Illinois Small Business Owner Highlight

Most first-time business owners struggle to be profitable during the early stages of their business venture. But when you add a global pandemic into the mix, the chances of being profitable essentially go out of the window. This was the case for Nichole Jackson, a former educator who decided to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and become a restaurant business owner in 2019.

Illinois Events

martes, julio 29, 2025 | 10:00am CT

Join Small Business Majority, Fifth Third and Bridge Investment CDC to get familiar with capital lending options and prepare for growth.

Workshop | IL
martes, agosto 5, 2025 | 2:00pm ET

Now that Congress has passed significant changes to programs that small businesses rely on—including Medicaid—while also failing to reform the tax code with the needs of Main Street in mind, it's time to remind members of Congress that they work for YOU.

Workshop | National
martes, agosto 12, 2025 | 3:00pm ET

Join Small Business Majority, the Business Consortium Fund and U.S. Bank for a free virtual workshop on building strong relationship with your bank. We will review different banking products and services for businesses.

Key takeaways:

Webinar | National
martes, agosto 19, 2025 | 3:00pm ET

Join Small Business Majority and Business Consortium Fund for a free webinar designed to help business owners approach financing with a clear strategy.

Webinar | National

Illinois Policy

Browse our latest state-based regulatory comments and legislative testimony in this area below, or click the button to view all records.
viernes, marzo 14, 2025

Small Business Majority’s Illinois policy agenda outlines policies that advance and promote equitable pathways for entrepreneurship while ensuring small businesses are key to a thriving and inclusive economy. Illinois' 1.3 million small businesses employ 2.3 million people, representing 43.6% of the private workforce.

martes, marzo 28, 2023

On March 28, Small Business Majority's Illinois Director Tasha Brown testified before the Illinois House Financial Institutions and Licensing Committee on behalf of HB 2234, legislation that would enact critical protections for small business borrowers in Illinois.

martes, marzo 28, 2023

On March 28, Johnathon Bush, owner of Not Just Cookies provided testimony before the Illinois House Financial Institutions and Licensing Committee on HB 2234, legislation that would extend consumer protections for small business borrowers. 

viernes, junio 25, 2021

Small Business Majority wrote to Illinois Governor Pritzker in support of HB117, a measure that would expand Illinois Secure Choice so that employers with at least five or more employees may participate and auto-enroll their employees. This is an important step to supporting very small businesses and their employees who are unable to access traditional retirement programs, particularly those who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Illinois Research

Published:
Wed, 04/03/2024

Small Business Majority’s new poll of Illinois small business owners reveals strong support for legislative solutions that would remove barriers for justice-impacted individuals by making reforms to occupational licensing and debt-based driver’s license suspensions. These politically diverse small business owners believe these measures would enable employers to tap into an underutilized workforce and open up opportunities for entrepreneurship.

Published:
Wed, 01/25/2023

Small businesses in Illinois are still struggling to hire and retain a ready workforce, persistent challenges in the wake of the pandemic.

Published:
Wed, 01/25/2023

While small businesses employ nearly half (46.4%) of the private workforce in the United States, many are struggling to hire and retain a ready workforce. One viable solution to their persistent workforce challenges is the passing of Clean Slate policies, which seal and expunge certain criminal records and allow justice-impacted individuals to seek employment opportunities and entrepreneurship. Individual state analyses of small business responses in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas found widespread support for Clean Slate policies at the state and federal level.

Illinois Resources

El programa de ahorros para la jubilación Illinois Secure Choice, que fue comulgado como ley en enero de 2015, ayuda a las pequeñas empresas que luchan por ofrecer beneficios de jubilación a sus empleados y brinda seguridad de jubilación a los 2.5 millones de habitantes de Illinois que no tienen acceso a un plan de jubilación en conexión con su empleo. A continuación se muestra una descripción general de lo que las pequeñas empresas deben saber sobre el programa.