The economy sucks, so now’s the perfect time to start, expand or grow a business, right?.

I know, as I’m sure you do, there are lots of folks out there struggling to get their business started or going right now, so I thought I would do my part to help by putting together a package of products that every small business owner needs to get their business going and have a little fun giving it away with what I hope is an inspirational twist.

But first, what am I giving away? – well, the good folks at Office Depot stepped up and provided the entire prize for my Small Business Start-up Kit Giveaway.

So, one lucky small business owner is going to receive the Small Business Kit provided by Office Depot that includes these products and services

• 1 Toshiba Satellite® U405-S2911 Notebook Computer With Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor
• 1 Fellowes® PS 79ci 100% Jam Proof Cross-Cut Shredder
• 1 Lexmark X 7675 All-In-One Printer/Copier/Scanner/Fax Machine
• 1 Year Subscription to the HP Upline Service, an online storage solution that can be used for both backup and file sharing purposes

I find small business folks to be some of most caring, giving and helping folks on the planet, so in the true spirit of giving a helping hand, I am going to let you, my readers, nominate and tell the world about business owners that you believe are deserving of this kind of help right now.

So, if you want to play, here’s how:

1) In the comments on this post, tell us about a business or individual that you believe deserves to win this package. Make sure you include their URL or other details so people can learn about them. (Winner will be drawn randomly from comments, ending Feb 27th at Noon CST. )

And, for a little social media experiment, complete this step as well to be eligible to win a little something for yourself:

2) Visit twitter.com and tweet about who you nominated using #dtmstart and the link back to this post to help spread the word and promote the business your nominated. (If you complete this step and your nominee wins, I’ll send you a copy of Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing software – $179 value) – use something like – I think @yourfriend [or business name] deserves the small business start-up giveaway from Duct Tape Marketing http://tinyurl.com/abs38w #dtmstart

By completing both of the steps above you can make someone’s day by giving them a chance to win valuable business tools and help their business receive potentially valuable exposure here and on twitter. I’ll also publicize the winning business and the individual who nominated them in a future blog post announcing the winner.