Description

2026 Home-Based Business Conference
Build connections. Get noticed. Create opportunities.

Your business may start at home, but its potential reaches far beyond it. Discover practical ways to increase your visibility, connect with customers, and build relationships that support your next stage of growth.

Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 8:00 AM–3:00 PM
Hampton Roads Convention Center

A Day Built for Your Business

• Networking, exhibitors, and local business resources
• Keynote: “Own Your Voice, Your Value, and Your Visibility” with Eva DeVirgilis
• Interactive sessions on visibility, AI, business relationships, and growth
• Business pitch competition featuring a $1,000 microgrant
• Conversations with fellow entrepreneurs and regional business support teams

See Your Conference Day

Being good at what you do is only part of building a successful business. Customers need to find you, understand your value, and remember you when an opportunity comes along. For home-based business owners juggling marketing, operations, and everything in between, figuring out where to focus can be a challenge.

The 2026 Home-Based Business Conference brings together practical strategies, fresh ideas, and local connections to help you move forward. Whether you sell products, provide professional services, create from your kitchen, or run your business from a laptop, this day is designed with you in mind.

About

Join entrepreneurs from across Hampton Roads for a day focused on turning visibility into opportunity. Supported by participating localities and the Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center, the conference connects business owners with people, tools, and resources that can help them grow.

This year’s sessions explore how to:

• Make your business easier to find and more memorable to customers
• Use AI with better business context to support your marketing
• Communicate your value to potential buyers, partners, and decision-makers
• Build relationships that lead to referrals and new opportunities
• Strengthen your brand and visibility on a limited budget
• Explore farmers markets, storefronts, and other paths to growth
• Understand crowdfunding as a potential source of business capital

You’ll also have opportunities to connect directly with local economic development teams, meet business resource providers, and exchange ideas with owners who understand the realities of running a small business.

Watch entrepreneurs compete for a $1,000 microgrant in our business pitch competition, and discover the ideas and talent growing right here in our region.

Whether you’re building momentum, ready to expand, or tired of being your community’s best-kept secret, join us for practical learning and connections you can put to work.

Bring your ambition, your questions, and your business cards.

Register by October 1 to take advantage of early bird pricing.