PROVIDENCE – The U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a series of small-business seminars around Rhode Island this week to celebrate National Veterans Small Business Week.
The seminars, which are free of charge and open to the public, cover a variety of topics applicable to all small-business owners.
SBA district offices and its resource partners nationwide, as well as local organizations, will be hosting this week’s events. This year’s theme, “Our #VetBiz Community,” shines a spotlight on various aspects of the veteran business community, ranging from aspiring to current veteran and military business owners, as well as the organizations that provide entrepreneurial training, the agency said.
“To celebrate National Veterans Small Business Week in Rhode Island, the SBA is teaming with SCORE [formerly the Service Corps. Of Retired Executives], the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center, the Center for Women & Enterprise, the Veteran Business Outreach Center, and local SBA lenders to provide free small-business seminars,” said SBA District Director Mark S. Hayward.
“Topics will range from ‘business planning’ to ‘how to finance your small business’ to ‘government contracting,’ to name a few,” Hayward said. “The SBA and its partners will continue to do whatever we can to serve those veterans business owners who have served us.”
Here’s the schedule of this week’s events:
Monday, Nov. 5
- “Understanding Your Financial Statements,” Rogers Free Library, 525 Hope St., Bristol, 10 a.m. to noon.
- “Grow Your Book of Business: The three areas you must focus on to get more business,” Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, 6 Blackstone Valley Place, Suite 402, Lincoln, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 6
- “How to Finance Your Small Business: Learn from the experts,” West Warwick Library, 1043 Main St., West Warwick, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 7
- “Markets and Your Competitive Space,” Portsmouth Free Public Library, 2658 E. Main Road, Portsmouth, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- “Power of Networking,” Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, 6 Blackstone Valley Place, Suite 402, Lincoln, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- “Analyzing Your Competition,” East Providence Public Library, 41 Grove Ave., East Providence, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 8
- “Government Contracting 101,” Rhode Island Procurement Technical Assistance Center, 315 Iron Horse Way, Providence, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- “Doing Business with Primes,” Warwick Public Library, 600 Sandy Lane, Warwick, 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 9
- “The Business Planning Process,” North Kingstown Free Library, 100 Boone St., North Kingstown, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
“National Veterans Small Business Week is another opportunity for us not only to highlight the success of our nation’s 2.5 million veteran-owned businesses but also to recognize the areas where there is still work to be done,” SBA Administrator Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Entrepreneurship is not a solo mission. I’m proud to be a part of a network that serves the needs of our veteran and military business owners.”
Scott Blake is PBN staff writer. Email him at Blake@PBN.com.
