The Chamber celebrates the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week with spotlights on social media, reminding people to shop local during this challenging time. Follow us on your favorite platforms—Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter—to see member business stories. Share your story with us at our Business Highlight page and we will feature your business this week or in the future.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our communities,” said Tony Sheridan, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut. “They not only provide jobs and play an integral role in each town’s tax base, they are generous contributors. Small business owners are significant donors to youth sports teams, schools, and local charities. When you shop small, you are supporting your neighbors and your community.”
Businesses under 500 employees account for 99% of CT businesses and 48% of CT employees, with the bulk of those jobs in businesses of 20-99 people, according to SBA’s 2020 state profile.
Chamber member Mystic Knotwork’s Matthew Beaudoin is CT’s Small Business Person of the Year, nominated by CT’s Small Business Development Center who helped Beaudoin grow the business. Bringing a creative approach to marketing, workforce, expansion, and most of all, a catalog of truly unique products, Mystic Knotwork has developed a niche for its nautical knot artistry that has won the attention of style icons, including Martha Stewart.
Congratulations to the Women’s Business Center of Southeastern CT, hosted by the Women’s Business Development Council, for winning recognition as Women’s Business Center of the Year for CT from SBA. Since opening its doors in April 2018, WBC-SECT has helped over 1,000 women achieve their dream of launching or scaling their business. Through innovative entrepreneurial training, counseling, and technical assistance, these women have started 18 new businesses, accessed more than $735,000 in capital, and generated a combined $31.5 million in annual revenue.
National Small Business Week goes online—sign up for the free virtual event here. A schedule of the three-day event includes awards on September 22, Veteran resources and success stories on September 23, and small business support from Google, Facebook and Amazon on September 24.
