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Jobs and Pay Both Getting Worse

November 10, 2009 by Jeff Cornwall with 142 views

Each passing month, each passing quarter, the news gets no better. The economy is going nowhere.The National Federation of Independent Business Index of Small Business Optimism remains wallowing near its lowest levels since the NFIB first began this survey decades ago. In the 1980-82 recession the Index was below 90 in only one quarter... [read more]

Healthcare Reform: Is it worth it for small business?

November 9, 2009 by Zane Safrit with 121 views

Sometime this weekend, I lost track, our House of Representatives, approved a landmark health care reform bill Saturday night by a 220-215 vote.Many provisions in this bill are landmark. The one we’re talking about today is the provision that mandates all employees, with any and every business, receive health insurance benefits. What... [read more]

How to Unlock Entrepreneurial Optimism

September 28, 2009 by Jeff Cornwall with 202 views

In my column this week at the Tennessean, I offer my take on what we need to do to unlock the optimism of entrepreneurs:Each month the National Federation of Independent Business conducts a survey of small business owners to gauge key economic trends.The September survey shows a slight improvement in owners' optimism. Granted, the index... [read more]

Looking for that Pony on Christmas Morning

September 8, 2009 by Jeff Cornwall with 145 views

This month's NFIB survey of small business owners shows a slight improvement in their overall optimism. Granted, the index is still very near its all time low, but small business owners see some hope for their businesses over the longer term."The gain in the Index clearly signals that the worst is likely over, but so far there has been... [read more]

Healthcare on our Entrepreneurial Minds

July 27, 2009 by Jeff Cornwall with 160 views

The healthcare debate, especially as it will impact small business, is all the buzz in Washington and around the country. Rita Gunther McGrath has a well argued post at her blog about the impact of higher taxes needed to pay for socialized healthcare and the inevitable regulatory burdens that it will create. Here is an excerpt: Well,... [read more]

Profit Crisis on Main Street Continues

July 14, 2009 by Jeff Cornwall with 122 views

According to the NFIB, the current recession has been harder on small business profits than any time over the past 35 years. And profits slipped again this past month."When profits are bad, like now, small business owners cannot reinvest, except to replace things," said Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB chief economist. Plans to make capital... [read more]

Things Are Looking Up?

June 10, 2009 by Barbara Weltman with 150 views

How does your optimism today compare with that of small business owners across the nation? The National Federation of Independent Business Index of Small Business Optimism rose 2.1 points in May. The Index appears to have bottomed out in March when it nearly reached the all-time low attained in the second quarter of 1980. Most... [read more]

The Economic Road Ahead

June 9, 2009 by Jeff Cornwall with 192 views

There are some signs that the recession may be bottoming out. The NFIB Index of Small Business Optimism rose again in May for the second straight month. But just what will the recovery will look like? And what is the longer term outlook for the economy?The recovery will be quite lumpy. This is not going to be a case of a rising tide... [read more]

Entrepreneurs' Spirits are Up

May 12, 2009 by Jeff Cornwall with 120 views

My read of the entrepreneurs here in the Nashville area is that they are feeling a bit more optimistic. Those who have weathered the storm seem to feel that the worst may soon be over.The latest national survey from the NFIB seems to support my anecdotal observations, as their Index of Small Business Optimism rebounded in April.This... [read more]

Innovation + Infrastructure = manufacturing jobs

March 12, 2009 by Zane Safrit with 140 views

A recent report by the Boston Consulting Group from a survey of the corporate members of the National Association of Manufacturers pointed out the simple math of innovation + infrastructure = manufacturing jobs. Three highlights:1). According to a recent study, the United States has aggregate structural costs that are 17.6 percent... [read more]

Reinventing the SBA

June 9, 2008 by Steve King with 89 views

Bizjournals has an in-depth story looking at the role of the Small Business Adminstration in today's world.  The question the article asks is "can an agency created during the Eisenhower administration serve the needs of small businesses in the 21st century?"  According to the article many, including the vast majority of... [read more]

Health Insurance Follow-up -- I Told You So....

December 13, 2007 by Jeff Cornwall with 58 views

I wrote the other day that I was concerned with the direction the NFIB was taking regarding their position on health care reform. My reading of the tea leaves was correct. They have released their "Principles for Health Care Reform." They list ten principles: universal, private, affordable, unbiased, competitive, portable, transparent... [read more]

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