Dell Goes Big During National Small Business Week and Beyond

Entrepreneurs are the engine that drives the economy around the world. More than half of Americans work for or own a small business, and startups and small business account for nearly 70 percent of all the new jobs created!

To celebrate and support these small business owners, Dell is hosting a series of Innovation Meetups and launching Technology Labs at WeWork locations across the country during National Small Business Week, May 1 – 7. As part of Dell’s increased investment in and commitment to small businesses we are also offering 35 percent off select business systems with code SAVE35 during the entire month of May! Visit http://www.dell.com/us/p/deals for exclusive savings. We are also deploying a big marketing campaign across key markets in the US so look for us on TV, poly bags of national newspapers, pedi-cabs, bus wraps and more.

Dell small business meetup at WeWork in Miami

The Dell Technology Labs will debut at three WeWork locations—New York Penn Station, Chicago Grant Park and Miami Lincoln Road (above) —and will offer members the opportunity to check out the latest and greatest Dell technology, test their apps on Windows devices, borrow equipment for extended periods of time and purchase systems directly. Our best Small Business sales reps and technology experts will be on-site to help support and educate WeWork members on emerging technologies and trends including Windows 10 for business, Virtual Reality development, Cloud transitioning and more.

“WeWork is committed to providing our members with the resources and services to do what they love,” said Michael Gross, Vice Chairman, WeWork. “Our partnership with Dell’s tech labs in Miami, New York and Chicago is a novel way for big businesses to test their products and services with the influential WeWork community. Similarly, for our members, this is an opportunity for them to gain access to Dell’s industry-leading products and services. We’re excited for the project and the expanding partnership with Dell.”

The Technology Labs will be unveiled during a series of Northside Innovation Small Business Meetups powered by Windows 10 at each of the WeWork locations. If you are in New York, Chicago or Miami please join us! These meetups are part of a series that covers a wide range of tech topics, spanning VC funding to the psychology of marketing to the next wave of branded content.  You can also follow the conversation on social at #SmallBizInsider or on @DellInnovators and @Windows and on the Innovation Insider Content Hub.

Dell has always been invested in providing end-to-end technology solutions for small businesses, and we want to support them where they are. Coworking spaces have boomed over the past few years—in fact, the number of coworking spaces globally has doubled each year, and according to the Dell and Intel Evolving Workforce Study, 52 percent of people believe that employees working from home are just as productive as or more productive than in the office. As part of Dell’s Legacy of Good plan, we’re aiming to have half of our employees working remotely by 2020 to enable our employees to work when and where they are most productive and help decrease both operating costs and environmental impact.

Recently, Dell released a ranking of the 50 most “Future Ready” cities—economies that are most prepared for the growth of tomorrow, have embraced technology, and have the necessary infrastructure and programs in place.  Though San Jose and San Francisco snagged the top two spots on the list, New York was 11th, Chicago was 17th, and I’m proud to report that Austin ranked 7th! As the largest employer in the Austin area, Dell is actively engaged in how it can enable people and organizations access to new tools and ideas that deliver better connections, better outcomes—and a better world.

Additionally, we are partnering with Microsoft to host “Accelerate Your Business” on May 4th in Denver, which ranks as the 8th “Future Ready” city. The event is designed for business owners, company leaders and decision makers seeking ideas and practical technology solutions to promote greater team communication, collaboration and productivity in today’s highly mobile workplace. I will be joining Jordan J. Chrysafidis, Vice President, US OEM Sales & Marketing at Microsoft, to talk about what tomorrow’s business will look like, and what businesses can do today to position themselves for continued success. If you are in Denver, please join us and register here.

During National Small Business Week and throughout the year, we’re proud to continue our tradition of enabling entrepreneurs, and can’t wait to see how our Technology Labs at WeWork help small businesses across the country utilize the latest and greatest technology solutions and help grow and scale their business.

About the Author: Erik Day

Erik Day has been at Dell for over 16 years. He first joined the company as a temporary consumer sales agent in 1999 shortly after finishing his Bachelors of Psychology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Erik has held multiple sales, merchandising and marketing leadership roles in his tenure at Dell which has taken him to 25+ countries over 5 continents. Erik spent 2009 to the early part of 2013 leading Retail Merchandising, Retail Marketing and CSB Direct Media Budget and Planning for the Europe, Middle East & Africa region. Most recently, Erik has been responsible for leading an outstanding team of sales leaders covering large format retailers and CSB distribution channel partners across the United States and Canada. Between 2013-14, Erik built a $500M Acquisition business in retail and helped grow Best Buy over 50% YoY between 2014 and today. Erik is an avid tennis player and just got married in August of this year. He loves spending time in Up North Michigan on the Lake with his husband Craig and their 2 Samoyeds, Chester and Chase.