WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.

Every year since 1963, the President has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.

This year as part of National Small Business Week, April 29 – May 5, the U.S. Small Business Administration and SCORE, mentors to America’s small businesses, will host the first- ever National Small Business Week Virtual Conference.

The conference will include educational webinars, mentoring sessions and business resources. National Small Business Week co-sponsors Visa, Chase for Business, Constant Contact, Google and Square will host the webinars. The webinars are free, but registration is required.

There are 6 total webinars will take place between May 1-3, 2018. The topics and details of each of the webinars include:

How Changing Consumer Behavior Impacts Your Business 
Hosted by Google
May 1, 2018
1-2 p.m. EDT

Technology allows you to understand consumer behavior better than ever. Join this webinar to learn how these insights can help shape your digital marketing plan, and what you can do to position your business for success.

Register here: https://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week/virtual-conference 

Get New and Repeat Business on Autopilot with Email Marketing 
Hosted by Constant Contact
May 1, 2018
4-5 p.m. EDT

Your business thrives on bringing in sales from new and existing customers. Wouldn’t it be great if you could bring in those sales more frequently without having to spend a lot of time doing so? In this webinar we’ll show you some simple ways to repeatedly reach customers with email marketing.

Register here: https://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week/virtual-conference 

The U.S. Economic Outlook and Its Impact on Small Businesses
Hosted by Visa
May 2, 2018
1-2 p.m. EDT

Join Visa’s Senior U.S. Economist Jay Hawkins as he shares the near-term outlook for the U.S. economy including the health of consumer spending, housing prices, and more. You’ll learn how consumer-spending preferences are changing, what stock market growth and volatility mean for consumer spending, and what all of this means for small businesses.

Register here: https://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week/virtual-conference 

Grow Your Business in 2018
Hosted by Square
May 2, 2018
4-5 p.m. EDT

Join this webinar to learn how to use small business technology tools to streamline your work and give you back valuable time

Register here: https://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week/virtual-conference 

Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints & Keep Your Customers
Hosted by Chase for Business
May 3, 2018
1-2 p.m. EDT

In this webinar Jay Baer, founder of Convince & Convert, reveals brand-new, proprietary research into why and where your customers complain, and why the rise of customer complaints is actually an enormous opportunity.

Register here: https://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week/virtual-conference 

Sharing Your Story Through Video
Hosted by Google
May 3, 2018
2:30-3:30 p.m. EDT

Today’s consumers can watch video content whenever and wherever they want. This creates an opportunity for businesses to reimagine the role of video content in their marketing strategy. Join this webinar to learn best practices for connecting with consumers through online video.

Register here: https://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week/virtual-conference