Let’s Celebrate National Small Business Week – Together, Online and in your Community!

Next month our nation’s entrepreneurs will come together in Washington, D.C., and virtually via the Internet for a three-day celebration of National Small Business Week – the 49^th straight year.

The centerpiece of a variety of week-long celebrations is the annual National Small Business Week Conference, May 20-22 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Hosted by SBA, the event includes educational forums, networking sessions, and an awards ceremony recognizing the impact made by outstanding American entrepreneurs and small business owners in 2012.

Each year, awards are presented in a variety of categories, such as Home-Based Business Champion of the Year and Small Business Exporter of the Year, and culminate in the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year. (Check out last year’s winners).

Dynamic Educational Events - from Industry Experts and the SBA!

With a strong focus on how small businesses can take advantage of economic opportunities and new marketing trends, topics of for the educational forums this year include:

• Strategies and resources for taking your small business global through exporting (a growing market that saw U.S. exports increase 15 percent in 2011).
• Tips and best practices for putting social media to work for your business (don’t miss guest panelist and SBA guest blogger, Rieva Lesonsky).
• An open discussion on how small business can better position themselves to win federal government business (over $100 billion of which goes to small business each year!).

Check out the full conference schedule here.

How Can you get Involved?

If you can make it to Washington, D.C. for the event, registration for the conference is now open. If you can't travel, you can still take part by joining live streaming webcasts of key sessions as they happen (keep an eye on the event website and follow SBA on Twitter and Facebook for more details nearer the time).

You can also get involved in your own community. Let your customers know about National Small Business Week by offering a celebratory special promotion or use email marketing and social media to spread the word and thank them for their business.

See you in May!

Related Resources

• SBA Guide to Exporting
• Government Contracting 101 – Online course that help small businesses learn how to sell to the government
• Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing for Small Business

About the Author

Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesley