Economic Trends

The New Economy and Small Business

By Jamillah Warner - Jan 19, 2012 - 3 Comments

Things have changed. And judging the landscape that we presently operate on, and have operated on for the last 4-10 years, things will continue to change. That’s the nature of this economy. “The geography of wealth is being reshaped by our tools,” says Kevin Kelly, Author of New Rules for … Read More

Loan Approvals Rising at Small Banks and Alternative Lenders

By Rohit Arora - Jan 13, 2012 - 9 Comments

The Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index, a monthly analysis of 1,000 loan applications, found that approval rates of small business financing requests by small banks and non-bank lenders increased to their highest levels of 2011 during December. The big story in small business lending … Read More

Holiday Shoppers Are Santa’s Elves for Small Business Owners

By Rohit Arora - Dec 22, 2011 - 1 Comment

There are signs that the economy is heating up even as winter has officially arrived. The second annual Small Business Saturday gave a big boost to Main Street merchants and spurred an estimated 103 million Americans to shop at independently owned small businesses on November 26, 2011. The … Read More

Top 9 Rural Small Business Trends for 2012

By Becky McCray - Dec 20, 2011 - 15 Comments

Rural small business trends are always different from general small business trends. This year, the difference is in the economic outlook. With the consensus of economic predictions for 2012 showing slower national growth and the odds of a renewed U.S. recession at 1 in 3, the national economy … Read More

Credit Eases for Small Business Owners Seeking Capital

By Rohit Arora - Dec 14, 2011 - 3 Comments

The economy is at last starting to show signs of recovery. Consumer confidence surged in November to its highest level since July, an indication that Americans may be more willing to spend. Holiday shopping figures for Black Friday and Cyber Monday were robust. The government jobs report on … Read More

Small Banks Getting Bigger in Small Business Lending

By Rohit Arora - Nov 15, 2011 - 6 Comments

When is big small? Big banks are shrinking in the small business lending space, while regional and local banks and non-bank lenders continue to approve a much higher percentage of loan requests. Our most recent analysis of 1,000 loan applications found that approval rates of small business … Read More

Think the Downturn Cut Your Income?

By Scott Shane - Oct 24, 2011 - 2 Comments

Think your income doesn’t cover your expenses the way it used to? It could be worse, you could be self-employed. Recently, the Census Bureau released a report which showed that the income of the typical American household fell 6.4 percent in inflation adjusted terms since 2007, the last … Read More

Another Misunderstood Fact About the Job Market

By Scott Shane - Oct 17, 2011 - 1 Comment

In a piece entitled, “What May be the Most Commonly Misunderstood Fact About the Job Market,” Jared Bernstein challenged a claim made on the Diane Rehm show by Brad Close, NFIB Vice President for Public Policy. Mr Close said that most Americans are employed in small businesses. Mr. … Read More

The Recession’s Silver Lining

By Rohit Arora - Oct 4, 2011 - 6 Comments

Did the recession ever really end? Technically, we are in a recovery, but there is little growth in the economy, employment and wages are stagnant, home prices and consumer confidence both continue to drop, and retail sales are down. The immediate future doesn't look bright. However, the bright … Read More

When the Economy Forces You to Shift Gears

By Susan Payton - Sep 29, 2011 - 2 Comments

Hard economic times force even the savviest business owner to reconsider whether he or she is in the right field. When unemployment reaches record levels, people aren't buying luxury items. Or real estate. Or organic foods. So what do you do when the business you've been developing falls flat in … Read More

Economic Turbulence Is Hindering America’s Small Business Succession Engine

By Mike Handelsman - Sep 27, 2011 - 4 Comments

The dramatic challenges facing the U.S. economy have had an equally dramatic impact on the market of businesses for sale over the past few years. Despite the steady growth of the number of businesses sold over the last few quarters, the number sold each quarter is still down roughly 40 percent … Read More

3 Steps to Succeeding in the Expertise Economy

By Diane Helbig - Sep 20, 2011 - 9 Comments

There was a time when all you had to do was have a quality product or service and some good marketing. You put together a marketing budget and plan, and then you executed. The companies with the deep pockets and compelling messages seemed to take the lion’s share of the market. That was then. … Read More