Illinois Small Business Owner Highlight

New restaurant owner perseveres to keep feeding her Chicago community

Most first-time business owners struggle to be profitable during the early stages of their business venture. But when you add a global pandemic into the mix, the chances of being profitable essentially go out of the window. This was the case for Nichole Jackson, a former educator who decided to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and become a restaurant business owner in 2019.

Illinois Events

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How to Find Grant Opportunities for Your Small Business
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 | 1:00pm ET

The pandemic and economic relief efforts have led to more grant opportunities than ever for the nation's small businesses. With the main federal relief programs now over, small businesses are seeking out other funding opportunities that may be available to them.

Webinar | National

Todo sobre la microfinanciación colectiva
Thursday, June 23, 2022 | 11:00am PT

Las campañas de microfinanciación colectiva (crowdfunding) son una alternativa innovadora de recaudación de fondos que une las redes sociales y las finanzas, abriendo nuevas opciones para que los empresarios recauden capital para sus negocios.

Webinar | National

Su guía para formalizar su negocio desde casa
Tuesday, August 2, 2022 | 11:00am PT

Únase a Small Business Majority en un seminario web gratuito donde aprenderá sobre cómo puede iniciar o hacer crecer su negocio desde el hogar, aprovechando los recursos locales.

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

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.
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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

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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
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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 »