Your small business helps drive our economy and enriches the community.
The one consistent message I hear about small businesses is that they are the engine of our economy. That’s because they account for more than half of our U.S. labor force and create two of every three net new jobs. They’ve actually built America from the inside out, enriching our communities and our identity day after day.
All that growth is the result of hard work from millions of entrepreneurs. National Small Business Week, which runs May 1-7, is an opportunity to tell them: “Thank you for your service to our communities and to our nation’s economy.”
If you’re a small business owner, just know that the U.S. Small Business Administration has your back.
SBA initiatives have a real and valuable impact on all kinds of small businesses. At every event that I’ve attended over the past five years, there has been someone who has benefited from an SBA program, whether it was help with access to capital, training or federal contracting opportunities.
And, since 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the United States, the SBA also is working to unlock trade opportunities through financing and training resources to help small businesses launch their services and products globally.
If you want to grow your company’s revenue, you also should think about adding the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services to your client list. Of course, I’m talking about the U.S. government. The SBA can help small businesses pursue this market through its certification programs, the 8(a) Business Development Program, procurement training, and counseling and matchmaking events like the Kansas City Small Business Networking Event held each month at Union Station.
Today, small businesses are nimbler, and they frequently outpace the innovation rate of larger firms. SBA is keeping up with the technology boom, as well. The SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and university-based Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs comprise the world’s largest technology seed fund and allocate R&D grants on a competitive basis to support innovation.
This summer’s SBIR Road Tour will be showcasing SBIR and STTR projects across the country. Check for tour stops near you at www.sbirroadtour.com.
So cheers to all our 28 million small businesses everywhere! They are our nation’s jobs creators, adding the spice of life to our neighborhoods and communities!
