Small Business Week 2021: Start, Grow, Promote

Next week, May 3 through May 7, 2021 San Leandro is joining communities across the nation to celebrate Small Business Week. During this week, we celebrate and support our small businesses, who have experienced a challenging year and continue to contribute so much to the community and local economy. San Leandro businesses are encouraged to take advantage of a number of free trainings and webinars for businesses to participate in to help them grow and improve.

With 28 million small employers nationwide, small businesses constitute two out of three jobs in America. In San Leandro there are more than 2,700 businesses employing 25 or fewer people, and many of these are minority- and women-owned. San Leandro’s small businesses have been among those hardest-hit during the pandemic; and they have worked hard to adjust, pivot, and continue to provide jobs, goods, and services for the community.

The San Leandro Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the City of San Leandro to host a number of free and public workshops (all businesses can participate whether or not they are members of the Chamber):

• May 3, 11AM – 12PM – COVID-19 Relief Programs from the SBA Learn more about the newly released Restaurant Revitalization Fund, PPP, EIDL, Targeted EIDL Advance, Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG), and more!
• May 3, 1:30PM – 2:30PM – Labor & Employment Law – COVID-19 Return to Work Plan: Who Returns, When, Where & How? (Speaker: Arlene Yang, Labor and Employment Law Principal, Meyers Nave)
• May 4, 11AM – 12PM – Hack the Trends: Gaining Customers Through Social Media (Speaker: Tillie Adelson, Social Media Influencer)
• May 4, 1:30PM – 2:30PM – Content Creation: Keeping Your Audience Engaged Online (Speaker: Zachary Borja, Blue Arris)
• May 5, 11AM to 12PM – Can You See Me? Is My Mic On?: How to Streamline Your Virtual Meetings & Live Streams (Speaker: Paul Jackman, Funflicks)
• May 6, 11AM to 12PM – Found a New Home Office? – Trends in Residential Real Estate Exploring the local housing market and shifts over the past year (Speaker: David Stark, Bay East Association of Realtors)
• May 6, 2:30PM to 3:30PM – Small Business Recovery Needs Roundtable Join representatives of the City of San Leandro to provide vital feedback on City recovery efforts. Help our programs meet your needs!
• May 7, 11AM to 12PM – Keeping Teams Connected: Creating Engaging Virtual Meetings (Speaker: Breanna Hatcher, Executive Coach, Sky Coaching)

The Northern California chapter of the Small Business Development Center is also offering a host of free webinars, including:

• May 4, 9AM – 10AM – Move Your Retail and Service Businesses Online (Part 1 of 4-part series)
• May 4, 10AM – 11AM – Opportunities for Minority, Veteran, and Women-Owned Small Businesses
• May 5, 10:30AM – 12PM – Restaurant Revitalization Fund (Ongoing through May 19)
• May 5, 12PM – 1PM – 10 Steps to Managing a Successful Business
• May 5, 2:30PM – 4:30PM – Restaurants Pivoting to the New To Go and Delivery Model
• May 6, 1PM – 2PM – SBA Resources & 7 Types of Admin Tools You Can Use to Automate Your Business
• May 6, 1PM – 2PM – Lender Panel: Meet Your Business Needs By Meeting Your Business Lenders
• May 7, 11AM – 12PM – Cooperatives Part 1: Building Shared Entrepreneurship

All programs are free and open to any business, no need to be a member of the Chamber or other organization, but do remember to register through the links above!

Lastly, please remember to Shop Local this Small Business Week! Check out the Chamber’s Keeping it Local SL guide for ideas!