Surveys and trends — Small Business

Economy Steady and S-L-O-W According to Businesses

May 21, 2012 By Adam Ney Leave a Comment

How is Connecticut’s economy performing? Steady and S-L-O-W, say business owners and executives, responding to CBIA’s latest quarterly economic survey. The First Quarter 2012 CBIA Economic Survey found that area executives believe the economy and their own firms have maintained gains seen in the fourth quarter of 2011.

“While we still have a long way to go in growing the economy, the last two surveys show optimism and growth expectations on par with slow but steady economic recovery,” says CBIA economist Peter Gioia.

The survey found that 41 percent of respondents see their own firm improving over the next three months, while 12% predicted worsening. In the last survey, 46 percent saw the potential for improvement, while 14 percent took a pessimistic outlook.

So I ask the question – as it relates to your business, do you believe that the economy is moving in a positive direction? Tell us at http://www5.cbia.com/minds/

Still Room to Improve State’s Small Business Climate

January 10, 2012 By Adam Ney Leave a Comment

Index puts Connecticut at 44th nationally; neighbors fare worse
By Bill DeRosa

Although the bipartisan jobs bill passed last October contained a number of important measures to help small businesses create jobs and grow, Connecticut still has some work to do to shake the national perception that we’re not a very friendly state for small firms.

According to the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council’s Small Business Survival Index 2011, Connecticut ranks 44th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in small-business-friendliness. That’s a drop of three places from 2010, when Connecticut ranked 41st.

The index rates states according to their public-policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship based on 44 major government-imposed or government-related costs. Among the factors contributing to Connecticut’s low ranking are: [Read more...]

Monday Morning Small Business Briefs

June 20, 2011 By Adam Ney Leave a Comment

Here’s a round-up of recent small business news and activities here in Connecticut and beyond.

SBA Debuts Mobile App

This month, the U.S. Small Business Administration is debuting its first application for mobile devices to provide assistance to entrepreneurs on the go.

Palo Alto Software Inc. developed and donated the app to the SBA, with the initial version only operable on Apple’s iPhone with other platforms to follow.

Among other features, the app allows users to get video content and social media alerts, connect with SBA district office staff and counselors, and get answers to simple questions about starting a business, writing a business planor finding funding. [Read more...]

National Survey Reveals Opportunities For Small Business

May 9, 2011 By Adam Ney 1 Comment

Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc., last week released the results of its national small business survey – commissioned to identify the challenges facing entrepreneurs across the country. An advocate for small business owners, the Travelers Institute also released its white paper (pdf), titled “Small Business, Big Opportunity – Finding Solutions for Small Business Challenges.” The white paper and survey results will serve as the cornerstone for discussion at the Travelers Institute’s national series of symposia on small business advocacy.

According to the Travelers Institute’s national small business survey, nearly two out of three of those surveyed find tax-related regulations too burdensome, while 51 percent find health insurance mandates challenging. When asked about disaster planning, more than half of all small business owners surveyed indicated that they do not have a business continuity plan, raising an alarm for small business preparedness. [Read more...]

State Ranks High In New Economy State Index

November 29, 2010 By Adam Ney 1 Comment

Many jobs lost in the recession are never coming back and job creation is expected to be sluggish for years. This has created an imperative to develop new jobs, business models and industries. The states are on the front line of this effort and it is more important than ever for them to embrace innovation and the New Economy. In the 2010 State New Economy Index, The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) shows how the states are doing in efforts to be competitive in the global, entrepreneurial, innovation- and knowledge-based New Economy. The report builds on previous reports that go back more than a decade, and uses 26 indicators to assess the states’ efforts to succeed in the innovation economy.

Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland, New Jersey, and Connecticut are the top five states at the forefront of the nation’s movement toward a global, innovation-based new economy, according to report released by ITIF and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Read the full report here (pdf).

New NABE Survey Shows Business Recovery Gaining Momentum

October 26, 2010 By Adam Ney Leave a Comment

“The National Associoation of Business Economics (NABE)’s October 2010 Industry Survey confirms that the U.S. recovery from the Great Recession continues, with business conditions improving,” said William Strauss of Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. [Read more...]