We're Small, and We're Proud

By Dana

To ensure that this blog is as non-partisan as I can manage, I'm going to open with two quotes about small business:

We proudly call ourselves the party of small business because small businesses are where national prosperity begins. Small businesses such as Main Street retailers, entrepreneurs, independent contractors, and direct sellers create most of the country’s new jobs and have been the primary means of economic advancement by women and minorities.

 

We honor the entrepreneurs and small business owners who are the engine of our economy. Their ingenuity and hard work are critical to our Nation’s prosperity... Small businesses will lead the way to prosperity, particularly in today’s challenging economic environment.... Our Nation’s success depends on America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs.

 

As a small business built largely around the idea of supporting other small businesses, I'm pleased to report these September 2009 statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy:

Small Business Impact on the Economy
The estimated 29.6 million small businesses in the United States:

1. Employ just over half of the country’s private sector workforce
2. Hire 40 percent of high tech workers, such as scientists, engineers and computer workers
3. Include 52 percent home-based businesses and two percent franchises
4. Represent 97.3 percent of all the exporters of goods
5. Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms
6. Generate a majority of the innovations that come from United States companies

Those are some pretty impressive statistics and I think it's great to be part of them. Simple realism says that economic recovery will be long and bumpy, but I'm hopeful that some of the more encouraging projections of recent weeks come to pass. I have always believed that the American entrepreneurial spirit is the strength of this economy and essential to the country's backbone. And taking pride in what we businesses have done and will continue to do for the nation seems like a nice reflection for Patriot's Day, September 11. Eight years ago was mind-bendingly tragic and shocking, but we can honor those who lost their lives that day in national pride.