Georgia Small Business Owner Highlight

Brooklyn & Blake

Entrepreneurship has been a way for many Americans to avoid unemployment throughout the pandemic. So, when Michelle Youngblood’s corporate office shut down with a round of layoffs, she realized this was the push she needed to launch her own brand, Brooklynn & Blake.

Georgia Events

Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | 2:00pm ET

Have you ever wanted to apply for a grant opportunity, but didn't know where to start? Join Small Business Majority, in partnership with Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, to learn how to identify and apply for grants that could help you start or grow your small business.

Workshop | National
Wednesday, June 4, 2025 | 11:00am ET

Are you a small business owner or aspiring entrepreneur searching for funding opportunities to grow and scale your business? Join Small Business Majority and the U.S.

Workshop | GA
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | 5:00pm ET

Join Small Business Majority, Business Consortium Fund and U.S. Bank for a free virtual workshop on building strong business credit.

Workshop | National
Thursday, June 19, 2025 | 5:00pm PT

Join Small Business Majority and the Coalition of Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce (COFACC) for a webinar aimed at celebrating and supporting the AAPI community.

Webinar | National

Georgia Policy

Browse our latest state-based regulatory comments and legislative testimony in this area below, or click the button to view all records.
Monday, March 24, 2025

On March 24, Small Business Majority Georgia Director Rachel Shanklin submitted written testimony to the Georgia House Rules Committee on SB 207, legislation which would improve the process for obtaining an occupational license in Georgia so that more returning citizens can rejoin the workforce and pursue careers in licensed industries. 

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Small Business Majority has created a comprehensive state policy agenda to ensure entrepreneurship is at the center of a thriving and inclusive economy in Georgia. The state’s 1.3 million small businesses comprise 99.7% of all businesses in the state, and they employ 1.7 million residents—nearly half of all Georgia employees.

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

On March 19, Small Business Majority's Georgia Director, Rachel Shanklin, submitted testimony for the record before the Georgia Senate Regulated Industries Committee on HB 1339. The proposal would establish a Comprehensive Health Coverage Commission to study the critical issue of closing the Medicaid coverage gap in Georgia. 

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Small Business Majority's Georgia Director, Rachel Shanklin, submitted testimony for the record in support of SB 157. The proposal will give Georgians a fair chance and help expand our state’s skilled workforce by making it easier for entrepreneurs and jobseekers to obtain occupational licenses. 

Georgia Research

Published:
Thu, 03/07/2024

Small Business Majority’s new poll of Georgia small business owners reveals strong support for legislative solutions that would remove barriers for justice-impacted individuals by making reforms to occupational licensing and debt-based driver’s license suspensions. These politically diverse, and predominantly Republican-leaning, small business owners believe these measures would enable employers to tap into an underutilized workforce and open up opportunities for entrepreneurship.

Published:
Wed, 01/25/2023

While small businesses employ nearly half (46.4%) of the private workforce in the United States, many are struggling to hire and retain a ready workforce. One viable solution to their persistent workforce challenges is the passing of Clean Slate policies, which seal and expunge certain criminal records and allow justice-impacted individuals to seek employment opportunities and entrepreneurship. Individual state analyses of small business responses in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas found widespread support for Clean Slate policies at the state and federal level.

Published:
Wed, 01/11/2023

A new poll of Georgia small business owners reveals strong support for criminal justice reforms at the state and federal level. Georgia small businesses believe that Clean Slate policies can help employers fill gaps in their workforce and remove barriers to employment or entrepreneurship opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals.

Georgia Resources

In Georgia, 1.2 million small businesses employ nearly half of the state’s workforce. Many of these small employers want to offer robust benefits like paid and family leave because it helps them compete with bigger businesses for talent. But this benefit carries a high cost that they simply can’t afford on their own while maintaining their bottom lines.