Ⓟ This content was created in partnership with Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Attn: All Asheville business owners, dreamers + schemers: Monday kicks off National Small Business Week. All week long, small businesses across the U.S. will celebrate the contributions they make to local economies through panels, workshops, talks + networking events.
Here in Asheville, small business is booming. According to the Chamber’s Director of Engagement, Amy Jackson, 95% of Asheville businesses had fewer than 50 employees and 87% had fewer than 20 in 2016.
The Asheville Grown Business Alliance lists over 440 locally-owned + independent businesses operating in its online directory. And we Ashevillians are always looking to grow our side hustles + passion projects to keep that number rising.
The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce has a packed schedule for Small Business Week that hits on everything from small business loans to using + optimizing social media ads (shout out to Women Entrepreneurs of Western North Carolina for putting together the master list). And the best part? Most events are free or low-cost and open to the public (but registration is required). So you don’t already have to be a business maven to reap the benefits.
All events are in Asheville except Wednesday’s Forum for Small Business Inventors & Entrepreneurs, which will take place at Western Carolina University from 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. with featured speaker Congressman Mark Meadows.
The schedule is packed with events for people in any stage of starting or running a small business, but here are five we’re particularly excited about:
5 Fundamental Keys for Successful Small Business | Tuesday, May 1 | 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. | Highland Brewing Company | $10 | Panelists from A-B Tech, the Small Business & Technology Development Center + Mountain BizWorks share their experiences with topics ranging from community involvement to diversity. Attendees will participate in roundtable discussions on each topic covered.
Badass Women Drinking Coffee | 8 – 9 a.m. | Focal Point Coworking | Free | Bonus: doughnuts 🍩
Tips & Tricks for a Successful Business Plan | Thursday, May 3 | 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. | Asheville Chamber | $10 | With Jon Jones & Jeffrey Kaplan of local start-up Anthroware. Coffee provided. Register here.
Roots to Abundance with Young Professionals of Asheville | Friday, May 4 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM | BaseCamp Coworking | 56 Ravenscroft Dr. | Free | BaseCamp’s founder Nathan Silsbee, also President of Greenstone Media, talks growth strategy + leadership.
Here’s the full schedule:
Monday, April 30
- Small Business Personality: Does Yours Have One?, by Rick Manske, 8:30 – 10:00 at AVL Chamber
- Small Business Mentoring Summit, by WWBC, 12:00 – 5:00 at GoodWill Training Center
- WNC Press Pass, by WEWNC, 1:00 – 4:00 at Focal Point Coworking
Tuesday, May 1
- 5 Fundamental Keys for Successful Small Business, by Asheville Chamber, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM at Highland Brewing Company
- Lead Generation and Client Acquisition through Relationship Building, by Dannie Frey, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM at Focal Point Coworking
- Your Business, Your Team: A Crash Course in Key Person Protection & Employee Benefits, by Melody Herman, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Focal Point Coworking
Wednesday, May 2
- Badass Women Drinking Coffee, by WEWNC, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM at Focal Point Coworking
- Forum for Small Business Inventors and Entrepreneurs, by SBTDC, 8:00 – 12:30 at WCU Cullowhee
- Smart Series: Who’s Your Customer? By Jeffrey Kaplan, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM at Asheville Chamber
- Sales Fundamentals for Startups and Founders, by Tom Ryan, 10:00 – 11:00 AM at Focal Point Coworking
- SBA Loans for Business Expansion or Acquisitions, by Jennifer King at HomeTrust Bank, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Focal Point Coworking
- 6 Things you should look for when Buying a Business, by Bill Gilliland ACTION Coach, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM at Focal Point Coworking
Thursday, May 3
- Tips & Tricks for a Successful Business Plan, by Jon Jones & Jeffrey Kaplan, 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM at Asheville Chamber
- An Introduction to Facebook Live & Facebook Ads, by Emily Breedlove, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Focal Point Coworking
- Video Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses, by Danielle McClennan, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM at Focal Point Coworking
- Launching a Podcast, by Dan Radin, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM at Focal Point Coworking
- May Business After Hours, Asheville Chamber, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM at Crowne Plaza Resort
- Beer+Tech Demo Night, by WEWNC, Meet the Geeks & Start100 Fund, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM at Focal Point Coworking
Friday, May 4
- Roots to Abundance with YPA, by Nathan Silsbee, 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM at Basecamp Coworking
- Creating a Culture of Internal, External and Eternal Customer Service, by Asheville Chamber, 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM at WCU Biltmore Park
DYK: The weeklong celebration of small business was started in 1963 by JFK? Each year since then, for 54 consecutive years, the current President has declared the dates.
Across the U.S., small businesses are the country’s biggest employers–employing over 50% of the working population. In Asheville, Small Business Week is a chance to shine the spotlight on all of the innovative startups, entrepreneurs, employees + visionaries that make our local economy so robust, and make us so proud to love local.
What’s your favorite small business in town? Tell us in the comments, reply to our email, or find us over on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
