Since the recession, small businesses trying to get bank loans have faced tougher credit standards -- and little has changed.
Jannet Walsh is not waiting for the presidential candidates to encourage more jobs. Instead, the unemployed Minnesotan is trying to create one on her own.
Farmers, boating companies and restaurants are among the growing number of small businesses reeling from the worst drought to hit the United States in 12 years.
The Senate voted Tuesday to begin debate on a bill to give tax breaks to small businesses that hire new workers or boost pay for existing workers. But the overwhelming 80-14 vote masks the broad expectation that because of an unrelated fight over the Bush tax cuts, the small business bill is unlikely to pass the chamber.
updated: Mon Jul 09 2012 16:20:00
President Obama calls for the renewal of Bush-era tax cuts for Americans who make under $250,000.
For the sixth year in a row, the government has missed its goal to award 23% of all federal contract dollars to small businesses.
Mitt Romney promised members of the nation's small business lobby on Wednesday that, if elected, he would shut down health care reform, reduce taxes and tackle regulations.
When it comes to small businesses and the Buffett Rule, it really is about the 99%.
As the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in the constitutionality of the health care reform law, CNN spoke with two experts on opposing sides of the issue.
Small suppliers looking to get online face time with big companies are getting a little help, thanks to a website launched by IBM Thursday.
The nation's smallest businesses continued to add jobs in February, but they were mostly for low-wage work, according to a report released Monday. Small employers created 45,000 new jobs in February, according to payroll processing firm Intuit, which analyzes monthly employment data from 70,000 businesses with less than 20 workers.
Banks denying small businesses loans keep demanding what they can't have - collateral - and the disconnect is forcing firms to look elsewhere.
An Obama administration lending program set up to funnel cash to small banks was expected to cost taxpayers $1.3 billion. Instead, it will turn a profit of $80 million.
A growing portion of the nation's banks saw a spike in demand for loans to smaller firms late last year, according to the latest Federal Reserve figures.
Two years ago, the Supreme Court upended the rules for campaign finance, unleashing a tsunami of unregulated, unrestricted and undisclosed spending that has, in effect, allowed donors to buy elections. The full impact of this decision is just now becoming clear, and it's bad both for America's businesses and for our democracy.
Government-backed loans to doctors have surged more than 10-fold in the past decade, a trend industry insiders say is a red flag that doctors in America are in financial distress.
updated: Tue Jan 17 2012 05:25:00
President Obama announced on Friday his plan to trim the federal government. CNN's Dan Lothian reports.
Small business is not to be trifled with. President Barack Obama's announcement last week of a proposal to temporarily elevate the Small Business Administration to Cabinet rank is a move in the right direction.
President Barack Obama's proposal to consolidate several agencies, including the Small Business Administration, aims to streamline government, but some worry about tossing big and small companies together.
Republican front runners have debated about a wide range of issues: the economy, jobs and more.
In the war against regulations and government restrictions, proponents have argued that it would be better for our economy to let the market rule. If we just get government out of the way, the market would determine business winners and losers and more jobs would be created. It's an appealing, red-blooded, American-sounding pitch. But what are the practical outcomes of such a policy?
Like taxes and regulations, technology can prove to be a real nightmare for small businesses. In fact, a recent study by online backup provider Carbonite found that 48 percent of American small businesses with between two and 20 employees experienced data loss this year, up from 42 percent in 2010.
Raise taxes on the rich, and you'll put the nation's "job creators" at risk.
A Treasury Department program aimed at helping small businesses get their hands on cash ended this week -- with a thud.
The health reform passed last year included tax credits to help ease the burden of surging health care costs for small businesses. But many small firms are ineligible.
The $447 billion stimulus plan that President Obama unveiled earlier this month won't change hiring plans for many small businesses, according to a survey released Tuesday.
Some were optimistic. More were highly skeptical. And others were left scratching their heads. That's how some small business owners felt about President Obama's jobs package, which was unveiled Thursday.
President Obama has passed 17 tax breaks and credits for small businesses. But when it comes to job creation, they don't add up to much.
To many Republicans and business leaders, there's little doubt: The health care law and sweeping new Wall Street regulation -- two of President Obama's signature legislative victories -- are causing uncertainty and killing jobs.
The nerve-racking volatility of the stock market has been making small business owners, well, nervous.
Providing benefits to full-time employees is an increasingly unattractive option for small businesses. As a result, they are hiring part-timers.
Throwing money at a problem doesn't always work.
Consumers love the free flights, gadgets and cash back they get when they pay with their rewards credit cards. But mom and pop stores cringe when they do.
Hiring and the mood among small business owners continued their downward spiral, according to survey results from an industry group.
When it comes to hiring, the engines of job growth -- small businesses -- are sitting idle.
Tory Burch launched her fashion label in 2004 from her Upper East Side apartment. Now she has a chain of boutiques in cities from Manhasset, N.Y., to Manila in the Philippines. She also has partnerships with upscale department stores like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, and four outlet stores.
Bank lending to small businesses fell $15 billion in the first quarter of this year, according to a report released this week from the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy.
Small business owners have a grim outlook on the economy, with a gathering number planning to reduce jobs over the next three months, according to survey results from an industry group.
Former Iams owner Clayton Mathile made billions in big business. Now he's passing the secret of his success to small companies.
When it comes to small business success, California is the not-so-Golden state -- at least that's what a recent report from Dun & Bradstreet suggests.
Small businesses continue to add jobs, but the pace of hiring seems to be flattening.
Fred Thevenin's rafting business in the Grand Canyon stands to lose $60,000 on Saturday if lawmakers don't work out a deal to avert a federal shutdown.
Prices are going up all over Main Street.
A legislative effort to delay and study a new law capping the swipe fees that retailers pay is picking up steam in Congress.
Small businesses in three states may have an easier time getting loans, thanks to an infusion of funds from Uncle Sam.
Small businesses have ramped up their hiring in recent months, fueled by a recovering economy and more optimistic business owners.
The House and Senate are at a stalemate when it comes to getting rid of a hated small business tax reporting provision.
President Barack Obama told a conference of would-be entrepreneurs Tuesday that continued government investment in research and development was necessary to keep U.S. businesses competitive in the 21st century.
Like the rest of the federal government, the Small Business Administration is going to get the squeeze in 2012, according to President Obama's budget proposal released Monday.
The numbers back up what small business owners have been saying for two years: Main Street suffered a brutal credit crunch.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama pledged to "out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world." But what will it take to enhance America's entrepreneurial edge?
Even as the Obama administration is promoting small business as key to the U.S.'s economic recovery, Congress is reviewing Small Business Administration programs with an eye toward cutbacks.
Why do Republicans want to take away tax breaks for small businesses?
In late 2009, just as Goldman Sachs was being widely slammed for showering billions in bonuses on its employees after receiving a massive federal bailout during the financial crisis, the investment bank announced -- coincidentally or not -- that it was committing $500 million over five years to help small businesses in distressed urban and rural communities across America. Called "10,000 Small Businesses," the program would combine practical business training with loans delivered through community lending institutions. Goldman assembled a distinguished advisory board led by Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett, the bank's biggest investor, and Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter, who is well-known for his research on inner city entrepreneurship. The program then dropped out of the news.
Doing your taxes stinks, right? No fun at all. But take note as you brace for your 2010 return: A handful of changes in the tax code could translate into a fatter refund check.
Entrepreneurs trying to sell their businesses seem to have had an easier time of it last year, although they may not have gotten the price they wanted.
Small businesses saw a sharp jump in hiring in December, according to an ADP report released Wednesday.
It's not every day that Main Street gets a slam dunk on Wall Street. But the Federal Reserve's proposed cap on "swipe fees" could significantly reduce small businesses' costs while cutting into big credit card company's profits.
The Small Business Administration announced two new lending initiatives on Wednesday aimed at getting relatively modest loans to small businesses quickly.
It's the oldest trick in the political playbook: Call together a "summit" of fancy people so you'll appear to be focused on work that must get done.
The nation's engine of job growth is revving up: small businesses were responsible for 58% of the private sector hiring in November, according to a report released Wednesday.
Top Democrats are uniting with Republicans in a show of support for small business owners: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Friday that he will introduce legislation to repeal the expanded 1099 reporting requirements set to take effect in 2012.
A law initially opposed by Republicans has provided 3,600 small businesses with more than $1.4 billion in new loans since taking effect, President Barack Obama said Monday.
Small business owners are less than pleased with their relationships with their banks, especially big banks, according to a study from consumer satisfaction research firm, J.D. Power and Associates.
Small businesses are not getting access to the credit they need, and as a result, they are struggling to generate the jobs needed to lead the nation toward recovery.
Bank of America will hire 1,000 new small business bankers by early 2012, the company announced Thursday.
One stimulus program designed to get loans flowing again to the nation's small businesses worked very well, as in $5 billion well.
As the economy continues to sputter, President Obama recently signed legislation extending the life of several stimulus measures. But one program designed as an emergency rescue for small businesses didn't get life support, and no one seems to be mourning its loss.
A lot of people are mad as hell at Washington right now. The recession is officially over, but it doesn't feel over.
President Barack Obama signed into law a $42 billion bill to aid small businesses Monday, saying it would create jobs by providing tax credits and helping banks increase loans.
updated: Mon Sep 27 2010 16:36:00
The $42 billion bill aims to create 500,000 jobs through tax breaks and increased bank lending to Main Street businesses.
One week after the Senate passed a $42 billion bill aimed at helping small businesses, the House voted Thursday to send the bill to President Obama's desk.
Across the country, small businesses are talking to their accountants about a hefty tax credit that could make health insurance a little more affordable.
Republicans say raising taxes on the wealthy would cause small businesses to pull back on hiring. Many leading Democrats say that's nonsense. Who's right?
After months of debate and significant pressure from the White House, the Senate on Thursday passed a $42 billion bill aimed at helping small businesses.
President Barack Obama tore into GOP congressional leaders again Wednesday for trying to block his small business aid bill and opposing his plan to extend the Bush tax cuts only to those making under $250,000.
The Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on ending a debate on a bill that it says will aid small businesses and result in the creation of 500,000 jobs.
President Barack Obama tore into GOP congressional leaders again Wednesday for trying to block his small business aid bill and opposing his plan to extend the Bush tax cuts only to those making under $250,000.
The Senate voted Tuesday to move the $42 billion Small Business Jobs Act forward, bringing the bill one step closer to passage.
IBM and five other major U.S. corporations said Tuesday they would make it easier for small companies to apply for billions of dollars worth of corporate contracts to help boost the economy.
As policymakers in Washington focus on ways to help small businesses, the leaders of America's biggest companies delivered their own message on Tuesday: Don't leave us out of efforts to stimulate the economy.
Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week after the summer recess and small business tops their to-do list.
President Barack Obama lashed out at congressional Republicans again on Monday, telling a group of northern Virginia residents that a GOP push to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for voters making over $250,000 is unaffordable.
President Obama's plan to offer $200 billion in tax breaks for businesses that invest in plants and equipment would likely have only a limited impact on most small businesses, experts say.
President Barack Obama blasted Senate Republicans on Monday for blocking a small business assistance bill, calling their opposition "pure partisan politics."
Many state programs that help small businesses get loans they need to survive or expand are in jeopardy, victims of the economic downturn and state budget gaps.
updated: Fri Aug 20 2010 09:43:00
The President urged Republicans to put partisanship aside in order to pass pending small business legislation.
President Barack Obama on Thursday renewed his call for Senate Republicans to stop blocking a jobs bill intended to help small businesses.
President Barack Obama pledged Wednesday that the Social Security system won't be privatized while he is in the White House.
updated: Wed Aug 18 2010 12:08:00
President Obama speaks at a campaign event for Sen. Patty Murray in Seattle and takes aim at Republicans.
President Barack Obama on Tuesday renewed his call for the U.S. Senate to pass a jobs bill aimed at helping small businesses.
The credit market may finally be starting to thaw out, according to a report from the Federal Reserve.
President Obama used an appearance at a small business in Washington to again call on Congress to pass small-business legislation that he says will help strengthen the American economy.
As mom-and-pop businesses struggle to make ends meet, the latest attempt to help them has gotten mired in Washington politics.
Washington's big debate - whether or not to extend the Bush-era tax cuts - heated up Wednesday, and appeared headed for a showdown when Congress returns from its summer break next month.
President Barack Obama on Wednesday challenged Senate Republicans to back a bill that would help small businesses, calling its provisions "things the Republican Party has said it supported for years."
Would making the rich pay higher taxes next year hurt the economy?
President Obama on Friday called on the Senate to pass a small-business jobs bill that would, for one, help spur greater lending to struggling business owners.
In a speech last week, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said banks across the country are systematically denying loan requests from financially credible small businesses. Bernanke implored community banks to lend more to small businesses, saying they are "crucial to America's recovery."
On Monday Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke took up the growing issue of lack of lending to small businesses by banks, and the havoc it's causing in the economy. Lending to small businesses contracted by $40 billion for the first quarter of 2010 as compared to 2008. Only a third to half of small businesses were able to secure a loan or line of credit in 2009. And Small Business Administration lending all but disappeared in June, thanks to the end of a popular stimulus program. Because of the dry-up, Bernanke said small businesses "have had difficulty obtaining the credit that they need to expand and, in some cases, even to continue operating."
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