Your Small Business AI Stack

by Admin | Jun 25, 2026 | AI Adoption, Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership

Last week, we explored why readiness, not cost, is the real barrier to AI adoption for small businesses. The JPMorgan Chase Institute’s April 2026 research confirms it: the businesses moving beyond experimentation are not the ones with the biggest budgets. They...

Why Most Small Businesses Aren’t Using AI Yet (And It’s Not What You Think)

by Admin | Jun 18, 2026 | AI Adoption, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

Artificial intelligence is no longer a concept on the horizon. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AI adoption among small businesses has more than doubled since 2023, and more than half of small business leaders now describe AI tools as critical to their...

Why Small Businesses Have Stopped Investing

by Admin | Jun 4, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, Economic Insight

Capital investment is one of the clearest signals of business confidence. When owners are willing to spend on equipment, vehicles, facilities, and technology, it means they believe the future justifies the outlay. When they stop, it means something else entirely....

The Tariff Refund Window Is Open. Here Is What Small Business Importers Need to Do.

by Admin | May 21, 2026 | Business Strategy, Economic Insight, SMB Leadership

On February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a category of tariffs called IEEPA tariffs. More than 300,000 U.S. companies that paid these tariffs are owed refunds, totaling roughly $166 billion. U.S. Customs opened the refund process on April 20, and...

Why Many Small Businesses Are Pulling Back Despite Profitability

by Admin | May 14, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, Economic Insight

The April Bank of America Institute Small Business Checkpoint frames a contradiction worth a closer look. Profitability growth held positive through the first quarter, but small business payroll growth has been negative for three consecutive months, and overall...

Small Business Credit Readiness: Why Lenders Still Say No

by Admin | Mar 26, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership

Last week, we discussed how credit shapes small business lender readiness. So, what actually happens when a loan request moves from conversation to credit review? Recently published Federal Reserve data gives us a clearer picture. In the 2026 Report on Employer Firms,...