Technology & IP

By Karen Kerrigan– In recent posts on our Small Business Insider blog, Rieva Lesonsky’s Trendcast highlighted the exciting growth and various trends in e-commerce. The significant increase in e-shoppers age 65 and above and the upsurge in the “stay-at-home” category of goods and products being purchased online offer tremendous opportunities for small businesses and new […]

Small Business Insider by Raymond J. Keating- Congress has formed an antitrust posse to go after so-called “Big Tech.” And part of the justification – or at least what’s being stated – is to help out small businesses and innovation. But are small businesses and so-called “Big Tech” friends or foes? I explored this topic […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Just in case you thought that all congressional hearings were established to learn and perhaps gain insights from experts, there is the title of a hearing on March 18, 2021, in the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law: “Reviving Competition, Part 3: Strengthening the Laws to Address Monopoly Power.” […]

  by Raymond J. Keating- Hmmm, I thought we wanted small, entrepreneurial firms in the U.S. to succeed and grow to the point that these enterprises become global leaders. Judging by the behavior of assorted U.S. elected officials and their appointees, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case when it comes to small technology […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Technology has empowered entrepreneurs and small businesses in unprecedented ways in recent times. Avenues and options to market and sell their goods and services to potential customers in their own towns, across the nation and around the world have never been so plentiful and affordable thanks to investments and innovations in […]

by Raymond J. Keating- By day, I serve as chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council). By night, I live another life as a novelist. One would not expect too much overlap between such positions, and that’s generally true. But given that I’m an economist with a small business group, and […]

In a February 24 Washington Times Op-ed, SBE Council president & CEO Karen Kerrigan reviews the critical role technology companies and online platforms have played for small businesses during the COVID-19 economy, and how legislative efforts to impose intrusive regulation of the industry would undermine entrepreneurship, innovation, small business recovery and U.S. tech leadership.  Kerrigan […]

NEWS For Immediate Release Washington, D.C. – Today, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) released a briefing paper titled “The Treacherous Turn on Antitrust Regulation of U.S. Tech Companies.” As the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law kicks off a series of hearings – the first on Thursday, February 25th […]

by Raymond J. Keating- A big question for many entrepreneurs and small businesses is: How do I reach potential customers, especially in a cost-effective way? And regarding new and existing customers: How do I stay in contact with people who purchased my products? These aren’t some hypothetical or academic questions. Far too many small businesses […]

by Raymond J. Keating- Given what they do for a living, I’m always struck at how tone deaf some politicians can be. For example, Members of Congress have long played the game of attacking pharmaceutical companies, labeling them “Big Pharma.” Of course, that ignored the fact that small, entrepreneurial firms overwhelmingly populate the industry (for […]