American Express OPEN Launches Economy Section for Small Business Owners on Openforum.com

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express OPEN, the nation's leading issuer of payment card products for small business owners, today announced the launch of OPEN Forum’s Economy section, a new platform for small business owners to connect virtually to discuss the current state of the economy and how it affects their businesses. The Economy section is a component of the newly refreshed OPENForum.com, an education and networking resource designed to provide small business owners with practical, actionable information from business experts, celebrity business owners and best-in-class bloggers and news outlets.

“Business owners are faced with daily challenges - more so now than ever - about what to do differently and how to better sustain and grow their business”

“Business owners tell us they want quick access to actionable information that can help solve problems,” said Marcy Shinder, vice president of brand marketing and strategy for American Express OPEN. “The uncertainty in today’s economy calls for a robust and efficient resource from which entrepreneurs can draw insights and practical tips to help survive and thrive in turbulent times.”

At present, the Economy section of OPEN Forum features blog and news commentary, expert tips and advice for surviving the downturn, personal experiences from business owners across the country about how they are managing in times of the downturn and polls about what the state of the economy means for small business. To view the Economy section, visit http://blogs.openforum.com/category/economy/.

Also part of OPEN Forum’s enhanced content, OPEN has unveiled new video segments from “Inside the Entrepreneurial Mind,” an interview series featuring roundtable discussions with celebrity business owners in key vertical industries.

Video segments from the culinary industry featuring celebrity restaurant owner Tom Colicchio and celebrity chef Sara Moulton as they discuss business issues such as personal branding, business expansion and leveraging new technology are now available on the site. Clips from the roundtable discussion can be viewed at http://www.openforum.com/food.

Clips from this year’s Inc 500/Inc 5,000 Conference, America’s leading conference for entrepreneurs, featuring entrepreneur, best-selling author and marketing guru Seth Godin and best-selling author and management expert Tom Peters as they discuss small business trends are also available.

While Colicchio and Godin are best-known in their respective culinary and marketing industries, their discussions with the “Inside the Entrepreneurial Mind” series are designed to uncover insights that transcend industry barriers and provide actionable information for all small business owners.

"Business owners are faced with daily challenges - more so now than ever - about what to do differently and how to better sustain and grow their business," said Shinder. “OPEN has teamed up with luminaries like Tom Colicchio and Seth Godin because they not only inspire business owners broadly and particularly in their industry, but also because they come to the table with practical advice on managing through adversity, growth avenues for marketing and distribution, tips for working with large customers, and so much more.”

The enhanced OPEN Forum site also announces exclusive original content from noted small business bloggers, including:

Guy Kawasaki, distinguished author, entrepreneur and creator of the “How to Change the World” blog
Mike Masnick, business development and marketing expert and creator of “TechDirt” blog
John Jantsch, marketing and digital technology coach, award winning social media publisher and creator of “Duct Tape Marketing” blog
“Knowledge@Wharton,” the online business journal of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

These bloggers join OPEN Forum’s existing roster of small business bloggers, including John Battelle (“Searchblog”), Scott Belsky (“Behance” blog), Anita Campbell (“Small Business Trends” blog), and others, to provide users with a stream of fresh, relevant content. For a complete list of blogs available on OPEN Forum, visit http://blogs.openforum.com/.

In addition to enhanced blog coverage, OPEN Forum will continue to feature a mix of information developed by OPEN, including videos and information from its educational platform and interactive commentary from business owners.

Also featured on OPEN Forum is mainstream media coverage from best-in class small business news providers such as CNNMoney.com, Entrepreneur, Fortune Small Business, Inc, iVillage, Slate and WIRED.

In addition, OPEN Forum was recently recognized by The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) with a Gold MIXX Award for excellence in Brand Awareness and Positioning. The MIXX Awards honor interactive advertising campaigns and recognize excellence in both creativity and effectiveness.

Exclusive content from the “Inside the Entrepreneurial Mind” interview series, news articles, blog posts and electronic copies of OPEN Book, OPEN-authored business guides, can be found on OPEN Forum at http://openforum.com/.

About American Express OPEN^SM

American Express OPEN is dedicated exclusively to the success of small business owners and their companies. OPEN supports business owners with exceptional service. With tailored products and services, the team delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and rewards to help customers run their business. Specifically, business owners can leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings, including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working capital, robust online account management capabilities and savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information about OPEN, visit OPEN.com, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a card or loan. Terms and conditions apply.

American Express Company www.americanexpress.com is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.