BENTON HARBOR — For more than 50 years, National Small Business Week has been recognized across the U.S., and for more than a decade, the Women’s Business Center and Small Business Services team at Cornerstone Alliance has been making dreams come true for southwest Michigan entrepreneurs. The WBC at Cornerstone Alliance is celebrating by hosting Small Business Day on Wednesday, May 2, at the Mendel Center on the campus of Lake Michigan College.

Individuals looking to start, grow or expand a business in southwest Michigan are encouraged to attend the day-long event where they will have the opportunity to learn from subject-matter experts in a wide array of topics. Cornerstone Alliance, in conjunction with Small Business Week, will provide a day of education for pre-venture, startups (one to three years) and growing businesses.

Small Business Day activities will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a networking event that concludes at 6 p.m. Tracy Braman, the executive director of human resources of Lakeland Health, will deliver a keynote address. Participants can take advantage of the early bird fee of $65 if they register by April 20. Regular registration is $75 and concludes on April 27. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all registrants.

“More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business,” said Margaret Adams, manager of the Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance. “Our Small Business Day event will be helpful for anyone interested in starting or expanding a small business. Participants will be able to choose topics that address their own specific needs including marketing, accounting and government procurement. The Small Business Administration provides us with a number of tools to assist Berrien, Cass and Van Buren County residents to start their own business. Small Business Day is the best opportunity to get a lot of quality information from many different sources.”

Break-out sessions will include the following topics:

• How to Complete a Business Model

Canvas

• Fundamentals of Marketing

• Is Government Contracting Right for You? (Women only)

• Market Research using Michigan Electronic Libraries

• Is Your Business Sustainable (must be in business for at least 1 year)

• Time to Hire Employees?

• Is Buying a Franchise Right for Me?

• Pros/Cons of Business Entities

• Government Contracting

• Accounting Tools for Small Business

• How to start a Non-Profit & Non-Profit Grant Writing

• Marketing and Social Media

• Buy/Sell Agreements

• Crowd Funding

• Ask the Banker and

• Networking 101: Multiplying your referrals, strengthen your networking.

The Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance, based in Benton Harbor, is supported by the Small Business Administration and is one of three Women’s Business Centers in the state of Michigan. In 2017, the WBC at Cornerstone Alliance assisted entrepreneurs in launching 22 small businesses which generated more than $900,000 in new investment.

To register, go to cornerstonewbc.com/calendar or call Dubelsa Mata-Garcia at (269) 757-0225.