National

Are you a small business owner looking for alternative funding options beyond a traditional bank loan? A CDFI loan might be the answer you’ve been looking for.

While traditional bank lending is down, organizations called community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, are stepping up to fill the void by focusing on supporting small businesses and local economies in a holistic way. So what is a CDFI?

Michelle Mauricci, a true entrepreneur, has owned not one, not two, but three small businesses. Her current business, Think Possible, located in Reno, Nevada, is a personal business-consulting firm that helps entrepreneurs navigate their health coverage options under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), among other services. Michelle also receives her own coverage through the ACA’s individual marketplace, and credits the healthcare law with allowing her to follow her entrepreneurial dreams.

Some lawmakers may be intent on repealing and replacing the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA), but our new scientific opinion polling released today shows small business owners support the ACA over the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the Republican plan to replace the law currently being considered in Congress.

Here are 5 key takeaways from our poll:

At Resilient Beauty Bar in Fairfield, CA, you’ll experience a warm and inviting atmosphere where the wellbeing of the client takes priority. The proud owner, Dee Naylor, has been a beauty professional and stylist for more than fifteen years, and hopes to eventually open a second location. But her plans to expand her business are on hold, as they hinge on the future of the Affordable Care Act.

Lawmakers who dream of gutting the Affordable Care Act (ACA) do not seem to care about its importance to small business owners, particularly those who are solo entrepreneurs. What these politicians fail to understand is that the health care law is the first meaningful insurance reform available to entrepreneurs in decades. In fact, for many self-employed business owners, their firms would not exist without it. That’s why repealing the law is going to be a sizable setback for entrepreneurship.

Maricar Tinio is an example of the quintessential entrepreneur. In addition to having over fifteen years of experience in the legal industry, she is a three-time cancer survivor who has started and co-owned several businesses. Her most recent venture is Mardavis Group, Inc., a legal recruiting firm in Chicago that she launched just last year. But unfortunately her new business may come to a standstill if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is repealed.

When it comes to employee benefits, the difference between working for a small business and a large corporation can be the difference between eating at a buffet and dining a la carte: neither are bad options, but one usually offers more choices than the other. Unfortunately, far too many lawmakers in Washington, D.C. fail to understand that small businesses often do not have the resources to offer a buffet of benefits, which can result in high employee turnover.

America is facing a crisis so serious that it has the potential to cripple an entire generation of would-be entrepreneurs. Thanks to student loans, a whopping $1.3 trillion in debt is burdening 44 million American adults of all ages—even senior citizens. In fact, U.S.

Three years ago, Howard Paul started Howard Paul Photography for Communication and Commerce in Denver, Colo. But before opening his business, Howard was an EMS first responder, and eventually held an Executive Director position for the EMS Association of Colorado. Needless to say, thanks to his 31-year long career in emergency services, Howard is not easily rattled. However, mountain rescue missions pale in comparison to the terror he feels knowing that he could lose his health insurance in a matter of months.

Walking into Trolley Car Diner in Philadelphia is like traveling back in time to a period when poodle skirts were all the rage and Elvis was king. Despite the diner’s 1950s décor, its owner, Ken Weinstein, is dealing with a very present-day issue: access to healthcare for his employees.