National Small Business Week 2018

Each year since 1963, the president has issued a proclamation calling for the celebration of National Small Business Week.  The dates for National Small Business Week this year are the dates April 29 – May 5.

Free virtual presentations by Google, Constant Contact, Visa, Chase for Business and Square are being offered this week.  Whether you are a nonprofit or for-profit you should sign up for each conference below to enhance your business sense and gain insights from industry leaders.

While the SBA does not give grants, except for limited research and development and exporting, they are a valuable business resource that complements your grant search on GrantWatch.com.

National Small Business Week First-Ever Virtual Conference

The conference will feature webinars, mentoring sessions and business resources

WASHINGTON – As part of National Small Business Week, April 29 – May 5, the U.S. Small Business Administration and SCORE, mentors to America’s small businesses, will host the first-ever National Small Business Week Virtual Conference. The conference will include educational webinars, mentoring sessions, and business resources. National Small Business Week cosponsors Visa, Chase for Business, Constant Contact, Google and Square will host webinars. The webinars are free of charge, but registration is required.

NSBW 2018 – Virtual Conference Schedule:

1.      How Changing Consumer Behavior Impacts Your Business 

Presented by Google
May 1, 2018
1-2 p.m. EDT

Technology allows you to understand consumer behavior better than ever. Join this webinar to learn how these insights can help shape your digital marketing plan, and what you can do to position your business for success.

2.      Get New and Repeat Business on Autopilot with Email Marketing 

Presented by Constant Contact
May 1, 2018
4-5 p.m. EDT

Your business thrives on bringing in sales from new and existing customers. Wouldn’t it be great if you could bring in those sales more frequently without having to spend a lot of time doing so? In this webinar by Constant Contact, we’ll show you some simple ways to repeatedly reach customers with email marketing.

3.      The U.S. Economic Outlook and Its Impact on Small Businesses

Presented by Visa
May 2, 2018
1-2 p.m. EDT

Join Visa’s Senior U.S. Economist Jay Hawkins as he shares the near-term outlook for the U.S. economy including the health of consumer spending, housing prices, and more. You’ll learn how consumer spending preferences are changing, what stock market growth and volatility mean for consumer spending, and what all of this means for small businesses.

4.     Grow Your Business in 2018

Presented by Square
May 2, 2018
4-5 p.m. EDT

Join this webinar by Square to learn how to use small business technology tools to streamline your work and give you back valuable time

5.      Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints & Keep Your Customers

Presented by Chase for Business
May 3, 2018
1-2 p.m. EDT

In this webinar sponsored by Chase, Jay Baer, founder of Convince & Convert, reveals brand-new, proprietary research into why and where your customers complain, and why the rise of customer complaints is actually an enormous opportunity.

6.      Sharing Your Story Through Video

Presented by Google
May 3, 2018
2:30-3:30 p.m. EDT

Today’s consumers can watch video content whenever and wherever they want. This creates an opportunity for businesses to reimagine the role of video content in their marketing strategy. Join this webinar to learn best practices for connecting with consumers through online video.

Additional National Small Business Week cosponsors Lockheed Martin, National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL), UPS Store, Raytheon, Verizon, DexYP/Thryv, Salesforce, Facebook, Main Street Hub and Comcast Business will host booths during the Virtual Conference.

For-profit entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses, particularly minority and women-owned, frustrated by the often-overwhelming process involved with searching for grants can identify funding opportunities that are easy to read and simple to comprehend at GrantWatch.com.