Big List of Small Business Week Activities – Please Add Yours!


National Small Business Week 2014 activities

National Small Business Week in the United States runs May 12 – 16, 2014.  This year, like past years, is expected to kick off with a proclamation by the President affirming the country’s commitment to small businesses.

Each year the U.S. Small Business Administration holds a series of national events taking place in Washington and elsewhere, covering important issues such as financing, growth strategies and innovation.

But it’s not just the federal government getting in on the act. States, cities and companies also hold activities, educational events like webinars, and perform special activities in honor of Small Business Week.

So to help you all participate in some way — whether sitting at your computer or out in your local community — we’ve started collecting a list of activities, events, announcements and other information you need to know about Small Business Week.

THIS IS A RUNNING LIST OF SMALL BUSINESS WEEK ACTIVITIES – WE WILL BE ADDING TO IT DAILY!

Events Running All Week Long

Saying Thank You to Guilford’s Small Businesses. Running May 12th through May 18th is an event organization of over 25 non profits to use National Small Business Week as an opportunity to say thank you to all the small businesses in town who support their organizations by “asking all their supporters, board members, staff, and friends to make it a point to do business locally during National Small Business week.”

Free Basic Inc. or LLC packages. From May 12th through May 16th CorpNet is giving away free Basic Inc. or LLC packages to incorporate your small business for phone orders that mention “Small Business Week.” 

Microsoft events and workshops. As co-sponsors of National Small Business Week, Microsoft retail stores are hosting a week of events and workshops at all stores across the U.S. Find details on events taking place in your area.

Monday, May 12

A kick off at Twitter HQ. A kick off event for National Small Business Week will be held at Twitter Headquarters in San Francisco from 7:30 am to 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The event is currently sold out, but you can get yourself on the waiting list here.

Tuesday, May 13

Making Kansas City an International Hub. National Small Business Week continues with a series of seminars in Kansas City with discussion on making the city an international trade hub and more. Events will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Standard Time at Burns and McDonnell.

Small business discount day. The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a Discount Day with special deals and offers from participating members of the local organization.

Integrated Marketing TNT Webinar – Join Rajatish Mukherjee, Sr. Vice President of GoDaddy and Raj Nijje, Sr. Director of Product Management of GoDaddy – along with host Brent Leary. They will cover how to enhance your small business’s online presence and get found online.  From 7 to 8 pm Eastern.

Twitter chat on business signage and marketingSmall Business Trends along with sponsor FedEx is hosting an educational chat on May 13, 2014 at 8p.m. EST on Twitter.com, under the hashtag #SMBSignage. Join in and share your marketing tips about creating signs and other marketing.

Wednesday, May 14

Small Biz Success in the Mobile World. Conduit Mobile will host a special summit from 8 a.m.to 1 p.m. EST at the IAC Building in New York City. Discussions will revolve around the small business opportunities created by mobile.

100% Royalty Day.  iStock will give 100% of the sales on May 14 from cash and credit downloads of millions of files to the artists (many of them entrepreneurs) who create the content.  iStock will also pay double royalties to artists on subscription-based downloads of exclusive content.

Webinar on top U.S. cities for small business growth . As part of National Small Business Week, Biz2Credit and Small Business Trends will host a free webinar at 3:00 p.m. EDT which will delve into the best areas of the country to start and expand a company.

Wix and Infusionsoft – Small Business Breakfast.  Wix and Infusionsoft will have their monthly Small Business Breakfast during Small Business Week. Hosted by Ramon Ray, this month’s event brings together small business owners to hear from Emily Miethner, owner of FindSpark and a master of online and offline networking.

PayPal – Engage New York. PayPal and the SBA bring together small business retailers to learn best practices in selling online, online marketing, technology, finance and more. Hosted by small business pundit Gene Marks and Infusionsoft’s Ramon Ray,  this event will be informative, high energy and fun.

Small Business Success Stories.  Four small business owners will share their stories of success. May 14, 6:30 p.m. at the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship Research at the Hudson Library, Hudson, Ohio.

Jim Blasingame joins Cox Business and Inc. Magazine. Jim Blasingame will appear at Cox Business’s “Get Started Tucson” (#GetStartedTucson) event in Tucson, AZ in partnership with Inc. magazine. The 2014 Cox Business Leader Survey results will be released and the event runs from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 15

Constant Contact chief speaks. Constant Contact CEO Gail Goodman is scheduled to give a keynote address at 10 a.m. EST in Boston at the Microsoft New England R&D Center. Her topic will be how to forge enduring customer connections.

Webinar on small business follow through. The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a webinar on small business follow-through with Mark Goulston, M.D, of Heartfelt Leadership from 10 to 11 a.m. EST.

Veterans in entrepreneurship. A special panel on veterans and entrepreneurship will be the highlight of an afternoon of activities in Washington D.C. at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building from 3 to 8 p.m. EST.

St. Johns County Small Business Expo. Sponsored by Vystar Credit Union, Constant Contact and Microsoft, St. Augustine, Florida’s Business Solutions Unlimited, LLC, will host a free Small Business Expo on May 15, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the St. Johns River State College. Classes on topics ranging from marketing to accounting will be conducted throughout day.

Webinar on getting your small business noticed on the Web.  A two-part webinar series beginning on May 15th at 1PM EST sponsored by Verisign and presented by Rieva Lesonsky, CEO of GrowBiz Media. The webinar is aimed at teaching you how to start, grow and optimize your Web presence through websites, social media, SEO, SEM and more.

Friday, May 16

Author gives Philly keynote. The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a keynote address from adjunct professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business Chris Rabb, author of the book “Invisible Capital: How Unseen Forces Shape Entrepreneurial Opportunity.”  The event will be at Liberty Ball Room at the Independent Visitor Center 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m Eastern Standard Time.

Legal Zoom Small Biz Twitter ChatJoin senior USA Today small business columnist, speaker and best selling author Steve Strauss and LegalZoom for the next in a monthly series of Twitter discussions focused on start-ups, small businesses and entrepreneurship. This months Twitter chat guest, during Small Business Week, is Infusionsoft’s Ramon Ray sharing insights.

Business (E)ssentials Bootcamp Atlanta. Join dozens of small business owners Friday May 16 and Saturday, May 17, 2014; 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for two power-packed days where they will develop their own customized Internet marketing and communications plans. Participants will gain essential SEO, CRM and Internet marketing skills.

All Week Long

Google Business Community.  Members who join The google Business Community between May 12 – 16 will get a promotional code from Google for $20 toward Helpouts in areas like online advertising, branding and web design.


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  1. It is good that you guys included the Twitter Kick Off but it is such a bummer that it’s sold out already. Maybe they can sell more tickets?

  2. Margo Williams

    Press Release
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Media Contact:
    Margo E. Williams, MWH Public Relations
    Office: 281.213.9554 | Cell: 832.492.2407 | email: margo.williams@mwhpublicrelations.com

    PRTech Houston 2014 Readies to Deliver Innovative Small Business Enterprise Development Conference during National Small Business Week

    More than 30 subject matter experts to convene for a high-energy think-tank focused on MWBE growth through new marketing, business and technology trends, mentor protégée program participation and fiscal strength

    HOUSTON (May 7, 2014) – Coordinators of the PRTech Houston 2014 Multicultural Small Business Conference and Expo (PRTech) have amassed more than 30 subject matter experts to deliver 16 segments of intense development in one of the most innovative, fun-filled, high-energy environments ever designed for an MWBE one-day conference. Themed, “Strategic 2014 Trends to Build a Strong Local Presence with Worldwide Impact,” this boot camp-style training will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, 2014, during National Small Business Week at the new Westin Houston Memorial City, Azalea Ballroom, 945 Gessner, Houston, TX 77024. Dr. Stephen Klineberg, Professor of Sociology at Rice University, will headline an impressive lineup of thought-leaders.

    “We’re excited to team with the Small Business Administration and develop programming that helps small business owners like us be better equipped for procurement opportunities with the public and private sectors,” said conference lead Margo E. Williams, principal, MWH Public Relations LLC. “Over the years, we have listened to procurement and supplier diversity officers and consistently heard that small business owners – even those with tenure – experience the same challenges preventing growth. These challenges stem from a lack of proper branding and marketing, collaboration and relationship building, access to capital and ineffective use of technology. With PRTech, we seek to deliver the training in a way that is fun and rejuvenating, yet hits the mark and imparts the information in a practical, straight-forward manner that busy entrepreneurs will appreciate and be forever changed by.”

    Representatives of the Small Business Administration, NASA, City of Houston, METRO, ACCION Texas, All Points Logistics, AT&T, Bank of America, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, CenterPoint Energy, Constant Contact, East West Bank, H-E-B, Members Choice Credit Union, MetLife, Wallis State Bank and a host of other experts will be on hand to assist via presentations, one-on-one meetings, business match-making, business plan review or development, lending options, and business development strategies.

    “Millions of dollars are available to MWBEs in contracting and capital,” said PRTech consultant and facilitator Sandra Steen, CEO, Sandra Steen Consulting LLC. “At PRTech, we will give specifics on how to navigate the playing field to access those dollars. America’s small business community must remain strong as it drives our economy, job growth and even U.S. international trade more than ever before. Minority-owned firms have the most favorable export attributes of any sector of the U.S. economy and represent the future of export growth.”

    The agenda is filled with substance and straight-talk delivered by industry experts. In addition, the day will be fun and high-energy, and will include a small business satirical skit by Insight Production Company, music, live brand makeover and an inspirational moment dedicated to the small business owner. Space will be limited to no more than 250 participants to maximize individual participation and interaction. The full schedule is available online.

    “For more than 10 years, MWH Public Relations has planned large events and MWBE conferences, and we’re excited to present this much-needed program for the first time in Houston,” said Williams. “We are inviting firms in construction, engineering, IT, manufacturing, professional services, transportation and energy.”

    Small business enterprises seeking to do business with local, state and federal government entities and corporations are invited to attend. Early bird registration ends today, Wednesday, May 7, 2014. Members of chambers of commerce or other professional groups may register using promo code PRTECH2014 and receive 25% off of the registration fee. Registration is via the PRTech website: http://www.prtechhouston.com.

    PRTech sponsors and partners include: Constant Contact, H-E-B, All Points Logistics, CenterPoint Energy, SCORE, Password Productions, Westin Houston Memorial Hotel, American Business Television, MWH Public Relations, LLC and Sandra Steen Consulting, LLC.

    About PRTech Houston
    PRTech Houston is an annual convergence of public and private sector entities, veteran, minority- and woman-owned businesses, and the small business resource community in a think-tank environment to share the latest branding, technology, financial and business development trends, while expanding business contracting and collaboration opportunities. PRTech proudly supports nonprofit organizations providing valuable services across the Greater Houston Area. A portion of PRTech proceeds go to benefit Volunteer Houston and My Brother’s Keeper Outreach Center. For more information, visit http://www.prtechhouston.com.

    # # #

  3. In support of National Small Business Week, join the PCI Security Standards Council for a brief webinar on basic tips that small businesses can take to protect customers’ payment data and their business. Be one of the first 500 to sign up, and get FREE PCI Awareness eLearning*.

    Click here to register: http://bit.ly/1uAj1sd

  4. To celebrate Small Business Week and the small businesses we serve at Employers Resource, we’re sharing “business spotlights”. These small business owners have taken time out of their busy day to share insights, challenges, stories, and dreams to benefit other aspiring entrepreneurs. This week we celebrate the pursuit of your dreams and all business owners who are driven by freedom, passion, values, and hard work. It is a privilege to serve small business owners and entrepreneurs all across this great country and protect the American dream.

    http://www.employersresource.com/small-business-week-2014-business-spotlights/

  5. Christine Devenny

    Check out fairpyamentchoice.org, and add signing to show your support to your list of Small Business Week activities! We’re on a mission to help small businesses get paid sooner!