Voice of Business Blog

National Small Business Week is being celebrated from Sunday, May 3rd, through Saturday, May 9th around the country, including right here in Greater Rochester, NY. Our small businesses have a massive economic impact in our community. A recent report from NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found that 98.9% of all businesses in New York State are small businesses, creating 3.7 million jobs – about 45% of all jobs in New York State. Getting even smaller, here in Monroe County, 83% of businesses have under 20 employees.

With that many small businesses in our region and in our Greater Rochester Chamber community, there are plenty of opportunities to support your fellow small businesses this National Small Business Week and throughout the year. Now more than ever, small businesses are facing unique challenges – which present unique opportunities for other small businesses to pour back into our own backyard and help our shared region rise together. Keep reading to see how you can get involved, as an individual or an organization:

Review Procurement Processes

Making sure small businesses are present in your supply chain isn’t just the right thing to do to invest in our community; it’s also smart business. Take this opportunity to make sure your procurement processes ensure small businesses have a fair shot at winning contracts and building relationships. Recently, Carmen West, Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, shared how sourcing teams can better engage with small businesses. To find your next B2B vendor in our community, check out Greater Rochester Chamber’s member directory – with over 85% small businesses in our nine-county region.

Support on Social Media

A fast, easy, and free way to support National Small Business Week is to spread the word on social media. You can amplify Greater Rochester Chamber’s posts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, or make your own. Showcase your small business or call out your favorite local small business vendors, partners, and retailers in Greater Rochester – and be sure to tag them!

Attend an Event

Getting out of the office and into the community with your peers is hard as a small business leader – but it’s also one of the best ways to build relationships and find new partners and customers. Greater Rochester Chamber is proud to offer events that fit your schedule and maximize impact. Members are invited to join us on May 6 to connect with other members and for an overview of the ways we can help your business, and all community members are invited to explore our Community Calendar for other events to participate in.

Offer Promotions & Specials

Help turn National Small Business Week into a real celebration. Make a splash online and within your community by offering a limited-time promotion or special offer in commemoration of the week. Want to share it with other small businesses? Reach out today to have it listed on Greater Rochester Chamber’s Member-to-Member Discounts page.

Greater Rochester Chamber is proud to be a champion for our small business community – we’re in this for you, and with you. But we can’t do this work alone. Real relationships fuel real results. As we celebrate National Small Business Week, we’re encouraging our members and the whole Greater Rochester region to get involved. Because when we all rise together, we’ll be in good company at the top.