One of the constant sources of partisan bickering on Capitol Hill these days has to do with how small businesses are doing and what might be needed to help them do better. In fact, Democrats and Republicans fight over that point so much lately that you might think they actually cared. On the other hand, [...]

On the eve of the House vote that finally sent sweeping health care reform legislation to President Obama’s desk, the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) has released the results of a member survey indicating that lawmakers have been getting it wrong from Day One. For example, while almost eight in ten microbusiness owners (77.6%) [...]

Sixty-four percent of small business owners report decreased revenue over the last 12 months, according to a survey released last week by the National Small Business Association. On the other hand, a majority of survey respondents (52%) expect the economy to produce growth opportunities over the next 12 months. And here’s more good news: the [...]

As lawmakers debate various elements of a health care reform bill, two thirds of microbusiness owners say they are watching closely, with about 60% feeling they have, minimally, a moderate understanding of the issues, according to a survey released last week by the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE). The survey was conducted among microbusiness [...]

Speaking of the SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs and federal performance measures, there are clearly two problems where one intersects the other. The first and most obvious problem is that “bodies through the door” — that is, the number of users of the program — tells you nothing about whether the program successfully does what it [...]

Just in case anybody was thinking that last week’s Wall Street gyrations have nothing to do with privately held, unincorporated small businesses, the National Small Business Association’s Mid-Year Economic Report puts the kibosh on such comfortable ideas. Small business owners have a pretty dismal view of the economy, with 79% of them anticipating flat growth [...]

A whopping 94% of microbusiness owners delivered a resounding “Yes!” in answer to the seemingly silly question “Are increased energy costs, such as gasoline prices, affecting your business?” No surprises there. According to the results of a member survey released by The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) last week, 87% of respondents said that [...]