Over the past several months, Small Business Majority hosted five roundtable discussions with nearly 50 small business owners in Cortland, Long Island, Queens and Manhattan focusing on many of the biggest challenges small businesses are facing today, including rising healthcare costs, unpredictable tariffs, rising inflation and unaffordable living, difficulty accessing capital, workforce shortages and childcare access. The entrepreneurs also shared how running a business in 2026 can require mental and physical sacrifice as these challenges continue to escalate.
This national opinion poll of likely voters, conducted for Small Business Majority by Lake Research Partners, reveals overwhelming bipartisan support for small businesses and pro-small business policies. Voters believe by dramatic margins that the success of small business is better for their families and the economy than the success of large corporations, and it’s personally important to them that local small businesses in their communities thrive.
On January 15, Small Business Majority and New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs (NYPACE) held a roundtable discussion with 14 New York City area small business owners. This two-pager highlights key findings from this discussion, capturing insights from small business owners on the challenges they face and the policy solutions they support to strengthen the state’s small business ecosystem.
Small businesses are navigating a sharp squeeze on Main Street, according to Small Business Majority’s latest Voice of Main Street poll released on March 25, 2026. Most entrepreneurs report rising expenses alongside falling revenues, with costs driven by tariffs, healthcare premiums, utilities, and supplies. At the same time, many say weak consumer demand, difficulty meeting payroll, and concerns about corporate consolidation are limiting growth and forcing tough choices—from raising prices to delaying hiring and investment.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has reshaped access to reproductive healthcare—and small business owners are feeling the effects. Research from Small Business Majority shows that entrepreneurs overwhelmingly view access to reproductive healthcare as critical to workforce participation, economic stability and long-term business success. While some business owners report limited or uncertain impacts so far, more say the decision has harmed their businesses than helped—citing effects on profitability, hiring and workforce stability. Women entrepreneurs, in particular, express deep concern, with many warning that abortion restrictions force women to choose between their careers and reproductive freedom. As access continues to narrow in many states, small business owners are increasingly worried about the long-term economic consequences for their employees, their communities and their bottom lines.
On November 13, 2025, Small Business Majority released a research report examining the challenges small businesses face from rising healthcare premiums and increased immigration enforcement. The survey found that two-thirds of small business owners view higher healthcare costs as a significant financial burden and strongly support extending the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits. Entrepreneurs also reported negative effects from immigration enforcement and expressed strong support for modernizing the legal immigration system and creating pathways to citizenship for qualifying undocumented immigrants.
The State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) represents a critical federal investment in U.S. small businesses. Originally established under the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 and reauthorized under the American Rescue Plan in 2021, SSBCI provides states, territories and tribal governments with federal funding to incentivize small business lending. Through a range of programs, SSBCI helps ensure that entrepreneurs have access to the capital they need to launch and sustain their businesses. Our research and interviews with small business owners highlight both the successes and the challenges of the program. Based on these findings, we also developed recommendations to help states maximize SSBCI’s impact and ensure that dollars flow to the smallest and most under-resourced entrepreneurs who need them most.
As Congress and the administration consider 2025 policies, small business owners are raising concerns about rising tariffs, slowing growth, immigration policy impacts, and threats to healthcare from Medicaid cuts and ACA changes. Many are responding by raising prices or pausing expansion. They also oppose increasing the federal deficit to fund tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations.
This issue brief, developed in partnership by Small Business Majority and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, examines the prevalence of Medicaid as a source of insurance for small business owners, employees, and their family members using 2024 data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC).
With key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) set to expire this year, Congress must decide how it wants to move forward when it comes to the tax code. This is notable because any potential changes to our tax system would have a profound impact on small businesses.
