Before you go anywhere or do anything during National Small Business Week 2018, you’ve got to check out this Big List of National Small Business Week 2018 events, promotions, and deals we’ve compiled.
National Small Business Week 2018 is from April 9 through May 5. Small Business Trends is again proud to be a co-sponsor of the Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week this year.
Our list this year has events you can attend in person or watch online. There are even some special promotions specifically for small business owners this week that we’ve included, too. Be sure to check the many other National Small Business Week events happening all across the country starting on April 29. Many local business organizations are hosting their own events to coincide with the SBA’s national celebration.
If you have an event or promotion or deal to submit to our list, please write and share to sbtips@gmail.com.
National Small Business Week 2018 Events
Friday, April 27
#SmallBusinessWeek Hackathon
The goal of this event is to help improve a small business’s financial management process. Owners going to Hackathon will be given help from the federal government, third-party companies, and event sponsor Visa to build an automation tool aimed at some portion of that process. The small business that designs the best tool at this event will win $10,000.
Hackathon kicks off on Friday, April 27, and runs through Sunday, April 29. It’s at the Ronald Reagan Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC.
Sunday, April 29
National Awards Ceremony for SBA Resource Partners
The SBA will present the following national awards to its Resource Partners as part of National Small Business Week:
- 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
- Jody C. Raskind Lender of the Year
- Small Business Investment Company of the Year
- Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Volunteer
- Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery, Public Official
- Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery
You can watch these awards being presented on Sunday, April 29, at 6 p.m. (EDT). The event will be streamed live on the SBA’s Facebook page.
Monday, April 30
National Awards Ceremony for Federal Procurement and More
The SBA wraps up its awards ceremonies for National Small Business Week 2018 by giving out awards for Exporter of the Year and the Small Businessperson of the Year. The Small Businessperson of the Year is awarded to one company from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The SBA also gives an award to the National Small Businessperson of the Year.
These Federal Procurement awards will also be handed out on Monday:
- 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 be announced on a stream at the SBA’s Facebook page starting at 12:45 p.m. (EDT).
IRS Webcast: Can I Deduct This?
The agency will discuss common tax deductions for small business owners and entrepreneurs. There are two sessions, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. EDT, that this webcast will play. Register for any of the webcasts by clicking here.
Tuesday, May 1
National Small Business Week Bus Tour – Jacksonville, FL and Savannah, GA
This is the kickoff to a three-day bus tour of small business owners in the southern U.S. The SBA says the goal of the even is to highlight outstanding small business owners at stops along the tour. The event pulls into Jacksonville, FL, and Savannah, GA, on May 1. If you’re not in or near any of the cities on the tour, you can follow along online on Twitter by tracking #SmallBusinessWeek.
National Small Business Week Virtual Conference – Day 1
The Virtual Conference is a FREE three-day webinar series hosted by SBA and SCORE Association. Registration for each of the webinars in this series is free. Organizers say each is an opportunity to meet other small business owners, meet small business experts, and participate in the presentations.
- To register for any of the webinars in this series, click here.
Here is a schedule for the first day of Virtual Conference:
- How Changing Consumer Behavior Impacts Your Business: Anastasia Kudrez of Google shares how technology can help you better understand consumer behavior. The webinar starts at 1 p.m. EDT.
- Addressing Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace: All aspects of these very important topics for both employers and their employees will be discussed. This webinar starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
- Get New and Repeat Business On Autopilot with Email Marketing: This webinar from Constant Contact gives advice on using email marketing to get new and keep existing customers. The event starts at 4 p.m. EDT.
- Creating and Sustaining a Strong Social Presence: Sarah Nunes of Vistaprint shares advice on creating a social media campaign for your small business. The webinar starts at 5:30 p.m. EDT.
IRS Webcast: Employee vs. Independent Contractor
This event will discuss the differences between an employee and a freelance contractor, an issue increasingly important to small business owners and freelancers. There are two 30-minute sessions for this event, starting at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. EDT. Register for any of the webcasts by clicking here.
Wednesday, May 2
National Small Business Week Bus Tour – Columbia, SC and Fayetteville, NC
The National Bus Tour continues for Day 2 with stops in South Carolina’s capital city, Columbia, and Fayetteville, NC. Look for updates as the SBA highlights some of the top small business owners in these cities. They’ll be tweeting under #SmallBusinessWeek along the tour.
National Small Business Week Virtual Conference – Day 2
The Virtual Conference hosted by SBA and SCORE Association continues for the second of three days. Registration for these webinars is free.
- Register for any of the webinars by clicking here.
Here is a schedule for the second day of Virtual Conference:
- The U.S. Economic Outlook and Its Impact on Small Businesses: Vice President of the Visa Business and Economic Insights team Bruce Cundiff shares a short-term economic forecast for small businesses. The webinar begins at 1 p.m. EDT.
- Managing Your Finances in the Cloud: The advantages of cloud technology in finance management will be discussed in this webinar from Intuit. The program starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
- Grow Your Business in 2018: This webinar from Square focuses on using technology to save you time running a small business. This event starts at 4 p.m. EDT.
- Simple Steps to Choosing the Right Financing: OnDeck presents this webinar on helping your small business choose the right type of financing among the options available today. It starts at 5:30 p.m. EDT.
IRS Webcast: Pay Now? Pay Later? Can’t Pay? (Payment options)
This webcast, part of a week-long series from the IRS will cover the following topics related to paying taxes:
- Paperless payment options
- Setting up payment installments at irs.gov
- Eligibility for an Offer in Compromise
There are two sessions for this webcast. They start at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. EDT. Register for any of the webcasts by clicking here.
Hour of Power Speed Networking Event
HOP events are being held throughout National Small Business Week in Northeast Ohio. The first event during NSBW happens at HiHo Brewing Company in Cuyahoga Falls, OH at 4 p.m. You can register for the event here.
Thursday, May 3
New York City Small Business Expo
More than 12,000 people are expected at what’s billed as the largest one-day B2B trade show in the country. Small Business Expo is happening at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center | Hall 1A – 655 W 34th Street, New York, NY from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. EDT.
Anne Chow, the President of National Business at AT&T Business, will deliver the keynote presentation at 9:30 a.m. on digital transformation.
National Small Business Week Bus Tour – Raleigh, NC
The SBA National Small Business Week Bus Tour pulls into the Triangle for its final stop on Day 3 of the event. Small Business owners in Raleigh, NC, will be honored by the SBA as the tour winds down.
National Small Business Week Virtual Conference – Day 3
The Virtual Conference hosted by SBA and SCORE Association winds up on the third and final day. Registration for these webinars is free.
- Register for any of the webinars by clicking here.
Here is a schedule for the third day of the Virtual Conference:
- Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints & Keep Your Customers: Jay Baer, founder of Convince & Convert, discusses the opportunities your small business has when it gets a customer complaint. The event sponsored by Chase begins at 1 p.m. EDT.
- Sharing Your Story Through Video: Google presents another webinar in the series, this one on the power of video in presenting your small business. The webinar starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
- Pop & Play: How Opening a Pop-Up Shop Can Help Launch Your Retail Brand: Kimco Realty hosts this presentation on the rise in pop-up shops and their ability to launch a retail brand. This event starts at 4 p.m. EDT.
- Fusion Marketing: The Next Generation of Marketing: Author and entrepreneur Lon Safko brings up the idea of combing your traditional business tools with the high-tech ones of today. It starts at 5:30 p.m. EDT.
IRS Webcast: Small Business Resources
The IRS discusses the informational resources available in the Small Business & Self Employed Tax Center. There are two webcasts, starting at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. EDT. Register for any of the webcasts by clicking here.
Hour of Power Speed Networking Event
HOP events are being held throughout National Small Business Week in Northeast Ohio. This event takes place at Wicked Pickle in Massillon, OH, at 9 a.m. EDT. You can register for this event by clicking here.
Friday, May 4
National Small Business Week Twitter Chat
The SBA is gathering small business experts from around the country to come together on social media at the end of Small Business Week. This Twitter chat will start on Friday, May 4, at Noon (EDT).
The focus of this Twitter chat will be on starting and growing a small business. Industry and SBA experts (from @SBAgov) will be online offering tips and advice on these subjects so get your questions ready for them now. You can participate in or watch the conversation on Twitter by following #SmallBusinessWeek.
IRS Webcast: Paycheck Checkup
The IRS presents experts during two webcasts (starting at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. EDT) who will discuss whether or not you’re taking the proper taxes from an employee’s paycheck, according to new rules in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Register for any of the IRS webcasts during the week by clicking here.
Small Business Week Special Promotions and Deals
National Small Business Week One-Page Website Special
During National Small Business Week, Rachel Miller Designs is offering small businesses the chance to get a one-page website for just $100. A one-page website is a great way to get your small business online for the first time or for a special promotion or product.
The offer includes several stages: Design, Development, Test, and Launch. The deal includes one round of revisions under Design and Development. The cost is just $100. Hosting and domain costs are not included. To get the deal, message Rachel Miller Designs on social media (@rachelmillerdesigns) or email hello@rachelmillerdesigns.com. This offer is only valid from April 29 through May 5.
Small Business Week Website Special
From April 29-May 5, WebDesign59.com is offering service businesses the opportunity to create a custom website with the company’s designer. Service businesses can pay off the cost of this special over a 24-month period. The deal is for new clients of the company only. Other small businesses can participate in this offer if they share news of this special with their audience and WebDesign59.com will share theirs.
This article, “The Really Big List of National Small Business Week 2018 Events, Promotions and Deals” was first published on Small Business Trends