Illinois Small Business Owner Highlight

Suite Spotte: A coworking space for entrepreneurs

For many micropreneurs or self-employed freelancers, working at home can be isolating. While home offices have plenty of perks, they don’t provide opportunities to interact with others and they can be full of distractions.

Sue Reardon set out to solve this problem with the creation of Suite Spotte, a coworking space in La Grange, IL dedicated to helping entrepreneurs thrive. Suite Spotte is a welcoming and energetic space that’s not just great for getting work done – it also provides a community of collaborative and ambitious entrepreneurs.

Illinois Events

Pause
1 of 5

Learn the basics of retirement savings for Illinois small business owners and their employees
Wednesday, September 28, 2022 | 11:00am CT

If you've wondered how you can save for retirement or offer a retirement savings program for your employees then this is a webinar you don't want to miss. Saving for retirement doesn't have to be a chore for you or your employees.

Webinar | IL

Cómo iniciar y administrar con éxito una empresa basada en alimentos
Thursday, September 29, 2022 | 9:00am CT

Únase a Small Business Majority, la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de Illinois y Northwest Side CDC en un seminario web en honor al Mes de la Herencia Hispana.

Webinar | IL

Small business owner guide: Plan for the future
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 | 11:00am PT

As you work to grow and strengthen your business, it is important to be informed of the resources available to you as a business owner.

Webinar | National

Los fundamentos de crédito y financiamiento
Tuesday, October 18, 2022 | 11:00am PT

El ser empresario es un camino comprobado para desarrollar su independencia y seguridad financiera.

Webinar | National

Virtual screening of Apart
Thursday, October 27, 2022 | 5:00pm ET

Join Small Business Majority and Represent Justice for a virtual film screening of the documentary Apart. This intimate portrait follows three formerly incarcerated women as they attempt to rebuild

Conference | National

See all upcoming events and on-demand webinars »

Illinois Policy

Browse our latest state-based regulatory comments and legislative testimony in this area below, or click the button to view all records.
Pause
1 of 3
Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Small Business Majority’s Illinois policy agenda ensures that small business is at the center of a thriving and inclusive economy and advance policies that promote equitable pathways for entrepreneurship, with a particular emphasis on addressing systemic racism and sexism that impede economic inclusion and harm businesses owned by people of color, women and other underserved owners.

Friday, June 25, 2021

Small Business Majority wrote to Illinois Governor Pritzker in support of HB117, a measure that would expand Illinois Secure Choice so that employers with at least five or more employees may participate and auto-enroll their employees. This is an important step to supporting very small businesses and their employees who are unable to access traditional retirement programs, p

Thursday, April 1, 2021

A year into the pandemic, many small businesses in Illinois continue to struggle to keep their doors open. While government funding programs have provided a crucial lifeline for many businesses, one-off funding opportunities are not going to be enough to support the long-term recovery of our small business economy.

See all policy statements »

Illinois Research

Pause
1 of 3

Small business owners say government doesn’t understand their concerns, need help with healthcare costs and other challenges

Published:
Tue, 08/13/2019
Open for business

Policymakers at all levels, from town councils to the halls of Capitol Hill, emphasize the challenges of small businesses as a key talking point during political debates. But new opinion polling in four states—Illinois, Missouri, Virginia and Wisconsin—reveals small businesses feel their government officials don’t actually understand their challenges, and they support a wide array of policies to address their needs, some of which might come as a surprise to their elected officials.

Strengthening workforce development support for Chicagoland small businesses

Published:
Mon, 07/01/2019
Handshake

This Chicago-based research explores issues related to small business workforce development, particularly for business owners of color located in low- and moderate-income communities. Small Business Majority interviewed and convened local small business owners and business service organizations for roundtable discussions during a six-month research project to learn about key challenges in hiring and managing employees. Overall, the research indicates that small business owners have limited capacity and resources to improve workforce management.

Small Businesses Believe Illinois Needs to do More to Help Workers Prepare for Retirement, Support Legislation Doing So

Published:
Tue, 11/18/2014
plan

The economy is improving, but Illinois small business owners and their employees are facing another financial hurdle: retirement security. The U.S. currently suffers from a retirement savings gap of more than $6 trillion, and more than 38 million households do not have any retirement savings at all. Illinois small business owners and their workers are no exception.

See all research reports »