From May 1 to 7, 2022, Oakland will celebrate Small Business Week with more than a dozen virtual and in-person workshops and other activities for small business owners and entrepreneurs. See the full schedule and registration links at www.oaklandca.gov/SBW
"Small businesses are Oakland’s heart and soul. Our beloved local enterprises provide goods and services that allow our neighborhoods to thrive, as well as livelihoods for our residents," said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. "Small Business Week celebrates the economic, civic, and cultural importance of Oakland’s unique businesses with educational opportunities to help everyone prosper as we emerge from the pandemic."
From accessing capital to commercial lease negotiations to online market, the educational webinars and workshops presented by partner organizations are designed to help Oakland businesses to thrive as the economy emerges from the pandemic. Select webinars will be offered in Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese. A resource fair highlighting available support services and a workshop on successful legacy businesses round out the week’s offerings.
OIA is leading a free workshop on Wednesday May 4th, 4 to 5:30 PM:
Using Your Network To Grow Your Online Presence
”When it comes to marketing you don't need to go it alone! You can leverage your business-owner friends, network and community to help spread the word. During this webinar, we'll talk about how we grew our Instagram to 10,000 followers organically through a repost and network-based strategy. You'll learn how to tailor your message to your audience, how to make content go further, and how to work in the spirit of collaboration over competition.”
Business owners interested in accessing the City’s business support services year-round can schedule a free, in-person appointment at one of six Neighborhood Business Assistance locations at www.oaklandca.go/BizHelp or (510) 238-7398. In addition to the year-round locations, a special pop-up location has been added on Monday, May 2, during the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Resources Fair.
Partnering organizations include the Alliance for Community Development, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Native American Health Center, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Indie Alliance, Oakland Latino Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, TMC Community Capital, U.S. Small Business Administration's San Francisco District Office, and the Unity Council.
