THIS ARTICLE APPEARS IN THE RED ROCK NEWS

May 3, 2024

 

Welcome to Small Business Month! The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)—a federal agency dedicated to small businesses—created this special annual celebration month to officially recognize the ingenuity and dedication of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. According to a 2020 study by the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are nearly 32 million small businesses nationwide.

The month began with National Small Business Week, April 28 – May 4, which has been celebrated for more than 60 years. This celebration week included in-person events across our country, along with a free educational virtual summit on a variety of business topics such as leveraging AI, accessing federal resources, securing businesses in a remote work environment, food truck business guidance, cash flow management, and transitioning side hustles into businesses. If you missed this summit, watch for other educational opportunities throughout the year by visiting SBA.gov.

The Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau (SCC&TB) supports businesses of all sizes year-round; however, we also chose to recognize entrepreneurs and small business owners. We spent much of this week visiting several area businesses to create social media reels. For those who aren’t involved in social media, Reels are a newer way of sharing content. They are videos that include effects, music and other interesting elements, which garner considerably more engagement than a static post. You can learn more about Reels in our upcoming “Reels to Riches, How to Create Powerful Instagram Reels” held on June 4 at Mary D. Fisher Theatre.

Why are small businesses so important? According to Martin Rowinski with Forbes, they drive the American economy. The SBA states that small businesses of 500 employees or fewer make up 99.9% of all U.S. businesses. Small businesses often weather the tough times better than their corporate counterparts due to their ability to easily and quickly adapt to external threats and circumstances. They are where innovation starts, as “all big businesses once started out small.” As Rowinski states, “Apple and Google may be known for their innovation, but they also buy up small startups with innovative technology to boost this development.”

And let’s not forget the American Dream, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” It’s this spirit that continues to permeate our country decade after decade after decade. It’s this drive that the SCC&TB wishes to celebrate.

Small business owners not only make a living for themselves and their families, but they also make their community a vibrant place to live and work. Be sure to support your local small businesses not only during this month but every month! The SCC&TB honors 750+ members. You can learn more about these businesses by going to SedonaChamber.com.

One way we support our business community is by providing ongoing professional development and networking events, including the upcoming Happy Hour Networking and the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association’s Northern Arizona Member Mixer in Flagstaff, sponsored by NAU and the SCC&TB. The Happy Hour Networking event allows members to share about their business and service with a captive audience in a structured networking format, while the Northern Arizona Member Mixer allows you to engage peers, share insights and cultivate meaningful connections across the entire region. For more information and registration for all Sedona Chamber of Commerce workshops and events, visit SedonaChamberEvents.com.

–Michelle Conway Kostecki, President/CEO

Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau

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