Press Releases

by Raymond J. Keating – As a group looking to protect small business and spur entrepreneurship, why does SBE Council care about the latest trade data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis? The simplest and most straightforward answer is: Exports represent opportunities for U.S. businesses, including small firms, while practically all imports are […]

By Karen Kerrigan – Over the past 18 months, small businesses have been ravaged by COVID-19 and the subsequent restrictions that forced millions of storefronts to shutter their doors. As a result of restrictive shutdowns and rules, one estimate finds that more than 285,000 small businesses have closed down across the United States. We believe […]

by RAYMOND J. KEATING – Sorting through the July personal income report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis results in a mixed story. Let’s initially take a look at some positives (all data seasonally adjusted annual rates). The Mostly Positives First, after a big decline in April, a smaller but still significant drop in […]

Join Us at 12:00 Noon ET! Innovation and new applications to start businesses are running ahead of pre-COVID levels, in spite of the hit that SMBs and our economy took during the past year or more. That’s the optimistic spirit of the entrepreneur! The ones that made it through relied on tech to connect with […]

by Raymond J. Keating – Little changed with the second estimate of second quarter GDP (gross domestic product) released on August 26 by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Compared to the initial (or “advanced”) estimate released in late July, real GDP growth was revised up, from 6.5 percent to 6.6 percent. Policy Decisions Determine […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The latest durable goods orders report from the U.S. Census Bureau served up some negative numbers for July. Hopefully, this is a one-month incident, and not a trend. First, the topline number showed durable goods new orders down by 0.1 percent in July. But that came after a 0.8 increase […]

August 24, 2021 Dear Member of the U.S. House of Representatives: The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) strongly opposes the partisan $3.5 trillion budget resolution that will soon be considered by the U.S. House.  The massive package is a tax-and-spend blowout that does not serve the interests of small businesses and entrepreneurs. Higher […]

Banks providing “STEP Act loans” will net approximately $38 billion in income through interest payments and fees on family business borrowers. By Karen Kerrigan – No, this is not the story about a successful entrepreneur who takes her startup to the public markets. This is about government policy run amiss. A story about the unintended […]

The tax and spending splurge will make running a small business much more burdensome, not ‘better.’ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. – As the U.S. House begins to consider voting on the partisan $3.5 trillion budget resolution today, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council voiced strong opposition to the tax-and-spend blowout proposal. SBE Council president […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The latest state employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that nonfarm payroll employment increased in 38 states in July 2021 compared to the previous month, with 12 states essentially unchanged. But what tells us more about the state of jobs in each state is to compare […]