SBE Council

Advocacy and Outreach: SBE Council's advocacy work focused on residual issues in the aftermath of Covid-19 - such as inflation, supply chain challenges, labor market shortages, various tax issues, the need for policy stability - and the growth and wider use of innovative technologies and platforms being used by small businesses and startups and the need for government initiatives that encourage adoption and the innovation that brings new tools to market at lower costs. SBE Council continued to monitor and comment on significant regulatory initiatives within the federal agencies - particularly the Department of Labor (DOL), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - to ensure the regulatory process was being followed by agencies and the impacts on small businesses were properly considered. SBE Council distributed 23 letters to Congress, which addressed legislation relating to capital access and affordability, small business taxes, government spending and the potential inflationary effects, IP protections, health care costs and choice, regulatory reform, workforce issues, quality broadband access, and U.S. competitiveness and innovation. On budget issues, SBE Council advocated against tax increases and excessive spending that would fuel inflationary pressures. SBE Council supported measures to maintain key tax incentives such as immediate R&D expensing, bonus depreciation and other pieces of the 2017 tax relief package that have supported small business and will expire in 2025. Our team testified three times before Congress on health care reform and workforce issues shortages. We provided testimony for the record four times on issues related to tax complexity, innovation and entrepreneurship. Regulatory comments and engagement focused on rulemakings that would negatively impact the startup ecosystem, privacy policy, workplace regulation, and government contracting. We weighed in on significant rulemakings (five comments filed), for example, at the NLRB on the expanded "joint employer" standard, DOL's independent contractor proposal, potential unintended consequences of the Federal Communication Commission's "digital discrimination" rules, the FTC's total ban on noncompete agreements, the importance of a National Spectrum Strategy, and various rulemakings and guidance that would harm IP rights, innovation and startups. SBE Council engaged small business owners and the policy community by authoring and distributing 68 policy briefs on the aforementioned issues, keeping our list of over 212,000 entrepreneurs and partners up-to-date via our Small Business Insider e-news (65 published and distributed), the Growth Without Barriers podcast (5 recorded), and 35 in-person briefings and roundtables on Capitol Hill and with entrepreneurs as the U.S. Capitol and U.S. House buildings were re-opened to the public in January 2023.

Education: SBE Council creates and distributes educational content and hosts events to provide entrepreneurs and small business owners with the tools and knowledge they need to launch and succeed. SBE Council's weekly "Business Intelligence" tips and trends for entrepreneurs was produced 24 times, along with 64 Small Business Insider blog posts featuring "how to" information, advice and guidance for business owners on topics ranging from market trends, new digital tools and social media marketing, tax rule changes and compliance, the possibility of new regulation and how to prepare, protecting intellectual property, artificial intelligence tools, how to compete for workers, financing and more. SBE Council did extensive outreach and content focused on misinformation small business owners were receiving from "ERC mills" on the Employee Retention Tax Credit and to understand the rules of eligibility. SBE Council's president participated in 17 online webinars on various topics and issues geared the growth of the digital economy, and value of online platforms. SBE Council played an active role in a global entrepreneurship exchange initiative where our president spoke at international events on the topics of digital tools, trade, and the future of entrepreneurship and the creative economy. SBE Council collaborated with various partners on numerous educational initiatives and spearheaded a new "Metaverse Business Alliance" focused on sharing information and trends on the convergence of Web 3 technologies. We continued our strong support of campaigns such as Small Business Saturday (we are a founding member), World IP Day, National Small Business Week, and Global Entrepreneurship Week. SBE Council social media platforms are important sources for sharing the range of educational content noted above, which reaches a significant audience. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are used extensively in sharing content and for engaging with business owners and the public. SBE Council's "Growth Without Barriers" podcast (5 recorded and distributed) is also an important pipeline for sharing our educational content and educating the public about important policy matters being debated and advanced in government.

Research & Analysis: SBE Council produces research reports, small business surveys, issue briefs and analysis on issues that help elected officials, policy leaders in government, entrepreneurs, the media and general public better understand how entrepreneurship and small businesses are vital to the economy and how small firms and business creation are impacted by specific policies that are being proposed or advanced. In addition to the regular daily content authored by SBE Council's economic team (98 briefs were produced for the year), various special reports and research included a range of surveys to better understand how small businesses were navigating stubborn effects of the post-Covid economy and dealing with challenging issues like inflation and workforce shortages. Our quarterly "Small Business Checkup Survey" produced important data and information, which played a role in helping lawmakers, policy leaders and the media better understand small business priorities, how they were responding to challenges and market conditions, new tech tools they were using, and where they stand on key issues. SBE Council continued to report on the growth of new business applications and small business adoption to tech. One key report - "Emerging Technology, Innovation and Small Business" reported on their use and views of artificial intelligence, AR/VR and "metaverse" technologies, cloud computing, e-payments systems and more. Our daily and weekly economic briefs and blog posts helped both small business owners and members of Congress better understand the data and trends in regular economic reports - such as the monthly jobs report, and monthly trade, manufacturing, consumer credit, productivity, consumer confidence, the Federal Reserve Beige Book and durable goods reports.

Other - Media and Communications: The media and earned media serve as an important platform for SBE Council to educate on the key issues, policies and resources that entrepreneurs and small businesses need to compete and succeed. SBE Council successfully utilizes a range of media channels and tools to help educate entrepreneurs and the public about issues and challenges facing small businesses, which helps to build awareness and support for the policies and resources that small businesses need. SBE Council regularly speaks to the media - via interviews, radio and television appearances, and through in-person and online events - and publishes Op-Eds, blog posts and podcasts to discuss top issues and to share "how to" information and trends. The team published 16 Op-Eds, released 56 press releases or statements, participated in 18 podcasts, distributed 68 Small Business Insider e-news reports (which are distributed to the media) and avidly uses social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) to communicate the results of research, or in support of advocacy efforts.