Small business owners from across the country descended upon the nation’s capital on Monday to kick-off the 2008 National Small Business Week. National Small Business Week is a five-day event intended to spotlight the accomplishments of America's entrepreneurs and draw policymakers' attention to the challenges confronting them. The event is organized by the U.S. Small Business Administration and backed by co-sponsors such as NSBA.

This year, events are scheduled to take place in Washington D.C and New York City. However, small-business owners unable to make the trip are not out of luck because, for the first time ever, the events and panels will be broadcast over the internet.

Those entrepreneurs tuning in or attending the events planned for National Small Business Week may notice a couple of familiar faces – NSBA President Todd McCracken and SBEA President Jim Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison participated on a six person panel of experts during the trade forum centered around “Going Global: Accessing New Markets.” The panel addressed gaining access for emerging markets and strategies for small businesses to tap into the global marketplace, including the collaborative technologies that can be valuable to any trade strategy.

Earlier today McCracken spoke during the Energy Forum entitled “Meeting the Energy Challenge: Impacts & Opportunities for Small Business.” The panel consisted of various small-business executives who discussed current energy policy and its impact on U.S. energy security, the industrial and agriculture sectors, small business and consumers. The forum provided attendees a good perspective on energy prices and the impact of energy prices on small businesses around the nation.

Those individuals who may have missed these informative sessions or who cannot make future sessions can visit www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com to catch the archived and live streaming events from Small Business Week 2008.