Recently in the SBA Category

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is inviting submissions from the public on how to become more transparent, participatory, and collaborative.

Deadline to submit comments is now through March 19, 2010.

The public's feedback and ideas are key in assisting SBA's plan.

Click here to submit your comments.

Any questions can be directed to opengov@sba.gov.

Click here to read the complete news story on WIPP's website.

2010 National Business Week is May 23-25 in Washington, DC.

I just read a new analysis of job gains and losses from the SBA Office of Advocacy that indicates small businesses created some 65 percent of the net new jobs in the private sector over a recent 15-year period. Although many of the new jobs are in new business startups, even more are in expanding firms - most especially mid-sized firms with 20-499 employees.

New startups and continuous high-growth firms were found to play an essential role in the labor market - allowing for an environment to create a large share of jobs.

Click here to read the complete article. Click here to visit WIPP's Economy policy page and learn more about our recent activities.

For more information and a complete copy of the report, visit the Office of Advocacy website at www.sba.gov/advo.

The SBA Office of Advocacy recently released an article revealing that small business ownership helps to increase a household's overall well-being. A report released on January 28, 2010 finds that households owning small firms during 1998-2007 were more likely to be in the top 50% in income and wealth.

To view the full article, please visit - http://sba.gov/advo/research/rs357tot.pdf by George W. Haynes.

Finding highlights included:

* Households owning any business were significantly more likely to be high income earners in 2007 than in 1998; the largest percentage gain was among owners with more than one business

* In the latter part of the period - between 2004 and 2007 - the likelihood that households owning a small business had a high income increased by 4.2 percent and the likelihood that they had a high level of wealth increased by more than 20 percent, compared with increases of 2.1 and 5.2 percent, respectively, in households not owning businesses.

* The characteristics of households and businesses were somewhat different in 1998 than in 2007. By 2007, high income households were headed by younger people, while higher wealth households were headed by older people.

* From 1998 to 2007, households not owning a business increased read mean wealth by just under 40 percent; the comparable increase for those owning a small business was 63.4 percent.

- Office of SBA

For a comlete copy fo the study, visit the Office of Advocacy website at www.sba.gov/advo.

Today WIPP had the opportunity to talk directly with the President on the healthcare issue.  Six of us had 20 minutes with the President on behalf of the businesses we represent to discuss our concerns about healthcare reform and the need for reform.  We focused our comments in a simple manner - we want better choices and lower prices.  If those two goals are accomplished, we know our members will provide insurance and it doesn't need to be forced on them. 

The President knows this stuff cold.  He didn't need any note cards or staff prompting.  He knows exactly why small businesses need reform of the insurance system and our concerns that the final product will help us not hurt our bottom line.  He told us that the big winners will be small businesses who are already offering insurance because of the assistance tax credits will provide.  And he wants us involved in the shape of the final product.  It was also very clear to me that the SBA Administrator, Karen Mills, has the President's ear.  She was involved in the discussion as well.

Now about our economic force - we told the President that if women business owners had their own country, they would have the 5th highest GDP in the world - ahead of France, Italy and the U.K. 

If you are a member of WIPP, know that your views have been communicated directly to the President.  If you are not a member, join and let your voice be heard.

SBA's Associate Administrator for Government Contracting Business Development, Joe Jordon, testified before the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee that agencies are not meeting their women-owned goal of 5% with respect to stimulus contracts. According to Mr. Jordan, as of October 2, nearly 26 percent of all federal stimulus contracting dollars, or more than $4 billion, was awarded to small businesses.  Specifically, more than $1 out of every $4 spent on federal Recovery Act contracts has gone to small businesses, even though the Recovery Act does not set a specific goal for small business contracting.  In most cases, agencies have been instructed to follow the government's annual goal of awarding 23 percent of all prime contract monies to small businesses.  This means that out of the approximately $60 billion in stimulus funds expected to be awarded through federal contracts, about $13 billion should go to small businesses. 
 
While other disadvantaged business categories have received amounts in excess of the relevant goals, agencies have failed to meet the women-owned small business goal of 5 percent.  Rather, women-owned small businesses have received only 4 percent of all Recovery contracts.  "Until the SBA implements the Women's Procurement Program which gives contracting officers a tool to restrict competition to women-owned firms, we will continue to fall behind," said Barbara Kasoff, WIPP President.  The SBA has developed its first online training course specifically geared toward women in federal contracting: Winning Federal Contracts: A Guide for Women Entrepreneurs.  Click here to access the free course. 

Sadie Wathen, Small Business Policy Analyst