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Working with other countries to increase international trade is an important part of what we do at the U.S. Small Business Administration, and at our Office of International Trade. Economic development teams from around the world come to SBA to try and find ways to duplicate in their own countries at least some of what we do for small businesses. A recent example of how we build relationships in that regard is Oman. Since 2008, Tanya Smith of the OIT staff and I have been working with the government of Oman – and other countries...
The Best Places to Work in the federal government rankings are out, showing overall employee satisfaction and commitment throughout the federal workforce. I’m pleased to say that SBA’s overall score rose for the second consecutive year. I know that it happened because so many of our employees have been working – in both big and small ways – to make SBA a great place to work. Our biggest jumps from 2010 to 2011 came in training and development, strategic management, and agency leadership. As I told SBA...
As a former entrepreneur, I know that it is the talent of the people with the big ideas and the ability to execute that will ultimately build a company and put it on a trajectory towards success. It is those dreamers and those doers that can transform our daily lives by the products they imagine and create or the services they share and provide. As we celebrate National Entrepreneurship Month and Global Entrepreneurship Week, I am inspired by the movement to celebrate entrepreneurship as an important means to create jobs and revive...
America’s small businesses got a big boost to hire veterans last night when Congress passed part of President Obama’s American Jobs Act proposal. Specifically, small businesses will get: Up to $5,600 for hiring unemployed veterans Up to $9,600 for hiring unemployed service-disabled veterans President Obama says he plans to sign the bill into law. At the same time, he encouraged Congress to pass the rest his proposals in the American Jobs Act, which has a number of benefits for America’s small businesses,...
On Monday I met Ryan Poortinga, who owns San Diego Sky Tours in San Diego, California. When Ryan graduated from college, he couldn't find a job, so he created his own job. With counseling from an SBA resource partner, he and a friend started San Diego Sky Tours. They give private, custom tours of San Diego by air. The business has been so successful that they are already hiring their first employee and planning on expanding or even franchising. Ryan is a perfect example of the next generation of entrepreneurs that...
Like many Americans in my generation, my father was a World War II veteran. My life has been shaped and influenced by his service. Now, as Deputy Administrator at the SBA, I am committed to supporting America’s veteran entrepreneurs and business owners as they grow their business and put America back to work. Just yesterday, I hosted a forum for young veterans on the campus of San Diego State University as part of SBA’s Young Entrepreneurs Series and National Entrepreneurship Month. I was happy to meet so many...
I’m pleased to announce the winner of a video competition for small businesses that have used exporting to increase their sales and create jobs. Exporting is a crucial driving force in building on America’s economic growth. This year alone, the U.S. had several record-breaking months of exports, helping contribute to the President’s goal of doubling U.S. exports and supporting 2 million jobs under the National Export Initiative. For this competition, we put out a call for businesses to make an educational video of three...
On Wednesday, I visited an innovative green business in Memphis that retrofits big air-conditioning units in order to reduce wear-and-tear while saving their customers on energy costs. As businesses like this grow and find new customers, we need to do everything we can to make sure they have the working capital they need to scale up and create jobs. That’s why I was proud to announce that SBA recently reengineered our CAPLines program. Banks are already starting to use it to put more capital in the hands of small businesses....
This column originally ran in The Washington Post Capital Business. The federal government spends more than $500 billion a year in contracts, making it the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world. Small businesses throughout the country can and should take advantage of contracting opportunities, which can be a crucial source of revenue to help them grow, innovate and create jobs. President Obama has made small business contracting a top priority. He created an inter-agency task force which developed recommendations to...
I am thrilled that President Obama has declared that November is National Entrepreneurship Month. At the U.S. Small Business Administration, we’re using this month to celebrate entrepreneurship in a number of ways. We launched the Student Startup Plan to help more college graduates learn how to lower their loan payments in order to get the “breathing room” they need to start a business. We are hosting a Young Entrepreneurs Series (YES) to help more young people come together, exchange ideas, and get on a path toward...
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by Luz Hopewell, SBA Official on Monday, November 21, 2011 - 16:38