Hopkins: Small businesses are the backbone of our community

Published 10:25 am Thursday, May 5, 2016

Downtown is full of small businesses, and this week those businesses are being highlighted nationally.

This first week of May marks National Small Business Week sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Vicksburg Main Street Program has joined in on the fun by showing webinars created by the Small Business Administration.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our community,” said Kim Hopkins, executive director of the Vicksburg Main Street Program. “Our town is rich in history and great for tourism, but the small businesses are the viability of our town. Small Business Week gives us the opportunity to honor our numerous small businesses in our community and renew our commitment to promoting all those in our community with the entrepreneurial and business spirit.”

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The webinars have been viewed in Main Street’s temporary office in the City Hall annex, 1401 Walnut St., every day this week. The final hour-long, interactive webinar is at 2 p.m. Thursday and is titled “Tips for Getting Your Business Financially Fit” sponsored by Intuit Quickbooks.

“[We] invite any business owner or entrepreneur to come and watch the webinar and learn more about small businesses financially and any other local assistance we can be of to anyone,” Hopkins said.

The speaker for the webinar will be John Shapiro, director of product management and payments for Intuit Quickbooks. This webinar will discuss the importance of understanding the fiscal condition of a business —which is more than knowing how much is in the bank—when planning the future, overseeing daily duties and making important decisions.

Other webinars held this week covered voluntary benefits, the decline of magstripe cards, apps and services that will help grow a business, and capital and business loans.

“These webinars give business owners the opportunity to take a step back from their daily business and connect with other small business owners and gain inspiration from others from all over the nation,” Hopkins said.

She said it’s always important to promote and support local businesses.

“Not only this week, but every time you are shopping remember to always try to pay it forward and love your locals,” Hopkins said.

For more information, visit sba.gov/nsbw.