President Barack Obama hailed small business owners as the economy’s engine and our biggest source of new jobs. The President declared June 16-22, as National Small Business Week and stated,
“America’s small businesses reflect the best of who we are as a Nation—daring and innovative, courageous and hopeful, always working hard and looking ahead for that next great idea.”
The President’s proclamation was issued before the U.S. Small Business Administration in observance of National Small Business Week. This year marks the 50th anniversary with events being held in Seattle, Dallas, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Each city will offer tips, tools and trainings for small businesses to start, succeed and grow. Also, in Washington, D.C., June 21, award winners from across the country, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be recognized for their accomplishments.
“Hang Out” with SBA and Industry Experts this week
All Google+ Hangouts will start at 4 p.m. EDT and can be watched live at:
- www.sba.gov/smallbusinessweek
- www.youtube.com/sba
- http://plus.google.com/+sbagov
Small business owners can tweet questions for the panelists using the hashtag #SBW2013. No prior registration is required to watch. Topics and panelists include:
Monday, June 17 – Tips on getting started with social media as a small business owner
The Hangout features:
Ria Tobaccowala, Google+, Marketing
Christine Tseng, Twitter, Head of SMB Marketing
Erica Ayotte, Constant Contact, Sr. Manager Social Media Marketing
Aaron Strout, W20 Group, Managing Director
Moderator: Bill Murphy, Jr., Author and Columnist, Inc.com
Tuesday, June 18 – How to manage your business’s online reputation
The Hangout features:
Soo Young Kim, Google, Head for Marketing for Get Your Business Online Initiative
Darnell Holloway, Yelp, Business Outreach
Lana Khavinson, LinkedIn, Senior Product Marketing Manager
John Caplan, OpenSky, Founder and CEO
Chad Buechler, Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp, Director of Product
Kristy Campbell, Manta.com, VP of Marketing
Moderator: Rieva Lesonsky, Blogger and CEO, GrowBiz Media
Wednesday, June 19 – The benefits of having a business mentor
The Hangout features:
Carol Lopucki, Michigan Small Business Technology & Development Center, Director
Michael Chodos, SBA Associate Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development
Amanda Schultz, Montana Women’s Business Center, Director
Invited: AARP
Moderator: Fran Tarkenton, NFL Legend, Entrepreneur, and host of ‘The Fran Tarkenton Show’ on Sirius XM
Thursday, June 20 – Tips on getting a loan to start or grow a business
The Hangout features:
Dave Rader, Wells Fargo, SBA Business Lending Executive
Nikos Ridge, Ninkasi Brewing Company, CEO (SBA loan recipient)
Bernard Bossom, SCORE, Counselor
Jeanne Hulit, SBA, Associate Administrator for Capital Access
Moderator: Calvin Goings, SBA, Region 10 Administrator
To join the hangout and for updates to participate in upcoming hangouts, visits SBA’s Google+ page at: http://www.google.com/+sbagov
This year’s activities will include forums discussing the small business landscape, business coaching services, matchmaking events as well as networking opportunities and award ceremonies. The week’s events culminate in Washington where the 2013 National Small Business Person of the Year will be announced. Candidates from all 50 states and territories will be competing for the award. And all small businesses that attend will interact with federal government officials, local elected leaders, representatives from national businesses and other small business experts.
View each city’s agenda:
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For a more details about the schedule, speakers, press, etc, visit the SBA’s Small Business Week website
I am really sorry that I could not make this event this year, as it seemed like such a great experience! The current environment surrounding small business is one of the reasons why I think the online law service companies are going to become the best way to find the right attorney, especially for new start-ups and small businesses. I just think about the vastly expanding online world and what it can offer for so many people in so many industries, and I think that one of these would be for people practicing law. Let’s face it, there are a lot of lawyers out there, and competition for good clients has become very difficult. There are a many people coming out of law school who are finding it very hard to get a job at a decent law firm. What are they to do in this scenario? Well, some of the more innovative minds are going online.