Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the backbone of our economy. They take center stage at National Small Business Week from May 4-10, 2025. It’s a beautiful tradition that has been going strong for over 60 years, celebrating the innovation and passion of America’s small businesses. If you’re an SMB owner, this is your golden ticket to connecting with your community, learning from other SMBs, and grabbing media and public interest to share your story and products.
Preparing for this prime opportunity is super important, and we are here to help. Let’s explore how to prepare for Small Business Week — spoiler alert: with a little help from artificial intelligence (AI).
National Small Business Week, established in 1963, is hosted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and is celebrated during the first week of May each year. The week typically includes activities such as networking opportunities, educational sessions, and award ceremonies to honor outstanding small businesses. It’s a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn, connect, and gain valuable insights to help their businesses thrive.
With 33.2 million SMBs accounting for 99.9% of all businesses in the U.S., SMBs contribute significantly to economic growth. Running an SMB and contributing to the community is the true essence of the American Dream, which believes in freedom and opportunities through perseverance. Small Business Week celebrates this very spirit, making it a must-attend event for SMBs.
The week is a mix of events and festivities, including workshops, conferences, webinars, and award ceremonies. You can network with other entrepreneurs, attend panel sessions, and interact with diverse business leaders, industry experts, and government officials. Plus, you’ll get access to various resources and support groups to help you understand the market landscape, technology advancements, and growth strategies.
The SBA also co-hosts a two-day Virtual Summit, a nonprofit organization that offers free business mentorship and consulting services. The summit offers networking opportunities, free resources, and expert insights through interactive webinars and exhibit booths. Think of it as a preview of what’s to come to help you plan your week.
Small Business Week emphasizes the impact SMBs from states across the nation create yearly. The goal is simple: encouraging SMBs to discover growth opportunities and connect with potential investors and partners. It rewards their hard work through learning opportunities and awards. Besides, it helps solo founders break out of isolation by connecting them with fellow business owners. This creates a supportive community of like-minded people. And, ultimately it helps you make money.
Here are some more benefits for SMBs:
First, you’ll want to set your goals for the week and how artificial intelligence (AI) can help. Who are you excited to meet at the event? Will you be launching anything new? How do you plan to get customer feedback while you’re there? Which AI tools can help you with marketing? Having answers to questions like these can help you strategize better. AI for small businesses is a blessing. It helps you set goals that support your long-term business objectives and drive “actual” results. Here are a few ways AI can help.
Define your goals: Start by defining your goals and being specific about what you want to achieve — whether it’s increasing sales by a certain percentage, gaining followers on social media, or launching a new product line. For example, if you’re planning an email marketing campaign, AI can suggest content, subject lines, and ideal times for sending emails.
Align objectives with your long-term strategy: AI can predict the long-term benefits of different promotions or initiatives you plan for the week. For example, if you’re measuring a product’s performance, AI can A/B test it and see if it meets your specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based (SMART) goals.
The good news? AI can make a significant difference. Whether it’s lending a hand with your marketing, personalizing your customer outreach, or giving you extra minutes in the day by handling routine tasks — AI can help you work smarter, not harder. It gives you more time to connect with your audience meaningfully.
AI can transform your small business for the better. Get the guide below to learn how.
About 90% of SMBs admit AI is making their operations more efficient. Whether marketing campaigns or building your ideal customer profile, AI can help you make smarter decisions and maximize your impact. Let’s find out how.
Discover valuable insights from 3,350 leaders of SMBs worldwide.
Small Business Week is a huge opportunity to discover potential partners, interact with your target audience, and build relationships. Check out these tips for some incredible networking.
SMB owners can lose up to 1.5 hours a day switching between multiple tools. That’s why growing businesses prefer using an integrated suite of technology solutions, as it gives them a 360-degree view of their business.
Source: Small & Medium Business Trends Report
Here’s how you can utilize the right tools to take your efforts up a notch up.
The good news is, you only need one tool. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools offer comprehensive analytics to help you track your business’s performance, sales pipeline, and financial health. But that’s not it — an AI-powered CRM comes with multiple automation and analytics tools and solutions for sales, marketing, commerce, and productivity.
CRM analytics help identify hot leads, predict repeat purchases, and analyze user interactions to improve your conversation rate. Plus, it can identify the best times for scheduling email marketing or social media content by tracking when your target audience is most active.
This is the only tool you need to make your SMB shine during this big week (and beyond). How? We’ll tell you.
CRMs help deliver effective marketing by centralizing customer data, automating personalized campaigns, tracking interactions, and providing actionable insights to optimize targeting and engagement. CRMs that offer AI agents like Agentforce 360 can make your life simpler. Agentforce can run end-to-end marketing campaigns. It can enhance your content and outreach by personalizing it according to your customers’ interests, helping you connect with them on a deeper level.
Starter Suite is the perfect CRM for SMBs because you can hit the ground running from day one. It comes with everything a growing business needs: built-in guidance, integrations, and automation across sales, customer service, marketing, and commerce. We’ve kept it simple and small-business-friendly. But don’t just take our word for it — give it a shot during Small Business Week, and you’ll see the results.
Did you know 8 in 10 users will likely engage with businesses that have a website? It’s a great way of sharing your product offerings, values, and brand story. Implementing an effective “About Us” page, fun social media content, and a solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy can help put your brand on the map. And the best part? AI can help with everything. Let’s find out how.
75% of SMBs now use AI, with more than a third fully integrating it into their daily operations. And if you’ve been wondering how to manage your one-person team or a lean team of resources at the week, AI poses a solution. AI can help you with multiple tasks — from appointment scheduling and inventory management to customer support. This helps you focus on high-impact activities. During this busy week, AI tools can predict staffing needs, manage stock levels, and handle customer inquiries, ensuring smooth operations during peak times.
Here’s how you can implement AI in your operations.
Get started with Salesforce Suites — the CRM made for growing businesses.
Using a CRM, you can measure metrics across various touchpoints, including sales, customer engagement, social media reach, and website traffic. It analyzes your historical data to identify your most effective promotions and activities and recommends strategies for optimizing your campaigns.
Small Business Week isn’t a marathon — but the start of something beautiful for an SMB owner. With AI as your trusted partner, helping you plan and execute your Small Business Week strategy from start to finish, you only need one tool. A CRM can be your ultimate ally during this week and beyond.
With a CRM for small businesses like Starter Suite, you’ve got sales, marketing, digital storefronts, and customer service covered. And the best part? They’re all powered by AI.
Start your journey with a free trial of Starter today. Looking for more customization? Explore Pro Suite. Already a Salesforce customer? Activate Foundations for free.
AI supported the writers and editors who created this article.
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