May 5th through May 11th is an exciting week for small businesses all over the country. It is the annual National Small Business Week!
For more than 50 years the President of the United States issues a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week. This week recognizes the vital contributions of entrepreneurs and small business owners to the United States of America through award ceremonies, events, and competitions.
This is an incredible week with a lot packed into it! Here is a break down of what is being offered this year.
The week kicks off with a #SmallBusinessWeek Hackathon which is an event where you spend a weekend solving real business challenges. This year the Hackathon is focused on building apps and solutions to help America’s small businesses prepare and recover from major natural disasters. The prizes for the winning teams are $25,000 to first place, $15,000 to second place, and $10,000 to third place. They are also doing some incredible giveaways! To register for the Hackathon or learn more click here.
After the Hackathon kickoff event, there will be an award ceremony on Sunday, May 5th beginning at 4 pm. If you are interested in watching the ceremony, but you are unable to attend in person you can view it via SBA Facebook page here.
On May 6th there will be a social media workshop, Social Media Tips for Your Small Business Workshop, starting at 10:30 am, which you can also view via the Facebook Page if you are unable to attend in person. The workshop will be followed by another award ceremony at 12:45 pm.
Then on Friday, May 10th there will be a Twitter Chat at 12 pm on how to start and grow a small business. The chat will share tips and tricks to help you grow your business and you can follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #SmallBusinessWeek. The conversation will be with SBA (@SBAgov) and industry experts, so make sure to follow along!
While all of that is going on there will also be a 2-Day Virtual Conference! The conference will take place Tuesday, May 7 – Wednesday, May 8 between 11:00 AM -5:30 PM each day. During this conference, you will learn new business strategies, virtually meet other business owners, and chat with industry experts. The 2-day conference will feature educational webinars, business advice, giveaways, free resources, and networking chat rooms for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. The webinars will include these topics:
- The U.S. Economic Outlook and Its Impact on Small Businesses
- Making Sense of Online Marketing: A Simple Checklist for Success
- Mastering Control of Your Cash Flow
- Creating Effective Online Ads
- The Culture Imperative: Drive Growth with Customer Obsession
- SBA Funding Programs Explained
- How to do Business with the Federal Government
- Disasters Happen: How to Prepare Your Business and Recover
The best part of this conference? It is 100% FREE to you! All you will need to participate is to register for the conference, have a computer or mobile device with an internet connection, and a speaker or headphones. This is a great opportunity to learn about any of these topics, no matter where you are, so make sure to check it out and register here.
There is a lot packed into this great week showcasing and celebrating Small Businesses! If this is something you think would be helpful to you as you grow your business make sure to visit the website and register! We hope this will be a helpful resource to you as you continue to grow your business.
If you want to stay connected with SBA you can follow their social accounts:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SBAgov
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sbagov
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sbagov/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-small-business-administration/
Hannah Westfall is Hera Hub DC digital marketing team members as well as Founder/CEO of Frazier Marketing Strategies. Hannah also works as a #betterbeauty advocate with Beautycounter. You can connect with her via email and social media.
Email: fraziermarketingstrategies@gmail.com
Instagram: @mshannahwestfall
Facebook: @HealthwithHan