The Small Business Watchdog

How are small businesses doing in your state? The Office of Advocacy has just published the Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories, to help answer this question. These profiles are brief two-page documents that give policymakers, small business owners, economists, and many others a detailed picture of the economic role of small businesses [...]

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The deadline for submitting proposals for small business research for the Office of Advocacy has been extended to February 8. The original announcement with the revised deadline follows.
The Office of Advocacy examines the role of small business in the economy and publishes research on a wide range of topics each year. These studies educate policymakers [...]

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As 2012 winds down, the Office of Advocacy continues to build up an impressive number of achievements working with federal agencies and small business owners to bring transparency to the regulatory process. The synergy between our research and regulatory work continues to strengthen both areas; timely and actionable research is the foundation of efficient and [...]

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On November 7, the greater D.C. chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) presented a panel on trends in finance, policy, and regulatory requirements that affect women small business owners. Treliant Risk Advisors hosted the event, Regulatory Developments Affecting Women-Owned Businesses, and Advocacy Economist Christine Kymn [...]

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“The mission of Advocacy’s Office of Economic Research is to conduct, sponsor, and promote economic research that provides an environment for small business growth.”
The Office of Advocacy recently awarded seven research contracts using fiscal year 2012 funds. The awards are listed in the table on this page. The topics include research into how and why [...]

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The Office of Advocacy recently posted several new one-page explanations of Small Business Facts — detailed answers to questions about small business economics. One installment in the series deals with health insurance patterns in small firms, and explains three realities of the health insurance marketplace:
• Small firms are less likely than large firms to offer [...]

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The Office of Advocacy’s latest small business lending report is a valuable small business tool because it tells you who is making small business loans in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and most of the territories. Since there are several ways to measure lending, it’s not quite accurate to say any one lender [...]

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Confused about terminology? Or the basic definitions used in small business statistics? The Office of Advocacy has launched a new series, “Small Business Facts,” to demystify key small business topics and explain terms that often cause confusion. These concise handouts will bring you up to speed on key information and issues.
Six Small Business Factsheets are [...]

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Ah, summer—gardening time! Although since the dog tore up my first attempts at gardening a few years ago, I haven’t had the urge to get down in the dirt with a rototiller. But I do like locally grown fresh produce, and every year I purchase a season’s worth of weekly fresh vegetables from a local [...]

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Business Insider recently published an article drawing on data compiled by the Office of Advocacy to show an interesting caveat that applies to analyses of all businesses—nonemployers and employers combined. “In 2010,” the article reads, “21.7 million U.S. businesses were without employees, while only 5.6 million had them. At 79 percent of all American companies, [...]

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