2013 year in review: the small business perspective
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2013 Year in Review: The Small Business Perspective
John Arensmeyer
Founder & CEO
Small Business Majority
December 18, 2013
Special Guest
Kirsten GillibrandUnited States Senator - NY (D)
About Small Business Majority
• Founded and run by small business owners
• National – 30 team members with 12 offices in Washington, DC and 8 states: California, Colorado, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Washington State
• Research, communications and advocacy on issues of top importance – healthcare, taxes, entrepreneurship & capital, clean energy, financial reform, workforce and immigration
• On-the-ground business organizing & education: 22 target states
• Network: 24,000+ small business owners; 6,300+ business organizations; 100+ strategic business partners; reach 400,000+ small businesses; 17-member national Small Business Network Council
Biggest issues impacting small business in 2013
• Taxes, budget, debt ceiling
• Affordable Care Act
• Clean energy
16 research releases
4,000+ media placements
Added 17,000 new business network members
Surpassed 100 strategic partners
New education materials (English & Spanish, state & national policymakers)
• Immigration reform
• Workforce issues (FML, min. wage, nondiscrimination)
2013 — Taxes & budget
Taxes & Budget
Healthcare
Immigration Reform
WorkplaceClean Energy
Taxes, budget & debt ceiling
• Majority of small biz believe we need long-term solution to debt ceiling issue, but that strengthening the middle-class economy is the top priority
• Strong opposition to weakening Social Security or Medicare
Small businesses want a long-term solution to budget crisis
Series1
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
20%
15%
35%
21%
A. (Some/other people say) that this recurring issue allows politicians to hold the economy hostage to their particular spending priorities and threatens the U.S credit rating. There should be a long-term solution to this issue so the U.S. pays its bills and it doesn’t come up for political votes over and over again.
B. (Some/other people say) the debt ceiling is an impor-tant check on the federal deficit and helps prevent unre-strained government spending that is hurting our econ-omy more than anything. To get spending under control we must keep the debt ceiling with repeated votes if nec-essary for accountability.
55%
36%
n n Much closer n n Somewhat closer
Taxes, budget & debt ceiling
• 4 in 5 small biz support reforming corporate tax code in revenue positive way by closing loopholes that favor large corporations, while reducing the top corporate tax rate
• Hosted tax policy briefing with The Hill newspaper with keynote remarks by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY). Sen. Levin introduced new legislation to close loopholes at event
Small businesses support tax reform that closes loopholes
Support
Oppose
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
43%
8%
36%
13% 21%
79%
n n Strongly n n Somewhat
Small businesses needlong-term fiscal certainty
• 700+ small biz owners signed website stoptheshutdown.com, asking lawmakers to put political differences aside and open the government; find long-term solution to budget woes
2013 — Healthcare
Taxes & Budget
Healthcare
Immigration Reform
WorkforceClean Energy
• Marketplaces open—education about all of small biz options is crucial—partnership with the SBA
• Education around state marketplaces—SBM acts as coverage guides
• Create websites exclusively for small biz around marketplaces, new law (healthcoverageguide.org)
Insurance marketplaces: education is key
Healthcare: Nationwide outreach
• Healthcare outreach in 22 states
n Highly activen Increasingly activen Active
Healthcare: State highlights
• Two-thirds of all SHOP educational events in California conducted by SBM
• Working as Health Coverage Guides in Colorado
Missouri
• Working extensively to educate small business owners in
Oregon
Connecticut
Ohio
2013 — Immigration reform
Taxes & Budget
Healthcare
Immigration Reform
WorkforceClean Energy
Immigration reform
• Poll: small business owners strongly support immigration reform; support bipartisan bill passed by Senate
• 25 educational events across the country
• Hosted roundtable discussion with Ohio small business owners and Homeland Security Janet NapolitanoDo you favor or oppose the bipartisan immigration reform plan being worked on in the Senate?
34%
51%
13%
3%
Strongly favor
Somewhat favor
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
Taxes & Budget
Healthcare
Immigration Reform
WorkforceClean Energy
2013 — Workplace
Workforce issues
• Family & medical leave: Plurality of small businesses support publicly administered family and medical leave insurance pools paid with payroll contributions by employees and employers.
• Minimum wage: More than two-thirds of small business owners support increasing the federal minimum wage, up from $7.25 an hour, and adjusting it yearly to reflect the cost of living
• Workplace nondiscrimination: Small business owners strongly favor federal and state laws protecting gay and transgender people from discrimination in employment
Taxes & Budget
Healthcare
Immigration Reform
WorkforceClean Energy
2013 — Clean energy
Clean energy: Extreme weather impacting small firms
• Report: Small businesses are particularly at risk from climate change and the extreme weather events it causes
• Polling: Small businesses believe climate change and extreme weather are an urgent problem that can disrupt the economy and harm small businesses.
• Polling: Small businesses support stronger clean air standards
Clean energy: Rapid response
• Supported efforts to promote a clean energy-based economy, including educational events and policy engagement around energy efficiency and renewable standards
• Healthcare: educate small business owners and media about ACA implementation; marketplaces
• Tax and budget: national plus IL, MI, MO, NC, OH, VA
• Clean Energy: extreme weather & expand Midwest engagement
• Immigration reform
• Workforce issues
2014 priorities: Continue key 2013 work
• Small businesses still need capital to grow & hire
2014 priorities: Entrepreneurship & capital
Credit for my small business is a problem
Credit for small business is a problem
17%
30%
20%
37%
Serious problemSomewhat serious prob-lem
67%
37%
Opportunity employment
2014 priorities: Opportunity employment & retirement
Retirement
2014 goals
• Solidify role as leading pragmatic small business voice
• Dramatically expand small business network
• Use expanded state presenceto engage on state issues
• Launch initiative on women’sentrepreneurship
Questions?
Rhett Buttle
VP, External Affairs
202-828-8357
Connect with us!
@SmlBizMajority
Small Business Majority