National

As the owner of Pioneer Overhead Door in Las Vegas, Nevada I wear many hats: I’m the president, the general manager and most of the time I answer the phones. I have a lot of parts to play each day on the job and a lot of responsibility. That’s why I’m grateful for the fact that I haven’t had to worry about purchasing my group health insurance in years.

Women-led small businesses have a tremendously positive impact not only within their own communities, but across the small business landscape nationwide.

Even so, many obstacles remain, particularly in the area of financing. Because adequate capitalization is vital in operating and growing a company, this is a challenge which must be faced head-on for the business to succeed.

Fortunately, there are a number of steps women entrepreneurs can take to address this issue and help ensure that it doesn't become a stumbling block.

The president-elect recently vowed to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, which is encouraging news for health consumers — including small business owners who say the high price of medications is affecting their bottom lines.

Something significant happened on Election Day that had nothing to do with the presidential race: Four states quietly voted to raise their minimum wage.

In what is fast becoming a national trend, a majority of citizens in Colorado, Maine, Arizona and Washington voted in favor of a gradual minimum wage increase until 2020; after that, the wage will be modified in accordance with the cost of living.

And it seems good things come in fours. In 2014, a quartet of states (Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota) also voted to increase their minimum wage.

September 8 marks the centennial of the estate tax, which establishes a tax on certain estates that are transferred as inheritance. To mark the occasion, we’ll likely see many pundits calling for the abolition of this tax and knocking its impact on small businesses. But the reality is that the estate tax, which only applies to estates valued above $5.4 million, impacts very few small businesses. Instead of worrying about a tax that affects only the very wealthy, we should take this time to focus on the real tax issues that hurt small businesses - like inversions and other loopholes that favor larger corporations at the expense of Main Street.

Keith Crawford knows the construction business inside and out. He began his career as a construction contractor, but stood apart for his business capabilities. He was often asked by competitors to close shop and work for them. After spending years as an admired authority on construction, Crawford finally launched his own consulting firm.

We often hear from small business owners that they feel like their voices are not heard on key issues that impact their small businesses. That’s why we brought 150 small business owners to D.C. for our second annual Small Business Leadership Summit. With its theme, “Recognizing the Power of the Small Business Economy,” this year’s Summit discussed how the small business case is too often misunderstood and misrepresented in the media, at the public policy table and at the ballot box.

During National Small Business Week, Small Business Majority is recognizing small business owners who strive to give back to their communities. Bryce Smith, owner of the Adel Family Fun Center in Adel, Iowa, is certainly one of them.

This is a guest post from Maria Contreras-Sweet, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This blog originally appeared on the SBA’s website.

The health care law includes the employer shared responsibility provisions, which require applicable large employers to offer health coverage to full-time employees and their dependents. Those that do not offer coverage might be subject to the employer shared responsibility payment.

Here are six facts about these provisions.