Ann Arbor SPARK to host online event to teach small business owners skills like marketing, accounting

ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor SPARK is set to launch a new event series aimed at helping small business owners bolster skillsets like finance, sales, marketing and accounting.

The first roundtable, which will be on funding a small business, will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 17. The online event will feature Alex Dishman of Michigan Women Forward, Sean Gray from the Small Business Administration, Rita Hillman from the Small Business Development Corp and LaShonda Golden from Fifth Third Bank.

The roundtables will take place weekly and is free to attend. Interested business owners do not need to attend every week.

Jenn Cornell Queen, a spokesperson for Ann Arbor SPARK, said the economic development organization’s goal during the pandemic was to “help as many businesses in our region as possible.”

“Throughout that experience and regular dialogue with business owners in our community, we heard the need for more programming around shoring up business basics and a desire for new networking opportunities specifically for business owners,” Queen said in a statement.

“ACE achieves both of those objectives by delivering timely, relevant expertise and experiences specifically tailored for a range of businesses.”

The Aug. 17 event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The next one, an “after hours” networking event, will be on Tuesday, Aug. 24 at 4:30 p.m.

For more information or to register for the ACE series, visit Ann Arbor SPARK’s website here.

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