John Arensmeyer

As 2012 progresses, the political heat in Washington is climbing faster than summertime temperatures, and small business is becoming increasingly central to policy debates in Congress. Entrepreneurs make up a core constituency in the U.S. With National Small Business Week winding down, now is a better time than ever for...

The Grand Canyon State, the Silver State, the Land of Enchantment and Colorful Colorado are all very different, as their state nicknames show. But they also have something in common: they describe a region of the American Southwest featuring some of the most stunning natural assets our nation has to...

Since the enactment of federal health care reform, hundreds of thousands of small business owners across the country have been able to claim a tax credit for offering their employees health benefits -- and millions more are eligible, according to a report released today by advocacy group Small...

If you're a hardworking small business owner who provides health benefits to your employees, there's a chance your insurance carrier owes you money. And if it does, you can start looking for a check in the mail. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are being held accountable to...

Across the United States, Main Street small businesses are working to rebuild our economy. These entrepreneurs are doing all they can to hire, grow and move their businesses forward. And they're doing it largely through innovation -- particularly in the clean energy arena.

Across all industries and at both ends...

With tax day rapidly approaching, small business owners still have a chance to cash in on a health care reform provision reserved just for them: health care tax credits. The Affordable Care Act was designed to address one of small business owners' most serious problems -- a lack of access...

For too long, small businesses have been struggling to bear the brunt of the recession. Lending has all but dried up for small employers, and too many lawmakers are spending more time playing politics than working to pass smart legislation to help them. If small businesses are going to help...

It's ironic that it takes the CEO of a business as large as Starbucks to draw attention to one of the biggest issues facing small businesses.

Today, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz will launch "Create Jobs for USA," a program where a $5 donation at any Starbucks will provide $35 in...

As time passes and the economy remains stagnant, the sturm und drang grows ever louder over whether regulations are weighing down small businesses and making them unable to pull the country out its fiscal slump. Lawmakers continue to bang the anti-regulation drum, and auto dealers from around the country are...

Heidi Kallet had to sign away her life, so to speak, to achieve the American Dream.

Despite the dismal economy, the Virginia small business owner was ready to open her second stationery store and hire some new staff. Although Heidi's business was booming, credit for small businesses had dried up...

Headlines have dubbed it "unthinkable," and businesses small and large have urged
lawmakers for months to agree soon to ensure the country doesn't default on its debt.
But next week's August 2 deadline to raise the federal debt ceiling looms, and a recent
deal that could have...

A poll released Friday indicates the vast majority of small business owners will be pleased with the deal President Obama struck with automakers that raises fuel efficiency standards to 54.5 mpg for cars and light trucks. Obama's plan, which he announced Friday, mirrors the desires of small business owners, who...

Clean air, gas-sipping automobiles, green energy technology and the rules that promote them are good for public health and the economy. That was the message a diverse group of advocates delivered to lawmakers this week during a two-day conference in Washington, D.C.

United by a desire to keep politicians from...

Politicians and pundits have focused a lot of attention on the Affordable Care Act's requirement that everyone have health coverage, but few have looked into the health insurance marketplaces -- the component of healthcare reform most important for small businesses.

Fortunately, people are beginning to pay closer attention. On...

Most mornings, Michigan small business owner Mark Hodesh meets a group of friends for a cup of Joe at the local coffee shop to shoot the breeze. The conversations are casual and friendly, but as is often the case, talk invariably turns to politics and more than a few mornings...

Ever since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, opponents have thrown every attack they can think of against the wall, hoping something will stick. As attempts to repeal the law have failed, some of their arguments have become increasing laughable and, unfortunately, unconscionably reckless. For instance, these opponents...

Before he'd even graduated from college, Arthur Holst knew he was destined to work for a big organization. Not because the corporate culture called to him or because he had an undying love for cubicles, but because at age 19 he had a kidney transplant.

He had to work...

This week marks national Small Business Week--a time to honor our country's hard working entrepreneurs whose success is essential to strengthening our slowly recovering economy and creating jobs. Politicians are out en masse praising entrepreneurs' crucial economic role, and rightly so. But this week in particular, policymakers should back up...