#nsbw

A 54 year traditional in America, National Small Business Week shines a light on small businesses and their many contributions to local communities and the national economy. Running a full seven days - April 30 though May 6 - the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is hosting it's annual week full of events celebrating and highlighting outstanding small businesses around the nation. This year, events are being held in Washington DC, New York City, Dallas, and Fresno, California. 

It's being reported that, as of 2015, more than half of Americans own or work for a small business, creating close to "two of every three new jobs in the US" annually. 

As a small business owner, I can personally attest to the hard work, dedication and resilience it takes for these numbers to be a reality. 

You can join the celebration this year via the SBA's official National Small Business Week page, at: https://www.sba.gov/nsbw/nsbw. Each day, there will be a stream of the events taking place. The schedule is as follows: 

Monday, May 1

NSBW Awards Luncheon in Washington, DC 11:30 am - 2:00 pm ET

Tuesday, May 2

Facebook Live with SBA Administrator Linda McMahon 10:30 am - 11:00 am ET

Wednesday, May 3

National Small Business Week Road Tour Kicks Off in Indianapolis, IN 11:30 am - 1:30 pm ET

Thursday, May 4

National Small Business Week Road Tour Stops in Arlington, TX 11:30 am - 1:30 pm CT

Friday, May 5

National Small Business Week Road Tour Ends in Fresno, CA 9:00 am- 10:30 am PT

*If you are in Fresno, CA, this is a free event. Register here to attend.

There are a few ways you can participate in National Small Business Week, including sharing your story, thanking your customers, and supporting other small businesses and colleagues. You can also add your story the #MySmallBizWhy mosaic at http://mysmallbizwhy.com/. 

It’s nt'l small business week!

If you’re a small business, THX for being part of the 2/3 of new jobs created each year!! 📷by @elvintage (our new Insta-Obsession)

If not, select a small business to befriend + support this year; it’ll mean the world to them!

By Amer Akhtar, Head of Yahoo Small Business

In celebration of National Small Business Week, I want to share some of the things Yahoo Small Business is doing to help your business behind the scenes. Recently, I had the privilege of visiting Capitol Hill to discuss and share our knowledge about the incredible power that small businesses have to drive our economy.  My goal was to ensure that everyone I spoke with understood the vital role of small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) not only in their local economies, but also on the Internet, and to arm these policymakers with information useful to their legislative decision-making.

My trip included a panel discussion, “The Economic Impact of the Internet,” organized by the Internet Association and attended by staff from key House and Senate offices. I was joined by other panelists from Intuit, Uber, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I also met with top staff on the New Democrat Coalition's Task Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and then spent an afternoon in one-on-one meetings with legislative aides and counsels to a variety of members of Congress who have a strong interest in the SMB space. We discussed what their offices and respective states are doing to aid SMBs and how Yahoo Small Business helps small businesses in communities across the country get online, reach more customers, and succeed. Then, I spent another full day on the Hill meeting with the staff of representatives who sit on the House and Senate Small Business Committees.

I left exhausted, but very secure in the knowledge that the folks on the Hill were working hard to create growth opportunities for SMBs, and they were very excited about working with Yahoo Small Business to help their constituents blaze online trails. 

Happy National Small Business Week to all,

We're celebrating National Small Business Week (May 4-10) by going behind-the-scenes with Thrive Farmers! ‪#‎nsbw‬ ‪#‎dreamsmallbiz‬