When Small Business Succeed America Succeeds – National Small Business Week

In his proclamation of the National Small Business Week President Barack Obama said our country started as an idea, and it took hard-working, dedicated, and visionary patriots to make it a reality.  Successful businesses start much the same way — as ideas realized by entrepreneurs who dream of a better world and work until they see it through.  From the family businesses that anchor Main Street to the high-tech startups that keep America on the cutting edge, small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of America’s promise.

Today Karen Mills Administrator of the Small Business Administration addressed the Small Businesses attending SBA’s National Small Business week conference and said “No 1 objective is to put the wind at your back – empowering entrepreneurs.” Here are some notes from her keynote :

• The Goal of the SBA is to make 23% of all Federal contracting to go to Small Business and that amounts to more than 100 Billion Dollars
• In 2009 SBA achieved 21.9 % Federal contracting to small business and every percentage point is 4 billion dollars
• This effort – small business contracts as part of federal goverment contracts -supported by the President to make this goal
• The SBA released a report this week on everything that has been done for small business obver the last 2 years growing America’s small business to grow the future. The reports main topics are:

1. contracting
2. tax credits
3. access to capital
4. counseling
5. think about small business differently
6. stability and protection in financial and reducing financial barriers and costs
7. continuous process of improvement

• Exports by small business are encouraged. The President has instructed all the agencies to help SBA meet the goals and also remove any barriers that small business face with federal procedures and barriers to innovation
• Treating mainstreet small business and entrepreneur small business differently -The new initiative Startup America accelerate the growth of Americas small business headed by Steve Case.
• Karen Mills has been to 35 states and she is going to more. Entrepreneurs need help in access to capital and need reduced barriers to make it easier to do business. President believes that too. Presidential directive to all all agenciers to all agencies to make sure that any step that is causing problems to small business should be modified or done away with it.

The keynote ended with the statement that the SBA is also working on tightening  loopholes to make sure the programs have integrity. Thinks small business and National Small Business week is very inspirational and small business showing leadership in their own communities and creating jobs and helping the goverment with innovation.

Do you know of a small business that needs counseling ? Check out the new website of SCORE http://www.score.org