Resilient Businesses Summit

One Day. Hundreds of Small Businesses.

One Goal. Build a Bridge.

11.13.2010

Small businesses are at the heart of our economy: their resilience is essential to a strong, successful, and influential industry.  It is well documented that small businesses generate more jobs than any other scale business or sector per investment dollar. With their dollars remaining in their communities, they have the largest impact on local economics which increases the impact of the dollars invested in such businesses.  But their inherent success is challenged by a lack of big business and federal support that comprehends the particular needs of small and micro-businesses.

The support services currently in place to help small businesses are mis-targeted.  For example, the Small Business Association (SBA) has emergency loans as part of the Recovery Act.  All studies of micro-loans show a higher payback rate then larger business loans and yet the SBA loans under $30K have an extra ‘high risk’ surcharge.  There is a disconnect between services providers and the very Small Businesses they propose to support. 

In this summit, we bring together the voices of small businesses and their potential support systems. We lay the cards on the table and discuss the needs, the challenges, and the practices, and leave with a plan for instigating change.  What does it mean to be viable and successful? What are supportive policies? What exactly will the new Small Business Funding law provide? What are the necessary community structures that need to be in place in order for this to happen? How can existing organizations and government programs provide for scaled services?

We lay the foundation to

Bridge the Gap

between the needs of Small Businesses

and their Big Business and Federal supporters.