Did you know that April 29th – May 5th is National Small Business Week? National Small Business Week recognizes the important contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small business owners. This event, hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), is all about recognizing prominent small businesses across the country. You can find small business events taking place around Illinois with the Illinois workNet Event Calendar, and throughout the U.S. with the SBA Events Page for National Small Business Week.
Illinois workNet knows that running your own business takes time, dedication, and a lot of hard work. Every day small business owners are helping create more jobs, growing a business, and cultivating innovation; and that is why we do our best to offer as many great resources as we can to help make your job just a little bit easier. Our resources can be used by new business owners, those interested in starting their own business or growing their businesses, entrepreneurs, individuals working with small businesses, and more. Below is a list of resources Illinois workNet has put together for our Illinois Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs:
- Employer-Based Training Programs – These programs make employee skill upgrades available to businesses to avert layoffs, remain current in new technologies and business practices, or to provide job skills to new hires.
- Featured Employers – If your business is currently hiring, you can be featured on this page where qualified applicants can easily find you.
- Start a Business – Find information and resources for starting your own business or helping your business grow.
- Recruiting and Hiring – Recruiting and hiring is a major component of your business success! Find tools and resources to help you navigate your way through the recruiting and hiring process on Illinois workNet.
- Employer Hiring Credits – As a business, you can benefit from many different hiring incentive programs, which are designed to match you with the talent you need! These programs provide businesses with either tax credits or other incentives to hire and retain individuals from specific target groups. Many businesses miss out on these opportunities due to a lack of information; don't let that be you, use the resources here to get started.
- Small Business Money Management – As a business owner, money management is a crucial part of your business. That's why Illinois workNet provides guides to help you make financial decisions for your business, like recordkeeping, insurance, managing cash flow, and more.
- Hiring Articles – These articles cover resources and tools to help you start a business and to help employers recruit and hire.
- Starting a Business and Hiring Videos – These videos cover starting a business, hiring incentives, and tax credits, which can help you recruit and retain for your business.
- Employer User Guides – These guides will help you navigate through the Illinois workNet website, so you can successfully achieve your business goals using our resources and tools.
- Event Calendar – Make sure to post any job fairs or recruiting events you have on the Illinois workNet Event Calendar!
If you run a small business, Small Business Week is a great time to run discounts and promotions. This is a good way to reward customers who support small companies like your own. If you are not a small business owner, you can still celebrate small business week in a variety of ways. These include getting involved with a small business, shopping at small businesses, or simply getting the word out about some of the great small business located near you.
For more information on National Small Business Week, the SBA provides a useful hub. Here, you can learn more about the events taking place during the week. You can also browse news articles, videos, press releases, and other media relating to Small Business Week. Also, be sure to register for the Illinois workNet Money Matters webinar that will be taking place during the following week.
If you have any questions about Small Business Week, send an email to smallbusinessweek@sba.gov.
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