Blogs

On September 26 and 27, Small Business Majority hosted an advocacy fly-in event, “Small Business Speaks: Two Days in Washington with Small Business Majority.” Nearly 30 entrepreneurs from the organization’s national and state Small Business Councils attended the event to build community and ensure that federal policymakers heard the true voice of small business.

In 2022, Small Business Majority, in partnership with Support Latino Business and Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, awarded critical funding to three Latina business owners through their annual #SupportSmallBiz grant program. The grant program bridges the gap in small business funding for Hispanic and Latino businesses, which often face challenges and systemic barriers in getting the capital and resources they need to start, grow and expand their enterprises.

On July 29, Small Business Majority co-hosted the Shop Inland Empire Pop-Up Market with the Inland Empire Regional Chamber of Commerce in San Bernardino, Calif. Pop-up markets are a unique and emerging venue for hopeful entrepreneurs to launch their small business dreams. As commercial rent costs continue to rise and workforce shortages pose challenges to small businesses, pop-up spaces and marketplaces offer a low-cost entry point for small business owners to test their products and market their business to community members. 

Cristian Corona is the owner and founder of Little Sprouts Language Immersion Preschool, located in Los Angeles, Calif. After having her first child, she began working in the childcare industry and went back to school. This inspired her to open her first childcare center, which opened in 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Serving her local community came as a natural transition for JeJuan Stewart, CEO and Lead Consultant of EAGLE 7 Consulting in rural Georgia. She also leads the John and JeJuan Stewart, Jr. Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose vision is to create a group of focused, empowered youth who make a positive difference as individuals in their families and communities. 

After a quarter life crisis, former social worker Alanna Ferre took a course in makeup artistry–as suggested by her mother–and was surprised to not only find a thriving second career, but also a passionate community in her home state of New Mexico. 

On June 28, we co-hosted a webinar with the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) to discuss the economic impact of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade on women small business owners. Small Business Majority’s National Women's Entrepreneurship Director Rachel Shanklin presented our new research on access to reproductive healthcare and how women entrepreneurs view it as essential to their financial security.

Growing up in India, Pallavi Pande ate her meals using banana leaves as plates. This sparked her passion for sustainability and being close to nature. Raising her family in Portland, Ore. inspired her to reconnect with her heritage and share this tradition with the western world.

Leslie Allison-Seei is the president of Robust Promotions LLC, an award-winning turnkey service provider offering prize consulting, legal documents and support, microsite infrastructure, graphic design and much more, in Villa Park, Ill. Together with her husband Greg, they’ve worked with restaurant chains and global brands such as Popeyes and Häagen Dazs, among others. 

Non-compete agreements are an obstacle to entrepreneurship, create a non-level playing field and stop employees from using their skills. They are not only a barrier to entry for entrepreneurs, but they also prevent small businesses from hiring the most diverse, qualified and skilled talent. In January, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a rule to ban non-compete agreements and sought input from the public.