Commentary: The Federal Government is Deciding Who Can Start a Small Business

Business Owner

Just when it seemed impossible for things to get tougher for small businesses, the federal government decided to make things worse.

Small businesses have had a tough run for the last few years. Record inflation, high interest rates, and workforce shortages have led to widespread pessimism among small businesses. The last thing they need is more government interference, but that is exactly what is happening.

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Ohio Business Optimism Rises, Concerns Remain Real

Business Owner

Ohio businesses were more optimistic in December but still well below normal, citing inflation as their biggest concern, according to a new survey from the National Federation of Independent Business.

The most recent study showed the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 1.3 points in December to 91.9 but is still well below the 50-year average of 98. It’s the 24th consecutive month the index failed to meet the long-term benchmark.

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Small Business Owners Pessimistic About the Economy, Poll Shows

Small business owners are pessimistic about the future of the economy, according to a new poll.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses released the polling data Tuesday, which shows that the group’s “Small Businesses Optimism Index” decreased slightly in November to 90.1, its 23rd straight month below the historical average of small business optimism.

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Majority of Small Businesses Not Seeing Holiday Bump as Consumers Run Out of Cash: POLL

In a poll of small business owners, 76 percent said that they had not seen an increase in sales during the holiday season as inflation and other economic conditions constrict consumers’ cash, according to Goldman Sachs.

Of small business owners surveyed, 55 percent said that their profit margins decreased this year, and a further 70 percent said that their own personal spending plans for their families were negatively impacted following their own assessment of the state of the economy, according to a poll by Goldman Sachs conducted from Dec. 1 to Dec. 8 of 337 small retail business owners. Consumer spending previously slowed in October as the Americans’ savings declined to $768.6 billion in the month, down from the over $1 trillion held in May and even further from the all-time high of almost $6 trillion held in April 2020.

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Report: Tennessee Shows Improved Prime-Age Employment Rate from Before Pandemic

Tennessee is one of 26 state’s that has improved its employment rate between now and before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Tennessee saw a 2 percentage point improvement from 79.9% employment for those ages 25 to 54 in the first three months of 2020 compared to 81.9% employment for that age group in the first three months of 2023.

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Poll: Small Businesses See Signs of Hope After Brutal 2022

Despite a historically tight labor market, small business owners reported that hiring difficulties had eased in December, markedly improving compared to November, according to a poll conducted by Vistage Worldwide for the Wall Street Journal published Friday.

Of the roughly 650 small business owners polled, almost 25% reported that hiring was easier in December than at the start of the year, while just 20% said it was harder, according to the WSJ. In November, those numbers were 18% and 25% respectively, and some small business owners reported success thanks to pay raises and hiring freezes or layoffs at larger firms.

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Over 40 Percent of Small Business Owners Give Biden Failing Grade on Helping Main Street: Poll

Roughly 43% of small business owners gave President Joe Biden an “F” grade on his support for small business, according to the Job Creators Network’s monthly Small Business IQ poll, obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Small Business Intelligence Quotient — a measure of small business optimism where scores of 100 and 0 represent the best and worst possible conditions respectively — slid to 52.9 in November from 53.3 in September and October, returning to just above the yearly low of 52.7 set in June, according to the poll conducted by pollsters Scott Rasmussen and John McLaughlin. On a monthly basis, small business owner’s optimism about current conditions climbed 0.2 points to 55.9, but expectations about the future slipped 0.09 points to 50.6.

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Poll: Small Business Owners Trust Republicans to Help Them Amid Recession Fears

Small business owners believe they’ll benefit from Republican victories in the upcoming elections, according to a new poll.

Most small business employers believe the country is in a recession, and fear that economic conditions will put them out of business, with a majority believing a Republican victory will help them, according to the survey conducted by Rasmussen and the Job Creators Network Foundation (JCNF). The poll reflects a broader concern among voters about economic conditions and historic levels of inflation under the Biden administration.

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Small Business Optimism Continues to Fall Nationwide, Ohio

Small business optimism fell to its lowest point in nearly 50 years, and Ohio small business owners remain cautious about growth, according to the monthly National Federation of Independent Business Optimism Index.

The index fell 0.1 points in May to 93.1, making it the fifth consecutive month below the organization’s 48-year average of 98. At the same time, the nationwide survey showed the percentage of owners expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months fell 4 points to 54%. That also represented the lowest mark in 48 years.

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Just Six Percent of Small Businesses Have Fully Recovered Pandemic Losses, Poll Shows

Just 6% of small businesses that were negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic have fully recovered their losses, a Job Creators Network survey showed.

The vast majority of U.S. small business owners continue to “claw their way out” of the hole caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the poll commissioned by small business advocacy group Job Creators Network (JCN) and shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. While 6% of small business owners that suffered losses related to the pandemic said they have recovered, 43% believed they would be fully recovered within six months.

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Crom Carmichael Expresses His Concern for Small Business Owners and How the Federally Proposed Stimulus Will Still Keep Things Tight for Families

Live from Nashville, Tennessee Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– Leahy and Carmichael discussed the economy and its effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Senators Rally Support for Small Business Saturday

by Molly Prince   Senators from both sides of the aisle urged constituents on Saturday to shop at small businesses in support of their local communities in what has become the annual shopping holiday known as Small Business Saturday. “Happy Small Business Saturday! Take some time today to shop small in your community,” tweeted Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi. “Whether it be the mom and pop store in town or the local grocery store, we should support our small businesses that depend on us for their livelihood.” Republican Sens. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and David Perdue of Georgia noted that small businesses are making communities stronger. Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Kansas Republican Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts referred to small businesses as the “backbone” of their states’ economies, and West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin called them the “heart of our economy.” Some Senators even provided fun facts to express the importance of buying local. Democratic Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Cory Booker of New Jersey noted that small businesses create two out of every three net new jobs, and Republican Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota added that 10 percent of all U.S. businesses are owned by veterans. Republican Sen.…

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Commentary: Here’s What Small Business Owners Like Me Need in Tax Reform 2.0

by Mark J. Bollman   What’s even better than one federal tax cut bill? Two rounds of tax cuts. It just might happen this summer, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan. Tax Reform 2.0, as it’s being called, would aim to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s individual tax cuts permanent, extending them past their 2025 expiration date. But just as importantly, this second set of tax cuts may focus on America’s economic backbone: small business. Small business tax cuts are the key to expanding a growing economy. When job creators spend less of their hard-earned money on taxes, they in turn invest it in hiring additional staff, expanding operations, and rewarding employees with bonuses. We’ve seen all of the above since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed. Over 500 job creators around the country have announced raises, bonuses, and enhanced employee benefits for current staff, which in total benefited over 4 million hardworking Americans. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more. ] Just look to MB Financial in my home state of Illinois. MB Financial’s president said that “it is only natural that we share the benefits of tax reform.” He raised the base wage for hourly employees to $15 per hour, in addition to giving…

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