It's Small Business Week in Cook County!

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Commissioners Alma Anaya (7^th District) and Brandon Johnson (1^st District), and the Cook County COVID-19 Recovery Small Business Assistance program network, today announced its “Together We Thrive” initiative and the official launch of Small Business Week in Cook County.

Throughout the week, Cook County will provide events and opportunities for entrepreneurs as well as promote community business owners (over 4000) who have received support from Cook County’s Small Business Assistance program.

Last year, the County launched COVID-19 Recovery: Small Business Assistance. To date, the program has assisted nearly 2000 small business owners experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic with $16.9M in grants. The program also provides support for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by offering pro bono advice, webinars and educational resources for small businesses in Cook County.

Available resources throughout the program include free business advising, webinars, grants and loan application assistance to aid in economic recovery from the pandemic. Specific Small Business Week resources are also available and include:

May 4, Tuesday: 

• 09:30 AM CST - Register for a free webinar Survive and Thrive: Marketing Toolkit, Expand Your Customer Base

May 5, Wednesday: 

• Highlight a small business in your district and share a post on social media. 
• Read Toni’s Tips Blog
• Request or Download Your Decal; Post/Share Social Media

May 6, Thursday: 

• 9:30 AM – (Webinar) Restaurant Revitalization Fund: How To Access 

• Talk with Toni: Facebook Live live at 10:00 AM 

 May 7, Friday: 

• Highlight a small business in your district and share on social media

Throughout the week, small business owners are encouraged to contact any of the Cook County COVID-19 Recovery: Small Business Assistance partner organizations to learn more about free resources. (All info here: www.cookcountysmallbiz.org)