by Admin | Oct 23, 2025 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, Economic Insight, SMB Leadership
The latest NFIB Small Business Economic Trends report shows that optimism among small business owners declined in September for the first time in three months. The Small Business Optimism Index fell to 98.8 (down 2.0 points from August), while the Uncertainty Index...
by Admin | Sep 25, 2025 | Becoming Bankable, Economic Insight, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning
In a recent post, we highlighted a paradox in the small business landscape: optimism was climbing, but investment lagged. The latest NFIB Small Business Economic Trends report (August 2025) shows the same pattern playing out in financing. Borrowing Is at Its Lowest in...
by Admin | Aug 28, 2025 | Business Strategy, Economic Insight, Profitability, SMB Leadership
The small businesses that pay tariffs directly to US Customs saw their costs jump 170% since January 2025, serving as an early warning system for the broader economy. These direct importers are essentially economic canaries in the coal mine. They feel policy changes...
by Admin | Aug 21, 2025 | Business Strategy, Economic Insight, Strategy Planning
NFIB data from 2020 through July 2025 reveals a pattern that challenges expectations that pricing increases lead to improved profitability. The Pricing-Profit Disconnect During this period, the net percentage of businesses raising prices and their reported net profit...
by Admin | Aug 14, 2025 | Business Strategy, Economic Insight, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning
When two major organizations independently report the same business trend, smart leaders pay attention. The latest US Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index (Q2 2025) confirms what I analyzed last month in my post based on June 2025 NFIB data: small businesses are...
by Admin | Aug 7, 2025 | Business Strategy, Economic Insight, SMB Leadership
A July 2025 Pew Research report shows that in 1980, women held 29% of management roles in American businesses. By 2023, that figure had risen to 46%, a welcome 17-percentage-point increase over four decades. Women’s educational gains drove much of this shift,...
