Illinois Small Business Owner Highlight

Evera Ivy never planned to take over the family business. In the early 1970s, her parents moved the family from Chicago to rural Pembroke Township, Ill. to start Ivy League Farms. Evera and her siblings initially didn’t want anything to do with the farm. However, another farmer in the area once told her that “Land is the one thing that cannot be produced or reproduced.” That wisdom stuck with her and opened her eyes to the value of her family’s land and business. 

Illinois Events

martes, enero 28, 2025 | 5:00pm ET

Transform your business decision-making with data-driven insights! Join Start Small Think Big and Small Business Majority to learn how to identify, track and leverage Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to drive your business growth.

Workshop | National
miércoles, enero 29, 2025 | 12:00pm ET

Navigating federal taxes can feel overwhelming, but understanding your obligations is essential for small business success. This comprehensive webinar will equip entrepreneurs with the knowledge they need to manage taxes effectively. In this session, you’ll learn:

Workshop | National
miércoles, enero 29, 2025 | 4:00pm ET

Choosing the right legal structure is a crucial decision for any entrepreneur.

Workshop | 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 1, 2024

Small Business Majority’s Illinois policy agenda outlines policies that advance and promote equitable pathways for entrepreneurship while centering small businesses as the key to a thriving and inclusive economy. The state’s 1.3 million small businesses employ 2.4 million people (about 44.1% of the private workforce), with firms without employees making up 80% of all owned businesses.

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. 

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.

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.