This Week in Small Business: Win $20,000 from Microsoft, debunk some myths and sink some 3-pointers!

Microsoft is giving away more than $20,000 and the Golden State Warriors are providing marketing lessons. Those are just two of the highlights among the curated content that we have for you this week.

Leadership, management and productivity

You can adopt these three small business leadership strategies right now. And you should.

If you think that a 401(k) isn’t right for your small business, you need to read this article that debunks three myths on the topic.

Colin Shaw says that being customer centric in your small business probably doesn’t mean what you think it does.

In this article for AT&T I give you nine ways to use Twitter to help position yourself as an industry influencer.

Facebook has had great success with its employee cross-training program called “Hackamonth.” You can apply its principles to your small business.

Do you know the differences between leadership and management? You need to.

Marketing and sales

Two million advertisers and counting! Facebook is getting a foothold on small businesses.

Don’t have the patience for a carefully planned and executed 2016 growth strategy? Then try these five surprisingly simple growth hacks.

Keep track and optimize all of your social media marketing efforts from one app dashboard. It’s free and it’s from Staples.

Recycle, repurpose and reuse. That applies to your content marketing materials too. Here’s how to use those concepts via SlideShare.

This case study will really help you understand how content and posting frequency can boost your small business blog.

Are you sinking your three-pointers? If not, check out this article that draws marketing lessons from the Golden State Warriors.

Have you considered using Pinterest analytics to inform your marketing decisions? Here’s how it’s done.

Entrepreneurship, startups and innovation

With prizes from $1,000 to $20,000 (plus non-cash bonuses) you should definitely enter Microsoft’s Small Business Contest.

In this Entrepreneur article, Michael Mamas lists six essential keys for founding and developing a successful startup.

Politics, government and the economy

This survey focuses on Illinois small business owners, but the “five things (they) want you to know” probably apply across the board.

Small business owners and government bodies at all levels are often at odds with one another. Here’s a story about a Norfolk, Virginia owner who won his case based on his right to free speech.

Anthony B. Kim of the Heritage Foundation makes a strong case that U.S. economic freedom has been rapidly declining.