Posted by Keith Hall (NASE National Tax Advisor) - The New Jobs Report for last month indicated that 227,000 new jobs were created in February which is certainly better than a punch on the nose. Regardless of which way you lean politically, your party will agree that approximately 70 percent of those jobs were created by small business owners. Small businesses just like yours. But it gets better. According to the “Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity” there were an estimated 543,000 new businesses created every month during 2011. That was not a typo: 543,000 new businesses every single month or about 6.5 million for the year.
Holy Cannoli! And yes, I am sure some of those new small businesses can serve outrageously good cannoli, but regardless of what you have for lunch, it was probably funded by a small business owner. It’s the one thing your lunch has in common with our entire economy: Both are funded by small business. I am very proud to be part of this sector of the economy and you should be as well. Owning your own business, creating a job, and satisfying a need in your community are all great rewards and knowing that you are making THE biggest difference for the entire American economy is just icing on the cake.
I know it gets heavy sometimes when you feel like work is never done. There are always a thousand things to do and every night we go to sleep with many of those things still on the to-do list. It is easy to feel like you are all alone in those struggles, but I am here to tell you that you are not alone. There are over 500,000 new small businesses just started last month, facing many of the same issues as you. Keep that in mind on those late Saturday nights when the task seems overwhelming. And don’t forget that you have resources as well. Bookmark the NASE website at NASE.org. Bookmark the IRS website at IRS.gov and even the Small Business Administration at SBA.gov. When you have a question or concern or just want to hear of other small business success, you have resources. Keep up the good work and always remember: You Are Not Alone.