Small Business Owners Want Candidates to Address Their Concerns During Presidential Debate

With the first Presidential debate underway between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, small business owners and entrepreneurs are expected to pay close attention. The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council), a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy, research, and education organization that works to protect small businesses and promote entrepreneurship, has encouraged the presidential candidates to specifically address small business issues and solutions, during the debate.

The first debate, on Monday, September 26, is to be divided into three subject areas:

1. Securing America
2. America’s Direction
3. Achieving Prosperity

“Entrepreneurs and small business owners want to hear specific and actionable proposals from the two presidential candidates about how to really achieve prosperity in America,” said Karen Kerrigan, SBE Council president and CEO, in a press release. “The three topics–‘America’s Direction,’ ‘Achieving Prosperity’ and ‘Securing America’–all tie to the need for policies that enable and encourage more people to start businesses and successfully grow their firms. Entrepreneurs are the center of our economy, and a healthy and growing small business sector strengthens quality job creation, innovation, and U.S. economic growth.”

Having a Voice In the Next Administration

In a recent national flash poll, SBE Council’s members commented on what they want to hear from the candidates about achieving prosperity. They focused on issues around increasing jobs and economic growth, regulatory reform, reduced taxes, access to federal contracts, and ways to make healthcare less expensive. What they really wanted to know was how the candidates intended to make sure entrepreneurs and small business owners have a “real voice in their administration.”

“From tax reform, to healthcare issues and access to capital, the small business community is struggling. They are fighting an uphill battle in the current business climate, fraught with regulations and red tape that prevent them from growing and succeeding. The next president must work with Congress to break down the barriers and offer a clear policy path and action for the small business community,” concluded Kerrigan.

Developing Strong Black Businesses

“In order for there to be a strong black America, there must be strong black businesses,”  says Ron Busby, president and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, one of the first black organizations to support Hillary Clinton in the early stages, even when it was deemed too early to publicly endorse her campaign. He cited the need for a candidate who would “expand access to capital, provide tax relief, and expand access to new markets for black business owners.

“We said then that we believe she is the best candidate with the best understanding of the economic challenges facing black business owners and small business owners across the board.  Her ability to address the lack of capital and contracts in the black business community will help decrease unemployment issues in our community,” Busby recently affirmed in a statement.