Two thirds of jobs in the United States exist because of entrepreneurs that started small businesses. Millions of Americans across the nation are dependent on small businesses for jobs, and small businesses are dependent on access to funding. Availability of funding is critical for operations and expansion of business. That’s why afeUSA thinks it’s critical for entrepreneurs to know what resources are available to support their small businesses, American jobs, and the United States economy.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1958 to help American small businesses start, sustain, and grow. This year they were given $159 million of discretionary funding in the 2017 federal budget for disaster assistance, capital, counseling, and even contract opportunities to small businesses. This work includes the SBA providing loan guarantees for up to $46 million to help up to 65,000 small businesses across the country. The SBA is also prepared to increase the number of microloans they give to borrowers with good credit in an effort to increase entrepreneurship, and they want to support existing small businesses figure out ways to enter the global marketplace to expand their businesses. The SBA is preparing to facilitate over $90 million dollars in federal contracts during the next fiscal year, so this is the perfect time to take advantage of their educational resources to learn how to take advantage of lucrative business opportunities that may become available.
Some of the most vital services that the SBA provides is mentorship, training, and advising. The SBA provides these services to help entrepreneurs increase their impact on the economy by increasing sales and creating more jobs. The SBA’s reach is staggering with over 900 outreach offices, sixty three small business development centers, and over one hundred women’s business centers. More than one million entrepreneurs seek assistance, and the SBA is more than equipped to serve a large crowed with over $142 million dollar budget.
afeUSA thinks that agencies like the SBA are vital to maintaining a thriving economy for small businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and middle class, and access to funding and resources ensures that they are able to continue operating and expanding. afeUSA noted that Representative John Carney, Representative Sean Duffy, Representative Mike Quigley, Representative Ander Crenshaw, Representative Brad Sherman, Representative Stephen Fincher, Representative Carolyn Maloney, Representative Kathleen Rice, Representative Daniel Kildee, and Representative Nydia Velazquez recently supported a bill that advocated to keep resources available to small business. afeUSA wrote these representatives to thank them for standing up for small businesses and making sure that advocacy and economic resources remain available to small businesses across the country.
