National Small Business Week 2019: Your Go-To Guide
Joseph Camberato
Founder & CEO
Published Apr 29, 2019
9 min read
For almost 70 years, National Small Business Week (NSBW) has celebrated small business owners and entrepreneurs, and recognized how integral their contributions are to the health and competitiveness of the US economy.
With so many events occurring nationwide, National’s Expert Advisors put together a guide to help you learn everything you need to know about National Small Business Week in 2019.
Small business week is a federally-recognized week-long event that takes place once a year, organized largely by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to celebrates small business growth in the US , along with other sponsors including SCORE, Visa, Chase Bank, and Google.
The event offers dozens of business growth resources to small business owners nationwide, including free webinars, video conferences, free giveaways, business innovation contests, and more.
When Does National Small Business Week 2019 Start?
NSBW 2019 events start on May 5th, and runs through May 11. Events during this time will take in multiple places across the country, with speakers from the SBA and other sponsored groups making stops on a nationwide-tour.
There will also be many live events online, in which small business owners can receive advice from industry experts on a vast variety of topics, from the best new business practices, to innovative growth strategies, and other helpful resources.
Participants will also be able to communicate ideas with each other and collaborate with other small business owners in exclusive online chat rooms.
These events include a series of webinars, live video conferences, mentorship programs, and more. Each event is created and organized by many of the nation’s leading experts and companies in business growth, including the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), Visa, Google, and the SBA itself.
How to Participate in Small Business Week
Most of the events taking place during Small Business Week, including conferences and workshops can be watched live for free via the SBA’s Official Facebook Page. Business owners that want to physically attend events must register, and may come at a charge, depending on the event. If you’re not already registered, act quickly—these events sell out very quickly, if they aren’t already.
SBA’s NSBW Schedule of Events for 2019
May 5
4PM ET; Next Wave in Digital Commerce Workshop: Learn about new tips, tools and resources that small businesses can use to upgrade their commerce strategies with cutting-edge software and technology. Can be seen live on the SBA’s Facebook page.
6:15PM ET; Small Business Award Ceremony & Dinner: The SBA will host an awards ceremony to recognize various lenders and companies that made outstanding contributions to the growth of small businesses nationwide. The entire event will be broadcast live via the SBA’s Facebook page. Awards include:
“2018’s Microlender of the Year” awarded to Jodi C. Raskind from the Certified Development Company Small Business Finance (CDC).
“Small Business Investment Company of the Year” (Winner TBA)
“Excellence and Innovation Award” (Winner TBA) from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
“Veteran’s Business Outreach Excellence in Service Award” (Winner TBA)
“Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award” (Winner TBA)
“SCORE Chapter of the Year Award” (Winner TBA)
“Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery as a Volunteer” (Winner TBA)
“Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery as a Public Official” (Winner TBA)
“Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery” (Winner TBA)
May 6
10:30AM ET; Social Media Tips for Your Small Business Workshop: Social media has grown to be one of the most useful tools for small business advertising, promotion, brand building, and making personal connections with customers. Learn how to maximize your business’s presence on social media by watching it live on the SBA’s Facebook page.
12:45PM ET; 2nd SBA Awards Ceremony: The SBA will host another awards ceremony, which you can watch live on their FB page as they announce the winners for:
“Small Business Exporter of the Year”
“Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year”
“Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence” (The winner will be awarded for outstanding advancements in small business growth resources including services, research and development, and manufacturing)
“8(a) Graduate of the Year” from the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program
“Small Business Persons of the Year” (One winner will be chosen from each of the 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia)
“National Small Business Person of the Year” (Only one winner will be chosen)
May 7–8
Event Start: May 7 at 11AM ET; 2-Day Free Online Virtual Conference: The Small Business Administration, along with the SCORE Association will host a live, 2-day video conference. Registration is free, and will grant business owners free access to a series of webinars that cover a wide variety of topics regarding small business growth, including:
12PM ET; SBA’s National Small Business Week Twitter Chat: The SBA will host a live chat on their Twitter page @SBAgov, where SBA experts and their leading partners will provide expert tips and strategies for successfully starting and growing a business. Advice will be tailored to help both startups and growing businesses to help business owners at every stage in growing their businesses.All participants will have the opportunity to interact with other business owners and consult with industry experts via an online chatroom. Be sure to follow the hashtag #SmallBusinessWeek for any updates!
Additional Event: The NSBW “Hackathon”
May 3 – 5
The “Hackathon” is a new event hosted by the SBA and sponsored by Visa and SmallBizWeek in which business owners are challenged with the goal of coding a digital tool that can be used to help entrepreneurs prepare for and recover from natural disasters.
Those registered will have two days and two nights to code their tool, with API’s provided by the Federal Government, as well as Visa, and other third parties.
Challenges that coders are expected to solve with their coding skills include:
Three winners will be chosen by judges at the end of the Hackathon challenge to award those that solved these challenges most effectively and creatively with their new coded tool.
Hackathon Awards
1st Place Prize: $25,000
2nd Place Prize: $15,000
3rd Place Prize: $10,000
Hackathon Schedule of Events
May 3rd
6pm: Opening Ceremonies and Registration
6:30pm: Conference Dinner
7:30pm: Business Owners Pitch Ideas & Begin Voting
9pm: Start Writing First Lines of Code
May 4th
8am: Breakfast
8:30am: Continue Coding
11am: “How to Give a Great Pitch” Workshop
12:30pm: Lunch
2pm: Team Mentorship Workshop
6pm: Dinner
11pm: “Start Hacking Overnight
May 5th
8am: Breakfast
9:35am: “Code Freeze” (Review Code Work)
10am: Final Demonstrations
12:30pm: Lunch, and Judges Determine Winner
1pm: Hackathon Winner is Announced
1:30pm: Hackathon Ends
2019: The Best Year to Celebrate Small Business Growth!
Thanks to new policies in place, including new business equipment financing laws and business tax deductions, the economy is currently the more supportive of small business growth than it’s been in 30 years!
While you’re celebrating Small Business Week, you’re sure to be inspired by the new business growth resources, strategies and advice that the SBA is bringing to small businesses. And with the economy in full swing, there’s never been a better time to act when inspiration strikes—before the possibility of downturns or changes occur.
So, if you’re not prepared with the capital or resources needed to act on any new advice or tools you want to implement, be aware that the healthier the economy, the lower rates, better terms, and larger amounts are available in the financing marketplace!
If you apply for financing soon, you can get the capital you need before Small Business Week starts through our expedited process. In fact, National can equip you with the funds you need in as little as 24 hours!
Celebrate NSBW with National
At National Business Capital, every week is Small Business Week! National is a company founded to help small businesses thrive nationwide, by providing every capital and business service that entrepreneurs need to grow, improve and protect their businesses.
From small business loans, to revolving credit lines, equipment financing, and services that help lower costs, improve sales, streamline operations, and eliminate risk.
National offers dozens of small business services, including automated bookkeeping, credit processing systems, incorporation services and more, National helps “Innovate the Way Entrepreneurs Grow®” by providing everything small businesses need to grow, all in one convenient place.
Start National Small Business Week Off Right
What better way to celebrate NSBW than getting the tools you need to grow your business?
For financing help, (877) 482-3008 for a free consultation with an Expert Business Financing Advisor, and find the best financing in the marketplace that fits your business needs.
Or, fill out a 60-second application online to get the process started right away, and get the funds you need in as little as 24 hours.
If you’re interested in seeing what kinds of business services National offers, contact our business services division by calling (800) 960-9363, and ask how our Expert Business Service Advisors how National can help you grow, improve and protect your business.
