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Jun 29, 2021

Not Quite Sunny: The State of Southeastern Small Businesses during COVID

Partners Update examines state-level data from the Federal Reserve's Small Business Credit Survey on five states in the Atlanta Fed's District, comparing them with national results.

Mar 25, 2021

Inclusive and Resilient Recovery: Small Businesses of Color: Toward an Inclusive and Resilient Recovery - March 25, 2021

Atlanta Fed and Kansas City Fed Community and Economic Development staff summarized findings from the Small Businesses of Color Recovery Guide. Guest speakers discussed their experiences as entrepreneurs or funders of small businesses of color.

Mar 24, 2021

Tackling an Inclusive and Resilient Recovery in the Southeast

The Atlanta Fed’s Community and Economic Development engagement team launched the Inclusive and Resilient Recovery initiative to support strategies for a more inclusive and resilient economic recovery. Partners Update reflects on the ongoing webinar series and the goals of this initiative.

Jan 14, 2021

Inclusive and Resilient Recovery: Supporting Small Businesses for an Inclusive and Resilient Recovery - January 14, 2021

Speakers from organizations that support small businesses and entrepreneurship discussed the challenges these businesses are facing during the pandemic. For instance, many small businesses of color were unable to tap government programs like the Paycheck Protection Program because they lacked an existing relationship with a bank. Atlanta Fed president Raphael Bostic moderated the discussion.

Aug 20, 2019

Nonemployer Firms' Challenges

The latest Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey probes the experiences of firms with no full- or part-time employees. Despite being a key income source for their owners, these firms face acute profitability and financing challenges, says Partners Update.

Mar 22, 2018

How Do Firms Respond to Hiring Difficulties?

Two-thirds of firms polled in the Fed's 2017 Small Business Credit Survey have had trouble hiring over the past year. A new discussion paper investigates how firms use compensation, training, and job restructuring to respond.

Sep 29, 2014

Microenterprises Raise the Floor and Build a Ladder

One outcome of the recent recession is that rural poverty rates are the highest since the mid-1980s. Mil Duncan, founding director of the University of New Hampshire's Carsey Institute, discusses the issues facing the rural poor in an Economic Development podcast episode. podcast

Jul 28, 2014

Should Microbusinesses Matter to Your Local Community?

Microbusinesses are a proven job-creation vehicle and promote economic growth. An Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) report suggests their size and impact has implications for local economic development. Kim Alleyne, at AEO, provides highlights from the report in this Economic Development podcast episode. podcast

May 05, 2014

Event: The Power of Microbusiness: Aligning for a New Economy

The 2014 Association for Enterprise Opportunity's national conference focused on the innovations, cross-sector collaboration among players, and policy initiatives that can foster economic opportunity for solo, micro, and Main Street business owners. The Atlanta Fed cosponsored the conference.

Nov 25, 2013

Small Businesses, Big Effects: Investing in Microenterprises

Microenterprise development initiatives can help to create and grow businesses and, in many cases, much needed jobs. Elaine Edgcomb and Tamra Thetford at the Aspen Institute discuss their proposal for encouraging microenterprise investment as a job creation strategy.

Oct 15, 2012

Working Solo: Trends in the Growing Self-Employment Sector

Stephan Goetz, director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, discusses his recent research on the growing impact of self-employment as an economic development strategy. He also describes the types of local programs and policies that can support this sector.

Oct 14, 2011

Audio and Slides from Sept. 8 Fed Microfinance Call-in Session Now Online

Miss a Fed community development call-in? No problem! You can hear the presentations and discussion plus see the slides and related resources online after the session. Materials from the first call-in on September 8, Micro Finance: Helping to Create First-time Entrepreneurs, are available now.

Apr 25, 2011

Small Things Really Matter: The Important Role of Microenterprise in Job Creation

Microenterprises, which employ about 20 percent of the U.S. private-sector workforce, have been especially important since the recent recession. Connie Evans, president and CEO of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity, discusses how economic developers can grow local jobs by supporting microenterprises.