Happy Small Business Month, fellow small business owners! While this has been a crazy decade to say the least, small businesses still make a big impact on the U.S. economy. 

Small business stats

Let’s take a look at some statistics, as listed in the “The State of Small Business Now,” a report issued by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on April 10, 2023. Small businesses are defined as having fewer than 500 employees:

  • There are 33.2 million small businesses in America, which combined account for 99.9% of all U.S. businesses.
  • Small businesses are credited with just under two-thirds (63%) of the new jobs created from 1995 to 2021.
  • In 2021, a record breaking 5.4 million new business applications were filed in the U.S.

Yes, you read that right, and I went and checked the website again when I saw 99.9% of U.S. businesses are small businesses.  

You and your business

So, if you are growing a small business, you are a member of an amazing group. Say it loud and say it proud. 

Connect with other small business owners and support each other. Growing a business can be tough! 

Support your local businesses. If we don’t support them, we won’t have them. 

A personal reminder

The past three years have been bonkers for me in my business, as I have previously shared, but as I was at the dentist today, I remembered two important things. 

First, I was supporting a solo professional who runs a great practice. I love my dentist and I experience exactly zero stress going to my appointments. Dr. G is a delightful woman and her staff are cheerful and helpful. In a city filled with giant mega dental practices that seem to pop up every time it rains, I feel good about spending my hard-earned dollars with her. 

I initially started going to this dentist because her offices were a block from my home. I still go to her even now that I live a few miles away. 

Second, she needed to take my blood pressure. I told her it was low. Still, she was surprised to see how great the numbers were for me, a woman in my sixties. Dr. G looked at them and said, “Wow. That’s great.” 

I told her my blood pressure has been fine since I quit my corporate job in 2010.

What I didn’t say was that when I was working in my last job, my blood pressure consistently spiked to stroke-risk levels and three different doctors advised me to quit my job as soon as possible. 

While I certainly experience stress as a small business owner, my body seems to feel it is stress that it can deal with. 

I work hard, but I have flexibility and control over my schedule most of the time. That seems to make all of the difference for me. 

So, I raise a glass to you, fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners. Keep doing your thing. We make a big difference. 

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash