In 1982, Inc. introduced the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States. Since then, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success and the place where future household names first make their mark. Pandora, 7 Eleven, Toys 'R' Us, Zipcar, Zappos.com and numerous other well-known brands have been honored by the Inc. 500|5000. In 2007, the Inc. 500 list expanded to the Inc. 500|5000, giving readers a deeper, richer understanding of the entrepreneurial landscape and capturing a broader spectrum of success.

Today, the list is a distinguished editorial award, a celebration of innovation, a network of entrepreneurial leaders, and an effective public relations showcase. The Inc. 500|5000 ranks companies by overall revenue growth over a three-year period. All 5,000 honoree companies are individually profiled on Inc.com. The top 500 are featured in the September issue of Inc. magazine, the leading entrepreneurial advocate for 30 years running. Inc. also ranks the fastest-growing companies by industry, metro area, revenue, and number of employees, and we also highlight women- and minority- run companies.

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The Inc. 500|5000 lists the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the nation. The Inc. 500 are the top 500 companies on that list.

All 5,000 companies are profiled on Inc.com. The top 500 are highlighted in the September issue of Inc. magazine.

There is a single application process for both lists.

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Companies are ranked according to the percentage growth of their annual revenue over a three-year period. To assess this, we ask for your 2007 and 2010 revenues. This gives us a three-year growth period, using 2007 as a base year for growth.

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The equation for growth percentage is:

[(2010 revenue / 2007 revenue) - 1] x 100 = total growth percentage
For example, if 2007 revenue was $3 million and 2010 revenue is $15 million:
$15 million / $3 million = 5
5 - 1 = 4
4 x 100 = 400.
Growth is 400 percent.

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Visibility

• National, local, and industry recognition
• Media exposure via national, local, and industry/trade outlets -- in past years, the Inc. 500|5000 list has received over 25 million media impressions
• A high-traffic company profile page on Inc.com
• Coverage in Inc. magazine for the top Inc. 500 companies
• A complimentary Inc. 500|5000 benefits package from PR Newswire, including one free press release. Click here for more details.

Morale:

• Personal validation for your employees
• Public acknowledgment for company-wide success despite the recession

Networking:

• An exclusive Inc. 500|5000 community of private companies
• New leadership opportunities, e.g. by hosting a local Inc. event
• Increased visibility to the Inc. editorial staff
• Local private company Inc. event invitations
• Celebration and learning at the Inc. 500|5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony

Knowledge:

• Exclusive, cutting-edge private company research on growth patterns and strategies
• Shared business insights, resources and best practices
• Eligibility for a complimentary analysis of your company's growth potential by our CEO Project experts

Business Opportunities:

• Traffic to your Inc.com profile (The profile pages of 2009's Inc. 500|5000 honorees received nearly 200,000 visits collectively during the months of August and September)
• Recruiting tools
• New sales and partnership opportunities through high-quality networking

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1. APPLICATION: Complete an application for the Inc. 500|5000 online here.

• Confirm that your company meets the Inc. 500|5000 2011 eligibility requirements.
• Apply early in order to be eligible for the early application benefits and to ensure that you make all editorial and publication deadlines.
• If you do not have a final figure for your 2010 revenue when you apply, you may enter an estimate and provide us with the more precise figure when you submit your verification materials.
• Application deadline is April 30, 2011.

2. REVENUE VERIFICATION: Once your company's 2010 revenue figure is final, submit revenue verification materials to confirm your 2007 and 2010 revenue figures.

• You must submit your revenue verification materials no later than Friday, May 13, 2011 at 11:59 p.m., E.S.T. Submitting it in advance of the deadline will ensure accurate coverage in Inc.com or Inc. magazine.
• Click here for more details on how to submit revenue verification.
• After you submit verification to support your revenue numbers, you may not withdraw from consideration for the 2011 Inc. 500|5000.
• If you are concerned that your final 2010 revenue figures will not be available by May 15, 2011, please contact us at 212-389-5505 (toll free at 800-248-0308) or email us at feedback5000@inc.com.

3. EDITORIAL: Once revenue verification materials have been submitted, our editorial team may need to contact you to ask followup questions, to gather additional information and to discuss your company.

4. NOTIFICATION: In the summer of 2011, companies will be notified as to whether they made the list.

• Applicants will first be notified of their status via email
• CEOs of 2011 honoree companies will receive packets by mail informing them of their Inc. 500|5000 rank

5. PUBLICATION: On August 24, 2011, we will publish the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 on Inc.com. The September issue of Inc., profiling the top 500 of the Inc. 500|5000, will hit newsstands the following week.

• Inc. will publicize and distribute the list to media channels throughout the country.
• Honorees will receive a complimentary benefits package from NASDAQ Newswire, including one free national press release. Click here for more details.

6. CELEBRATION: Congratulations! Making the Inc. 500|5000 is a major accomplishment, and one that can be celebrated with your executives, employees, clients, and all others who helped make it possible.

• Inc. helps you celebrate with year-round regional events led by high-profile business leaders, exclusive private company research and more.
• Join us to accept your award in person along with other Inc. 500|5000 honorees, alumni, elite speakers, and other business leaders at the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony, September 22-24, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

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We must receive your online application by April 30, 2011, at 11:59 p.m., E.S.T. We recommend that you apply early so that you are eligible for the early application benefits and to ensure that you make all editorial and publication deadlines.

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Companies are ranked according to the percentage growth of their annual revenue over a three-year period. To assess this, we ask for your 2007 and 2010 revenues. This gives us a three-year growth period, using 2007 as a base year for growth.

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Yes. There is a $125 nonrefundable processing fee for all applicants. Identifying the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. is an enormous editorial project that, among other things, raises awareness of entrepreneurship as a valuable force in our economy. The processing fee covers only a portion of the operational costs of this undertaking.

As a special benefit, applicant companies can elect for us to apply the $125 application fee toward a $200 deposit on registration for the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony.

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Yes. If you do not have a final figure for your 2010 revenue at the time you apply, you may enter an estimate and give the precise figure when you supply your revenue verification materials.

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Yes. To ensure the integrity and credibility of the list, we ask that all applicants submit documentation ("Revenue Verification") of their 2007 and 2010 revenue numbers. Please refer to the Revenue Verification section here for more details.

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Yes, many of our Inc. 500|5000 applications are submitted by representing firms (PR firms, accounting firms, etc.) on behalf of their clients.

Click here for instructions on how to apply on behalf of a company.

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Yes, representing firms (PR firms, accounting firms, etc.) may submit applications on behalf of one or more clients.

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During the 2009 application process, a number of companies that applied for the Inc. 500|5000 were eligible for the top Inc. 500 - based on their growth rates - but did not submit their revenue verification materials until after the verification deadline. Having missed our editorial deadlines for the September issue of Inc. magazine, those companies could not be featured in the magazine and were not included in the top Inc. 500 ranking. Thus, we published their Inc. 5000 honoree profiles on Inc.com under the ranking of "500X".

This year, we will not be featuring 500X companies. To ensure complete company coverage, please be sure to submit your 2010 revenue verification to Inc. on time. More information on revenue verification.

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This depends on your company's growth rate compared with the rest of the private companies that apply for the 2010 Inc. 500|5000. Remember that the award is based on your company's overall three-year growth rate, not its one-year rate. Therefore, if your company has experienced any amount of growth from 2006 to 2009, we encourage you to apply.

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Not necessarily. We look at the overall three-year growth rate from 2007 through 2010 compared with that of the other Inc. 500|5000 applicants. Among last year's 2010 Inc. 500|5000 honorees, year-to-year declines were acceptable and common.

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As a part of the Inc. 500|5000 award, we will publish your company's 2007 and 2010 revenue, location, number of employees, year founded, and Web address. We will also publish a brief profile of your company. Most of this basic company information is already available publicly in one form or another. The positive attention and credibility that comes with an Inc. 500|5000 listing are unparalleled and usually outweigh concerns about information disclosure. Click here for the Inc. 500|5000 benefits.

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You may withdraw at any time before you submit revenue verification. After that, you may no longer withdraw from consideration. Please note that the $100 application fee is nonrefundable.

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All of the following must be true of your company in order to qualify for the 2011 Inc. 500|5000. Your company must:

1. Have generated revenue by March 31, 2007;
2. Have generated at least $100,000 in revenue in 2007;
3. Have generated at least $2 million in revenue in 2010;
4. Be privately held, for profit; based in the U.S., and independent (not a subsidiary or division of another company).

Note: there are a few limited exceptions to the requirements, so please call our team with any questions about eligibility at 212-389-5505 (toll free at 800-248-0308).

If your company does not meet the criteria above, it can still benefit from being a member of the Inc. community of private companies: please click here.

If you were previously a member of IncBiznet, you are already an important part of the Inc. community, but we may not have up-to-date company information that will allow us to offer event invitations, media opportunities, private company research reports, and other benefits. Thus we ask that you resubmit your most up to date company information through the link below.

To join this preminum network of the most successful private companies in America, please click here.

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A. Your company isn't eligible for the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 list? As the leader of a private company, you still deserve recognition-and you might benefit from the educational and networking opportunities that we offer. So we'd like to invite you to join the Inc. community, a growing network of private businesses. We will keep you up to date on the Inc. 500|5000, share exclusive research reports and best practices on private company growth, and extend invitations to exclusive Inc. events where you can engage with other successful private companies to learn about new ways to grow and promote your company. Using the information you provide, we will also consider you for any new lists or awards we decide to create.

To join this premium network of the most successful private companies in America, please click here.

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Inc. defines revenue as gross revenue, less returns and allowances, before any cost of goods sold. This is the same figure that you enter in Box 1c of your corporate income tax return. Revenue figures should be as precise as possible and rounded no more than to the nearest thousand (i.e. $234,000). If you do not have a final figure for your 2010 revenue at the time you apply, you may enter an estimate and give the precise figure when you submit your verification materials. More on submitting revenue verification here.

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No. The Inc. 500|5000 is determined solely by revenue growth; profitability is not a consideration.

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Yes, as long as it meets the rest of our requirements, your company is still eligible.

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Public companies are not eligible for the Inc. 500|5000. Note that there are some exceptions to this requirement. Please call our team with any questions at 212-389-5505 (toll free at 800-248-0308).

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Your business is eligible as long as it was privately held and independent as of December 31, 2010.

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Please contact our team at 212-389-5505 or toll free at 800-248-0308, or email us at feedback5000@inc.com.

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Company structure is not a factor. Your company may still be eligible, as long as the business is independent and meets the other criteria.

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A. We're here to help! If you have any additional questions or concerns about the Inc. 500|5000, please contact our team at 212-389-5505 or toll free at 800-248-0308, or email us at feedback5000@inc.com.

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A. To ensure the integrity and credibility of the list, we carefully verify the 2007 and 2010 revenue numbers for every Inc. 500|5000 applicant. To this end, we ask that all applicants submit documentation ("revenue verification") for their revenue numbers no later than Friday, May 15, 2011 at 11:59 p.m., E.S.T. Submitting it in advance of the deadline will ensure accurate coverage.

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You may choose one of the following three kinds of revenue verification to submit to our verification team:

1. Revenue Certification Form (click here to download): This is the easiest to submit and our preferred method of revenue verification. Simply fill out the form and have a certified public accountant, chartered financial analyst, certified management accountant, or attorney sign the form attesting to the complete accuracy of the information. The certifier may work at the applicant firm or be independent, as long as the certifier is a licensed professional with credentials that are current and in good standing. Please make sure to print clearly!
   
   OR
   
   
2. Corporate Tax Return: Include the first page and the page that indicates that accrual accounting was used to prepare the return.
   
   OR
   
   
3. Audit: Include the accounting opinion letter and income statement from financial statements that have been audited, reviewed or compiled by an independent accounting firm.

Click here for more information on revenue verification, or feel free to contact our team at at 212-389-5505 or toll free at 800-248-0308, or email us at feedback5000@inc.com.

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We prefer that you save your revenue verification documents as PDFs and e-mail them to verification@inc.com. Please include the name of your company in the subject line. Alternatively, you may fax the documents to 646-304-3157.

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A. We prefer the Revenue Verification Form as a simple and clear method of revenue verification. Download the form here. Please be sure that the form has valid signatures from both the CEO and a certifier.

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We must receive your revenue verification materials by Friday, May 13, 2011, at 11:59 p.m., E.S.T. We strongly recommend that you submit your verification well in advance of the deadline to ensure that the application process is complete by the deadline and to ensure accurate coverage on Inc.com and in Inc. magazine.

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Please contact our team at 212-389-5505 or toll free at 800-248-0308, or email us at feedback5000@inc.com.

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We ask all applicants to submit their revenue figures for full calendar years. Companies with non-calendar fiscal years should use our Revenue Certification Form for verification, rather than tax forms or audits. Please make sure the revenue figures entered on the form are for calendar years 2007 and 2010.

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No. Inc. requires that all revenue figures (for both 2007 and 2010) be converted using accrual accounting. To convert cash figures to accrual figures, start with cash receipts, subtract the beginning accounts receivable, and add ending accounts receivable.

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A. We're here to help! If you have any additional questions or concerns about the Inc. 500|5000, please contact our team at 212-389-5505 or toll free at 800-248-0308, or email us at feedback5000@inc.com.

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The Inc. 500|5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony will be held September 22-24, 2011, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.

The 2011 Inc. 500|5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony celebrates the 29th anniversary of Inc.'s ranking of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America. The event brings together current Inc. 500|5000 honorees and alumni, along with the greater business community, to recognize their remarkable achievements and their great contributions to the economy. For more information about the 2011 conference, visit www.Inc5000Conference.com or send an email to events@inc.com. Official registration for this year's conference will begin in the early spring of 2011.

As a special benefit for applicant companies, you can elect for us to apply the $100 application fee toward a $200 deposit on registration for the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony.

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We're here to help! If you have additional questions or concerns about the Inc. 500|5000 awards or the upcoming conference, please contact our team at 212-389-5505 or toll free at 800-248-0308, or email us at feedback5000@inc.com.

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