You Do Not Have to Export to Qualify for an SBA International Trade Loan

by Admin | Aug 6, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

The International Trade Loan is a variant of the SBA 7(a) loan. It funds facilities and equipment used in the United States to produce goods or services, working capital, and debt refinancing under existing program rules. It carries a 90% SBA guarantee, compared with...

The Smallest Firms Are Carrying the Heaviest Load

by Admin | Jul 23, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

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...

Halfway Through the Year: Are You More Bankable Than You Were in January?

by Admin | Jul 9, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

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,...

The Two-Track Economy: What Small Business Owners Need to Understand Right Now

by Admin | Jul 2, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

The current economy, also described as “K-shaped” or “bifurcated”, depending on which numbers or reports you read, appears to be doing well. Small business owners know better. This is the two-track economy, and the data suggests it is widening. Select macroeconomic...

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...

Immigrant-Owned Businesses: Getting Approved Isn’t the Problem. Getting Fully Funded Is.

by Admin | May 28, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning

Access to capital is often framed as approval versus denial. The data suggests something more nuanced. According to the Federal Reserve’s 2026 Small Business Credit Survey: Chartbook on Immigrant-Owned Firms, 44% of immigrant-owned businesses were fully approved for...