Small Business Majority has created a comprehensive state policy agenda to ensure entrepreneurship is at the center of a thriving and inclusive economy in Colorado. The state’s 611,000 small businesses employ 1.1 million people (about half of the private workforce) and created more than 52,000 jobs in 2015.
Small Business Majority’s Outreach Team advocates for entrepreneurs on two fronts: It supports policies that would benefit small firms, and it offers workshops and events that help small business owners grow their companies. We have found this work to be even more important during this global health and economic crisis.
This week we are spotlighting Anna Stevens, Small Business Majority’s Colorado Outreach Manager, to let small business owners know how our team members can assist them.
Q: Could you tell us about your position at Small Business Majority?
Ten years ago when Sarah Ladley started her Colorado, banana-based ice cream food truck Ba-Nom-a-Nom, she was ahead of the curve. Now, after nearly a year and a half of Covid setbacks, she is fighting to keep up.
Never in a million years did Sarah think she would become a business owner. In fact, she was on a pre-med track in undergrad when she started learning about population health and became interested in the failings of the American food system.
Colorado small business owner Alejandro Flores-Muñoz joined testified in favor of SB 21-199, which allows undocumented entrepreneurs to access certain business and professional licenses.
Small Business Majority will submit testimony to the Senate Finance Committee in suport of House Bill 21-1312 on May 26, which would provide tax relief for small business owners through the Business Personal Property Tax Reform and eliminate wasteful tax loopholes that don’t benefit our economy.
Small Business Majority submitted testimony to the Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee in suport of House Bill 21-1222, which would would classify child care homes as residences for purposes of licensure and local regulations.
Small Business Majority network member Stacey Carpenter, Owner of Barnyard Buddies Family Childcare, testified before the Colorado House Public & Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee in support of HB 21-1222, which would require all family child care homes (FCCH) to be classified as residences for purposes of licensure and local regulations, including zoning, land use development, fire and life safety, and building codes.
Small Business Majority submitted testimony to the Colorado Senate Business Labor & Technology Committee in suport of House Bill 21-1167, which would cap retainage for all public and private entities at 5% and allow small construction and subcontract firms to be more competitive against larger firms.
Why shop small? Because $0.67 of every dollar you spend at a small business gets invested back into the community. For Jeff Rogoff, owner of Sazza in Greenwood Village, Colo., this philosophy holds true. At Sazza, not only are the pizza toppings and cheeses locally sourced but so is the silverware, tables, glassware and branded merchandise.
“Being mindful of our community, working with our community and being a part of our community is all very important to us,” Jeff says.
Colorado Director Lindsey Vigoda and small business owner Alejandro Flores-Muñoz provided testimony on April 13 in support of SB 21-199, which will remove barriers to access certain public opportunities for undocumented entrepreneurs and support the immigrant small business community in Colorado.
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