Hooray! We’ve made it to May, which means graduations, summer barbecues, and–most importantly–National Small Business Week! Small Business Week was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy as a week to recognize the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. We love this national holiday at LocalWork.com because we love celebrating small businesses!
Here are some ways everyone can celebrate Small Business Week this year from May 4-8:
Get Local Assistance
The US Small Business Administration offers a free tool for small business owners to find local offices, resource partners, and local small business events, including small business clinics, workshops, and seminars, in their local area.
SCORE is one of the national resources supported by the Small Business Administration, available to any small business in the United States at no charge, or very low cost, depending on the service. SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. They provide professional mentors, one-on-one business counseling services, tools and templates, and workshops and webinars.
Thank Your Customers
Small Business Week is a wonderful opportunity to thank your valuable customers for their patronage. After all, without your loyal customers, clients, and supporters, you wouldn’t be in business! Show your appreciation with a special gift, offer, or personal note this month. It’s a great time to send an email marketing campaign, make a phone call, post to social media, and hang a sign at your storefront.
You can even consider running a promotion to gain new customers during this time, since consumers are extra-primed for supporting small business during Small Business Week! Use the momentum to get attention and follow up with new customers later in the month.
Hire Someone Great
Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Why not hire a sales rockstar or a few more account representatives to free up your time for more strategic-level planning?
Small Business Week is the perfect time to get hiring since LocalWork.com is offering our lowest pricing ever for the Small Business Package–only $5 during the month of May for a $149 value: up to 3 active job posts for 30 days, social media integration, an interactive company culture profile, and more. This special pricing ends on June 1, 2015, so why not try for $5?
Treat Yourself!
By definition, you’re an incredibly hard worker. You have turned, or you’re in mad pursuit of turning, nothing into something GREAT for your team, your customers, and your local economy. Every small business owner needs some good ol’ R&R once and a while (that stands for rest & relaxation, not refuse & resist, you overachievers!). When is the last time you took a spa day, went for a hike, visited the beach, or just cracked a beer in the backyard?
Take some time to yourself to celebrate everything you’ve already accomplished in your business to date. Remember, life is a journey, not a destination. If you wait until you’re done with all your work before you relax, you’ll never get there. Small Business Week is your excuse to celebrate now!
Whatever you do this month to celebrate National Small Business Week, remember that the month of May is about YOU, America’s small business owners, operators, and employees. Thank you for your commitment to excellence, to growth, to perseverance, to solving problems, and to creating jobs.
If you’re not already a LocalWork.com customer, why not spend $5 this month and give us a try? You’ll receive our Small Business Package, which includes up to 3 active job posts at a time, job board syndication to 50+ partner job boards, social media integration, a company culture profile, and more. There’s never been a better time to get started!