Small business workshop coming to Chicago

Small businesses looking for an edge over competitors in the market should consider visiting a small business marketing workshop that is planned to come to Chicago on September 18.

The New York Stock Exchange, Accion and Yelp will host the NYSE Big StartUp "Small Business Connections: Marketing Meets Microfinancing" workshop, giving local businesses a chance to receive tips from professionals from large corporations.

Local business owners will also receive the chance to develop their growing businesses through social media marketing and access to capital, marking the sixth stop on the Small Business Connections tour.

The workshop will be kicked off by Darnell Holloway, manager of local business outreach for Yelp. Holloway will discuss how business owners can push their businesses ahead of others by engaging with customers online and navigating the world of online reviews. Considering Chicago is one of Yelp's largest markets, Holloway is planning to encourage many of the attendees to take advantage of his company's free suite of tools for business owners.

"Yelp provides local business owners with free tools that allow us to engage with current and future customers who are turning to Yelp to make a spending decision," said David Faber, member of Yelp's Small Business Advisory Council and co-founder of Ortanic, a local Chicago sunless tanning salon. "At the very least, I recommend that businesses unlock these free tools and make sure the information about their business is correct."

Adrian Mendieta, Accion loan officer, is also planning to discuss how business owners can access capital and finance marketing costs through Accion. The company has provided small businesses with more than 2,600 loans in the Chicago area.

"Access to low-cost marketing tools and support networks are two essential ingredients for small business success," says Jonathan Brereton, CEO of Accion in Chicago. "We're excited to bring these resources to Chicago entrepreneurs with this impactful event."

Small Business Connections is making history as the first small business event tour from the NYSE Big StartUp, which is a nationwide job creation and business growth initiative that connects small businesses with larger corporations.

According to a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business, small businesses created no jobs in August, making small business marketing more important in order to create more jobs through increased revenue.