Our Research: Entrepreneurship & Independent Economy
Small business owners are suffering from weak sales and decreased customer demand, and on top of that, a lack of access to capital. It is difficult for small business owners to access the capital that will help them grow, hire and jumpstart the economy. Our new opinion polling shows an overwhelming 90% of small business owners nationwide agree the availability of capital for small businesses is a problem.
As President Biden prepares to deliver his second State of the Union address, Small Business Majority surveyed small business owners and decisionmakers around the country to better understand their biggest challenges, as well as the top policy issues they want to see addressed by policymakers.
As entrepreneurs continue to navigate a number of challenges operating their businesses, Small Business Majority surveyed small business owners and managers nationwide to understand their current business conditions and how they may have benefited from federal relief programs. The survey found that nearly two-thirds (65%) of small businesses felt more optimistic about their business prospects for this year's second quarter. Despite this optimism, small businesses are facing a number of challenges, including inflation, supply chain disruptions and workforce shortages.
As entrepreneurs continue to navigate business and economic challenges stemming from pandemic, Small Business Majority surveyed small business owners and operators in Colorado to assess business conditions and the rising costs of healthcare.
Underregulated technology platforms, corporate consolidations and pernicious business practices are fueling an increasingly uneven level playing field between small and large companies by dramatically restricting markets and stifling competition. These challenges have been exacerbated during the pandemic as small businesses pivot their businesses to stay afloat, and thousands of people launched new entrepreneurial endeavors. A new opinion poll reveals that our nation’s entrepreneurs are being harmed by myriad anti-competitive practices, and they strongly support policies to create a more equitable business landscape.
From ongoing supply chain disruptions to new fears surrounding potential impacts stemming from new coronavirus variants, small business owners continue to face uncertainty about the future of their businesses. A new survey from Small Business Majority sheds a light on how supply chain disruptions are impacting small businesses during the crucial fourth quarter, as well as their views on the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for businesses with 100 or more employees, and key components in the Build Back Better plan that are being negotiated in the U.S. Senate.
The federal government is implementing a series of new COVID-19 vaccination requirements to mitigate the impacts of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. A new Small Business Majority opinion poll reveals that a majority of small businesses with employees are supportive of vaccination requirements at places of business, while many have already implemented vaccine policies on their own.
California lawmakers are weighing a proposal to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for customers at consumer-facing businesses and to similarly require employers to mandate vaccinations or negative COVID-19 tests for employees. New opinion polling from Small Business Majority reveals that small businesses in California are supportive of proposals to mandate vaccinations and testing at places of business to help ensure local economies can operate safely, amid setbacks from the current surge in COVID-19 cases.
Small businesses across the nation have been battered by the COVID-19 crisis, but the smallest businesses that typically have fewer resources than their larger peers have faced even greater setbacks. In order to better understand how the smallest and most vulnerable businesses have been impacted by the pandemic, a recent survey examines how they fared compared to their larger small business peers based on key indicators. The survey reveals that microbusinesses are facing particular financial challenges, and a commercial rent crisis may be on the horizon.
Across the country, more Americans are being vaccinated every day and many are ready and eager to “get back to normal.” At the same time, consumer demand is still down as parts of the country grapple with a new wave of COVID-19 cases and continued public health orders, and nearly 10 million Americans remain out of work.
As we approached the one-year mark of the initial public health shutdowns in the U.S. that sent shockwaves through our economy, Small Business Majority reviewed a year’s worth of surveys conducted of our network of 85,000 small businesses, as well as other national polling we commissioned and additional research and qualitative feedback from our network, in order to better understand the state of small businesses.
