Next week, April 29 through May 5, 2018 is National Small Business Week.  Each year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing the week long celebration, which recognizes the outstanding contributions of small business owners and entrepreneurs across the country and U.S. territories.  According to the Small Business Administration (SBA) site, small businesses create about two out of every three jobs in the U.S. each year, with over half of Americans owning or working for a small business.

Local Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) across the country are hosting seminars about starting and growing businesses, providing guidance on essentials such as legal entity selection, liability protection, government filings, taxation and more.

On Sunday April 29 at 6pm ET and Monday April 30 at 12:45pm ET you can tune in to the SBA Facebook page to watch awards ceremonies live from Washington DC.  SBA Administrator Linda McMahon will present awards in 14 different categories including exporting, procurement and disaster recovery.  She will also present the 2018 National Small Business Person of the Year award.

Tuesday through Thursday between 12:30pm and 6:30pm ET, the SBA and SCORE Association will host a series of “Virtual Conferences” or webinars covering a number of topics.

The webinar schedule is:
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• How Changing Consumer Behavior Impacts Your Business – May 1 at 1:00pm ET
• Addressing Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace – May 1 at 2:30pm ET
• Get New and Repeat Business on Autopilot with Email Marketing – May 1 at 4:00pm ET
• Creating and Sustaining a Strong Social Presence – May 1 at 5:30pm ET
• The U.S. Economic Outlook and Its Impact on Small Business – May 2 at 1:00pm ET
• Managing Your Finances in the Cloud – May 2 at 2:30pm ET
• Grow Your Business in 2018 – May 2 at 4:00pm ET
• Simple Steps to Choosing the Right Financing – May 2 at 5:30pm ET
• Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints & Keep Your Customers – May 3 at 1:00pm ET
• Sharing Your Story Through Video – May 3 at 2:30pm ET
• Pop & Play: How Opening a Pop-Up Shop Can Help Launch Your Retail Brand – May 3 at 4:00pm ET
• Fusion Marketing: The Next Generation of Marketing – May 3 at 5:30pm ET

If you would like to attend any of the webinars, you can register here.

On Friday, May 4, at noon ET, you can join in the discussion on Twitter as the SBA and industry experts host “How to Start and Grow a Business.”  Just follow the hashtag #SmallBusinessWeek and find out tips and resources to help small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.