On Sunday, May 5, the U.S. Small Business Administration National Small Business Week 2019 kicks off with a week long celebration.
And once again, Small Business Trends is proud to be named a co-sponsor of National Small Business Week.
National Small Business Week 2019 celebrates and recognizes the contribution of small businesses in the U.S. for the whole week until Saturday, May 11.
And with so many events, promotions, and deals to be had, the Big List of National Small Business Week is designed to help you find what is taking place across the country.
The list will highlight events and give organizers a platform for submitting their own promotion, deal or event during the week.
You can share your event, promotion, or deal by submitting to our list. Please write to [email protected].
National Small Business Week 2019 Events
Friday to Sunday, May 3 to 5
#SmallBusinessWeek Hackathon
This year’s Hackathon is going to bring the SBA and Visa together to address disaster recovery.
Come to the hackathon and participate in the development of apps and concepts to help business owners prepare and/or recover from major natural disasters.
Join entrepreneurs, designers, and developers to solve real business challenges using API’s from Visa, the U.S. Government, and third parties to build new tools.
If your app delivers, you can win one of the top three cash prizes, up to $25,000 and two $5,000 giveaways.
The Hackathon will take place in Washington D.C. starting on Friday, May 3rd through Sunday, May 5th.
Sunday, May 5
National Awards Ceremony for SBA Resource Partners
As part of NSBW, the SBA will present national awards to its Resource Partners. The awards will be presented to the following individuals and organizations.
- Jody C. Raskind Lender of the Year
- Small Business Investment Company of the Year
Awards to SBA Resource Partners
- Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Award
- Veterans Business Outreach Excellence in Service Award
- Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award
- SCORE Chapter of the Year
Disaster Assistance
- The Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Volunteer
- The Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Public Official
- And Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery
You can watch the award ceremony live on the SBA’s Facebook page at 6:15 pm ET.
Before the award ceremony, you can also watch the Next Wave in Digital Commerce Workshop on Facebook at 4:00 pm ET.
Monday, May 6
Federal Procurement and Small Business Awards
The SBA recognizes individuals and businesses across the U.S. who have excelled during the past year. This includes Exporter of the Year and the Small Businessperson of the Year.
The award for Small Businessperson of the Year is given from a pool of companies selected across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Federal Procurement Awards
- Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
- Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence (Services, Research & Development, and Manufacturing)
- 8(a) Graduate of the Year
These awards will also be streamed on the SBA’s Facebook page starting at 12:45 pm ET.
Another workshop will take place before this ceremony at 10:30 am ET. This one is titled, Social Media Tips for Your Small Business Workshop.
Tuesday, May 7 – Wednesday, May 8
2019 National Small Business Week Virtual Conference
The SBA and SCORE will host a 2-day virtual conference designed to provide a range of resources for business owners.
The event will include free educational webinars, mentoring, and networking opportunities. Experts from Visa, Constant Contact, Square, Google, Chase, and the SBA will speak during the two-days.
If you can’t attend in person, you can take part in the virtual conference from anywhere. All you need is an internet connected device. Register for free and watch starting between 11:00 am – 5:30 pm ET/ 8:00 am – 2:30 pm PT each day.
Wednesday, May 8
Turn Small Biz into Smart Biz: Technology for Growth, Productivity, and Customer Experience Webinar
Comcast and Entrepreneur are going to present a webinar to discuss the impact of smart technology on small business growth, productivity, and customer experience.
The webinar will cover customer experience, employee productivity and operations, and marketing strategies.
The Turn Small Biz into Smart Biz: Technology for Growth, Productivity, and Customer Experience webinar will be held Wednesday, May 8 at 12 pm EST | 9 am PST.
Register here.
Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
As part of the University of Chicago, the Polsky Center will hold a month-long celebration of discovery and entrepreneurial endeavors. This will include National Small Business Week.
On Wednesday, May 8, 2019 from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm the center will host entrepreneurs, innovators, and small business professionals. This will be an opportunity to learn about the resources available to the Polsky Exchange and the Chicago community.
Click here to register and get more information.
Friday, May 10
NSBW Twitter Chat
On Friday, May 10th at 12 pm ET, the SBA will bring industry experts to help entrepreneurs on how they can start or grow a small business.
The event will share tips and tricks so your entrepreneurial journey will have fewer bumps.
You can follow the conversation at #SmallBusinessWeek.
Small Business Week of Eastern Missouri
Small Business Week of Eastern Missouri, Inc. is a not for profit organization created to help the SBA plan events during the week in the eastern half of Missouri.
This year the events will include:
- Impact Investments and Local Businesses: Your money. Your return. Our community on May 6th from 3:00 pm– 4:30 pm at the Justine PETERSEN, 1023 N. Grand Blvd., St Louis, MO.
- (Davis) Bacon & Eggs: Understanding Prevailing Wage Compliance! on May 7th from 8:00 am– 9:30 am at the St. Louis Development Corporation, 1520 Market St, 2nd Floor Boardroom, St. Louis, MO.
- Financing Your Small Business on May 8th from 9:00 am– 11:00 am at the St. Louis County Library, 1640 S Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO.
To get the complete list of events for the entire week click here.
The Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC
The Illinois SBDC at Champaign County EDC will hold 13 free events this year.
It begins on May 6th from 4 to 5 pm with a workshop to boost your marketing for the 2019 farmers’ market season.
On May 7th the SBDC will hold info sessions on business grant programs, CCRPC’s financing programs, and a workshop on branding.
All of these and the remaining events will be held across different venues, so click here to find the time and location.
The 15th Annual San Francisco Small Business Week
The city of San Francisco is putting on its annual event coinciding with the NSBW to support the more than 120,000 small businesses which call the city home.
Events will take place starting Monday, May 6th with a City Hall Pop Up Shop and go all the way to Sunday, May 11th ending with Neighborhood Sales Experiences.
You can click here to register and see the full schedule of events.
Image: U.S. Small Business Administration