Oakland Small Business Week 2017

Submitted by the Event Organizer

The City of Oakland has more than 25 free workshops slated for National Small Business Week 2017, which will be celebrated locally from Monday, May 1 to Saturday, May 6.

For a complete roster of events and workshops or to register, visit oaklandnet.com/sbw.

Events at Oakland City Hall
The following Oakland NSBW events are planned and will be held at Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, unless otherwise indicated:

Monday, May 1, 2017, 9 – 11 a.m.
Community Capital: Democratizing Our Local Economy
Panel discussion on how businesses can raise capital from a broad cross-section of the community. Oakland has a number of resources that can help small businesses raise funds from socially conscious financing and investment sources.

Monday, May 1, 2017, 1 – 3 p.m.
How to Find and Hire Local Talent
Panel presentation on various workforce development resources available to help employers, including small businesses, identify and retain employees.

Monday, May 1, 2017, 1 – 3 p.m.
Growing Your Business – Digital Business Plan Tools
Small business owners and new entrepreneurs can get help with technology tools that produce business plans and financial statements and help a business access financing through Centro Community Partners’ partnership with Kiva Oakland.

Monday, May 1, 2017, 3 – 4:30 p.m.
Legacy Business Planning
Presentations about business succession planning for future business ownership and real estate options for businesses contemplating closure or sale. The workshop will review employee ownership models and financing options to ensure long-term business operations.

Monday, May 1, 2017, 5 – 7 p.m.
Reception Celebrating Oakland Family-Owned Legacy Businesses
During the opening reception, six family-owned and operated Oakland businesses in existence for more than 25 years will be recognized. Mayor Libby Schaaf will host this reception along with Oakland’s five chambers of commerce. Honorees are: Gill’s Electric Company (65 years); Valva Realty (85 years); La Finca Tortilleria (34 years); Mr. Espresso (39 years); Everett and Jones Barbeque (44 years) and Yuen Hop Company (86 years). Also during the reception, Brown Sugar Kitchen will be recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s San Francisco District Office, as Northern California’s Emerging Business of the Year for 2017.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 8:30 a.m. – Noon
Oakland Retailers & Restaurants
A workshop focused on retail and restaurant trends with a panel of existing restaurateurs and retailers sharing best practices. The Oakland Developer Runway showcases new construction opportunities with retail and restaurant leasing opportunities across the city.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 9 a.m. – Noon
Legal Issues for Businesses
Small businesses are confronted with a number of legal responsibilities. An experienced SCORE East Bay instructor will review legal issues of critical importance to the formation and success of new and existing small businesses.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 1:30 – 4 p.m.
Navigating the City of Oakland
This fast-paced workshop includes presentations by various City agencies that interact or serve businesses as well as Q&A and a resource fair for existing and aspiring businesses owners to get the information and answers they need.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Oakland City Council: Honoring Local Small Businesses
The City Council will declare May 1-6 as Oakland Small Business Week. Each of the eight members of the Oakland City Council will present congratulatory proclamations honoring small businesses from their respective districts. Broadcast live on KTOP TV-10 and streamed live at http://bit.ly/1Qvfqny. No registration required.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Oakland Makers & Artists Day: Workshops & Mixer
Oakland’s creative industry is one of the largest and most diverse in the country and includes visual and digital arts, music, dance, theater, film production, design, commercial art, fine art, entertainment, advertising and many more disciplines. Oakland ranks 17th in the country for its number of artists and includes 8,615 designers, 3,430 architects (ranked tenth in the nation) and 2,695 fine artists, art directors and animators. These workshops will run on two concurrent tracks: one track for Artists and the other for Makers and Artisan Producers. Workshops include Small Business 101 for Artists: Starting a Business, Leasing and Funding; Oakland Makers: Sustainable Business Practices, Business Model Generation and Financial Forecasting; City of Oakland Cultural Funding Grants & Public Art Programs; Real Estate for Makers: Finding Your Workspaces and The Good Local Money Guide: Traditional and Alternative Finance. The day concludes with the Creative Industry Mixer.

Thursday, May 4, 2017, 9 – 11 a.m.
Oakland Small Business Taskforce Town Hall
A panel discussion for the Taskforce to share their recommendations and ask for input from small business owners on ways to improve the delivery of services to Oakland’s small business community.

Thursday, May 4, 2017, 2 – 3 p.m.
Update on Oakland’s New Mobile Food Vending Program
City staff will provide an update on the new citywide program for food vending that goes into effect June 5. Learn about the new application process and new locations. The new regulations can be found at oaklandnet.com/foodvending.

Thursday, May 4, 2017, 2 – 4 p.m.
Digital Support with Local Businesses
Townsquared Oakland will present a workshop on how to conduct, and the benefits of, digital collaborations and communications with your business neighbors.

Friday, May 5, 2017, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Access to Capital: Business Lender Workshops & Resource Fair
Panel discussions in English, Spanish and Mandarin cover how to find the right financing for your business, how to prepare to meet lenders and sources of capital to support existing businesses and start-up companies. Following the workshops, there will be a Lender and Resource Fair showcasing financing and business development services.

Oakland Small Business Week: Corridor Connections (May 3-4)
On Wednesday, May 3 and Thursday, May 4, small business owners and entrepreneurs are invited to come and learn about business development resource including free legal, marketing and financial resources to help start or grow a business.

At each neighborhood stop, a workshop covering business success advice, marketing tools and information for restaurants and retailers will be followed by a mini Business Resource Fair. In addition to the City and business service organizations, the Main Street Launch Business Bus will be present to share resource information, technical assistance and answer questions to help existing and new businesses be successful. All activities are free.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

• 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. – East Oakland Business Connect Workshops, Mini Business Resource Fair,  Allen Temple Baptist Church, 8501 International Boulevard
• Noon – 6:30 p.m. – Fruitvale Business Connect Workshops, Mini Business Resource Fair, Business Reception,  Fruitvale Transit Village, 3401 E. 12th Street
• 2 – 5 p.m. – Laurel Business Connect Workshops, Mini Business Resource Fair,  Anasa Yoga, 4232 MacArthur Boulevard

Thursday, May 4, 2017

• 9 a.m. – Noon – Bancroft Avenue & MacArthur Boulevard-East Oakland Business Connect Workshops, Mini Business Resource Fair, Eastmont Town Center – Police Substation, 7200 Bancroft Avenue
• 1 – 4:30 p.m. – West Oakland Business Connect Workshops, Mini Business Resource Fair, Mandela Gateway Apartments Community Center, 1350 7th Street

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.