Small Business

Census Bureau: Number of Minority-Owned Employer Firms Increased in 2015

Minority-owned employer firms in the United States increased by approximately 4.9 percent in 2015 to 996,248 from 949,318 in 2014, according to findings from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs. Payroll and employment for minority-owned employer firms in the nation also increased from 2014 to 2015 by approximately 7.0 percent ($237.5 billion…

SBA: Ignite Tour Blazes Across the Country

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Administrator Linda McMahon, the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, today announced the SBA Ignite Tour—a national outreach campaign aimed at fueling small businesses with tools and resources to grow their companies and create more American jobs. McMahon will tour more than 60 cities in two years. Throughout the tour McMahon…

SBA: Nonprofit Organizations Receive Funding for Providing “Boots to Business” Entrepreneurship Training

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration has awarded a total of $2,324,100 to two nonprofit organizations providing “Boots to Business” entrepreneurship training to military service members, military spouses and veterans. This funding, offered by SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development, will enable the two organizations to deliver Boots to Business—the entrepreneurship track of the Department…

SBA: One Month Left to Apply for Disaster Loans in MO, AR and TN

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Director Tanya N. Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West today reminded small nonfarm businesses in 11 Missouri counties and neighboring Arkansas and Tennessee counties of the July 10, 2017, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-interest loans are to offset economic losses because…

SBA: Call for Comments on NAFTA Modernization and Economic Impact Panel Participants

On May 18, President Trump formally launched the re-negotiation of NAFTA.  The SBA wants small businesses to get involved by commenting on how NAFTA has impacted your businesses.  The deadline to submit comments is June 12, 2017. Submit written comments or written notification of intent to testify along with a summary of your testimony to…

SBA: Veterans Small Business Advisory Committees to Host Public Meetings June 7th and 8th

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development (IATF) and Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs (ACVBA) will hold their second public meetings of 2017 on June 7 and 8 at SBA headquarters in Washington, D.C. “These meetings are critical in helping us understand veterans’ workforce opportunities and…

SBA: $18 Million in Funding Announced to Support Small Business Trade Growth

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Administrator Linda McMahon, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, today announced an $18 million funding opportunity to support export growth among U.S. small businesses.  The funding opportunity will be awarded through SBA’s competitive State Trade Expansion Program (STEP).   States interested in putting in proposals should go to Grants.gov and download the funding opportunity…

SBA: SBA Partners with Synergy Solutions to Launch Cybersecurity Online Training Initiative

WASHINGTON –    Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced its partnership with Synergy Solutions to launch a free, new comprehensive series of web-based cybersecurity training containing up to 10 modules to educate 7(j) eligible small businesses about cybersecurity and steps they can take to protect their company’s assets and intellectual property.  While the classes are…

CFPB: Request for Information on Small Business Lending

We have issued a Request for Information on the small business lending marketplace. We aim to learn more about how small businesses engage with financial institutions, with a particular focus on women-owned and minority-owned small businesses. Your responses will enhance our current expertise of the small business lending space, and help us as we work…

CFPB: Exploring Ways to Assess the Availability of Credit for Small Business

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today launched an inquiry into ways to gather and use new and existing information to identify the financing needs of small businesses, especially those owned by women and minorities. Small businesses typically need access to credit to take advantage of growth opportunities, yet public information on this…