Economic Trends

61% of U.S. Voters Think Rich Entrepreneurs are Good for the Economy

By Shawn Hessinger - May 17, 2013 - 4 Comments

You may sometimes wonder whether Americans hate the rich. With all the TV air time given to tax increases vs tax cuts for the wealthy that politicians love to argue over, it would not be surprising to get that impression. Entrepreneurs take their money and reinvest it into their … Read More

Small Business Groups Offer Mixed Reaction to Obama Budget

By Anita Campbell - Apr 23, 2013 - 1 Comment

From a small business perspective, the proposed Fiscal Year 2014 budget unveiled last week by President Barack Obama gets mixed reviews. Critics say the budget does not do enough to alleviate the tax burden on small businesses. Small Business Reaction to Obama Budget Three key areas of … Read More

Washington, D.C. Could Help Small Business by Doing Less

By Scott Shane - Apr 15, 2013 - 4 Comments

Washington wants to be seen as helping small business. With approval ratings hovering around 25 percent, Congress wants to associate itself with one of America’s most popular institutions – small business – which 95 percent of Americans report viewing positively in a November 2012 Gallup … Read More

American’s Economic Outlook: Eternal Winter of the Consumer Mind

By Rieva Lesonsky - Apr 8, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Spring is here and just like the budding plants, by many accounts the U.S. economy shows signs of slow and steady growth. But nearly four years after the Great Recession officially ended, the sun isn’t warming the hearts of U.S. consumers, many of whom are still feeling frankly pessimistic … Read More

Why Paul Ryan’s Budget is Better for Small Business

By Scott Shane - Apr 8, 2013 - 3 Comments

For the first time in years, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are simultaneously developing federal budget plans. While some small business owners will undoubtedly prefer the Senate’s plan to the House’s, the latter aligns more closely with the interests of a majority of small … Read More

Small Businesses in Europe Can’t Borrow to Stay Afloat

By Joshua Sophy - Apr 3, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Small business owners in Europe are continuing to face the difficult economic times felt here in the U.S. for the last several years. We recently reported on small business lending improving for the first time in 10 quarters here, but in the Euro zone, several countries' small business owners … Read More

Fortune 500 Thrives, But Small Businesses Not So Optimistic

By Anita Campbell - Mar 13, 2013 - 5 Comments

Every month here in the United States the NFIB (National Federation of Independent Businesses) conducts a survey and updates its Small Business Optimism Index. The Index that just came out yesterday, saw a small 1.9 point rise. The Index is now up to 90.8. Small Business Optimism Up - Must … Read More

What Happened to the Recovery in Small Business Sales?

By Scott Shane - Feb 18, 2013 - 3 Comments

Sales at the average small business, which had been trending upward from their nadir at the end of the Great Recession, turned south in February 2012 and declined during the better part of 2012, data from Intuit reveals. Drawing on information from the users of its Quickbooks online financial … Read More

It’s Startup Time in America

By David Wallace - Jan 15, 2013 - 3 Comments

As the economy continues to drag along, one might think that starting a business right now is not the best of ideas. However, the opposite is true! One scenario that exists which makes now a great time to start a new business is the fact that there is less competition because many people are simply … Read More

Report Says Businesses Are Still Cautious on Borrowing

By Small Business Edito… - Jan 9, 2013 - Leave a Comment

Small businesses are still the best hope for economic recovery and job creation, but if 2013 is the year, it may be without traditional financing. Entrepreneurs know borrowing isn't the only way to fund business startup and growth. Today's roundup has more about the state of small business … Read More

Balancing Economic Control and Entrepreneurship

By Scott Shane - Dec 10, 2012 - 27 Comments

The London-based Think Tank Legatum Institute recently offered empirical evidence of what many Americans have been thinking lately. Our national well-being is slipping. Over the past four years, prosperity has increased around the globe, while it has remained stagnant in the United States, the … Read More

Big Data Provides Big Advantages in Small Business Lending

By Rohit Arora - Aug 9, 2012 - Leave a Comment

Increasingly, the power of data is impacting the small business lending marketplace by enabling banks and others providing funding to make more detailed risk assessments of potential borrowers. Advances in technology and the accessibility of big data enabled underwriters to: • Spread risk … Read More