Small Businesses Are Borrowing Again, Mostly on Lines of Credit
We have tracked the decline in small business applicant credit quality across 15 straight quarters through 4Q25, and in 1Q26 it declined again, the 16th in a row. What changed is on the demand side. According to the latest Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Small...
The Smallest Firms Are Carrying the Heaviest Load
Small business profitability declined further through May 2026, according to the June edition of the Bank of America Institute Small Business Checkpoint. The inflow-to-outflow ratio, a measure of cash flow health, fell across every revenue tier. But the decline has...
Capital Readiness Is a Strategic Question
Opportunity rarely gives advance notice. Most business owners spend real time planning for growth. Far fewer prepare for the opportunities they cannot predict. A major contract. A new location. An acquisition. A partnership that changes the trajectory of the business....
Halfway Through the Year: Are You More Bankable Than You Were in January?
At the start of 2026, most small business owners set their sights on growth. More revenue. New customers. Expanded capacity. If you identified the priorities that mattered most heading into this year, you had a clear sense of where you wanted to go. Six months later,...