The recent news that McDonald’s is relocating from Oak Brook to downtown Chicago generated headlines. But in reality, it is small businesses, which employ 2.4 million Illinois residents, that actually drive the suburban — and national — economies. While the McDonald’s relocation may have local impact, the ongoing struggles of… Read More

New census data shows that more Americans are moving to Florida than any other state. This is quite obvious in and out of season. The Sunshine State added 332,000 net domestic migrants between July 2014 and June 2015, 60,000 more than second place Texas. Gov. Rick Scott still reigns supreme… Read More

Last Wednesday, Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) announced new legislation to ease the burden on American small businesses, which account for half of all U.S. jobs and two-thirds of its new jobs. The Bring Small Businesses Back Tax Reform Act (H.R. 5374) would lower the tax rate on pass-through businesses’ first… Read More

This summer, the Dodd-Frank financial legislation, the longest and most complicated bill in American history at over 22,000 pages and 27,000 regulations, marks its sixth anniversary. I’ve seen first hand its negative impacts in preventing small businesses from accessing the capital they need to form and expand. I own a… Read More

Starting a business is increasingly difficult. The rate of business starts is hovering near the lowest level in recorded history on a per capita basis. More businesses closed than were opened at the beginning of this decade for the first time in a generation. Why are things so bad right… Read More

This week is National Small Business Week, an annual celebration of the country’s small business entrepreneurs. And there is a lot to celebrate. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. It’s easy to forget about the contributions of small businesses amid the focus on companies that are “too… Read More

A glance at the March jobs numbers released last week suggests that the national economy is doing fairly well. Over 200,000 jobs were created and the unemployment rate was virtually unchanged at 5 percent. The numbers look even better for Florida, whose state unemployment rate has fallen below 5 percent… Read More

Not only did the U.S. economy add 215,000 jobs in March, but Florida is considered by many to boast one of the country’s strongest economies. The Orlando area is no exception: The local unemployment rate has been below 5 percent for months now. But surface-level statistics don’t tell the whole… Read More

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is out with its February jobs report, showing that the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent—a post-recession low. Good news, right? Depends on how you look at it. This number does not take into account that millions of people have simply given up looking for jobs,… Read More

Financial markets are down about 10 percent this year, stoking fears that the country might be on the precipice of another recession. Other economic indicators are mixed: The unemployment rate is at an eight-year low, but the percent of people who have dropped out of the labor force altogether is… Read More