-based financing and factor-based financing
• What are the most business-friendly states… and why?
• What do underwriters look for when determining if you qualify for a loan?
• What states require sales tax for eCommerce sales (and how to avoid them)?
• What industries have been affected (positively or negatively) by Covid-19… and why?
• What is a business interruption claim? And how to qualify…
• What to think about when applying for a business insurance policy
• What are the different types of business associations (and which is best for my business)?
• What effects will the Paycheck Protection Program have on the economy?

Note: Feel free to write content specific to a certain industry that may fall more in line with your major or subject matter expertise (ie, lawyers, doctors, hospitality, restaurants, bars, logistics, transportation, construction management, retail, eCommerce, etc)

Submission

• Upload submissions via webform below
• Email submissions to scholarships@americansba.com

Deadlines

The following dates are for the current contest. Miss a deadline? Don’t worry, we host contests both monthly and semesterly.

• All qualifying submissions must be received by June 20, 2021
• Winners will be selected, notified, and announced by July 20, 2021
• Scholarship awards will be disbursed by July 31, 2021