Small Business School is a weekly, half-hour television program that began airing in 1994 first in the USA on PBS-member stations and then also throughout the world via the Voice of America.[1] The show goes on location all over the USA and around the world to visit with the founders of a small business which has created work and wealth for at least ten years and they are recognized by their community and industry for their valuable contributions in making the world a better place.
The program was titled "Small Business Today" until 1995. Then, it was titled "Small Business 2000." The producers said, "We never expected to be still producing in 2000, so we had to re-brand the show a second time." This show received some sponsorship for one season by the U.S. Small Business Administration.[2]
Throughout the interviews, these owners talk about how they got their idea for a business, how they got started, and how they got over the hurdles.[3] Many even talk about their initial failures. These interviews provide insight and inspiration for all business owners.
Each episode has a transcript, case study guide, overview and homepage to provide a means for viewers to further study each episode. The show has been on the air since 1994 and these case study guides were first prepared for the PBS Adult Learning Satellite Service where they were made available to all the colleges and universities throughout the USA. Nobody can pay to be on this show and nobody has ever paid to be on it. The show is sponsored by many large American companies.
In 1999 this online school for business owners began streaming video of key episodes. By 2006, each key point within every weekly episode streamed as a short-burst, user-driven video clip between one to five minutes long. There are over 2000 video clips on the site that address key issues that typical business owners face every day.