Access to capital

Atlanta business owner uses predatory experience to educate first-time entrepreneurs

As a business owner, not asking the right questions in the beginning stages of your business can lead to years of financial repercussions. Georgia entrepreneur Markela Taylor knows this well. 

Markela was happy at her nine-to-five job until a family emergency pulled her away from the office. After believing her job would be safe while she traveled to be with her family, she was surprised when she got an email saying her job was in jeopardy.  

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Small Business Majority Board Chair LaJuanna Russell testifies on barriers to entrepreneurship and highlights key legislative actions to address

On March 16, LaJuanna Russell, founder and president of Business Management Associates, Inc. (BMA) and the Chair of the Board of Directors and a member of the Small Business Council for Small Business Majority, testified before the U.S. Select House Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth about the critical role of entrepreneurship as a pathway to long-term financial stability and growth for Americans, as well as to discuss barriers to starting and sustaining small businesses.

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Small Business Majority submits letter of support on transparency before markup

In a letter submitted to Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, Maxine Waters, and Ranking Member Patrick McHenry, Founder and CEO John Arensmeyer urged members to markup H.R. 6054, the Small Business Lending Disclosure Act of 2021 in its current form and pass it out of committee immediately. The bill would protect entrepreneurs from predatory lenders that offer unfair terms and conditions. Additionally, the measure would extend safeguards already required in consumer lending, through the Truth in Lending Act, to small business borrowers. 

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Small Business Majority testifies in favor of Maryland transparency bill

Today, Awesta Sarkash, Government Affairs Director, testified in front of the Maryland Senate Finance Committee in favor of Senate Bill 825, the Consumer Credit- Commercial Financing Transactions. SB 825 would enact critical protections for small business borrowers that are falling prey to predatory lending practices. The bill is applicable to financing products below $2.5 million because smaller, Main Street businesses are the ones being misled by the lack of transparency today.

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Small Business Majority offers updated recommendations for administering stimulus aid

Last year, the American Rescue Plan provided billions of dollars to state governments to support their communities. After a year, these governments still have an opportunity to support their local small business ecosystem. We offer updated recommendations for strategic investments that can have a transformative impact on the long-term sustainability of a small business ecosystem. 

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Partner Spotlight: Greenwood Archer Capital

Erica King is the President of Greenwood Archer Capital, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) organization founded in 2012 to supply micro and small business loans catalyzing small business development throughout the metropolitan Chicago area and its adjacent suburbs, as well as greater Cook County Illinois.

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Small Business Majority 2021 Year in Review

This year, we continued to educate small business owners and entrepreneurs about important resources, funding options, policy updates and more that could help their businesses recover from the ongoing pandemic and become more resilient. Over the course of the year, we hosted and participated in more than 430 events, partnering with more than 300 organizations and stakeholders. These events garnered more than 20,000 event registrants  and indirectly reached 150,000 individuals.

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Denver coffee manufacturers pay homage to their roots

Jose Cristian and Keila Castorena founded SelvaSur Coffee in 2016, a family-owned coffee manufacturing company, with the vision of bringing the highest quality coffee beans and Latin American products that are ethically and lovingly harvested from Peru and Organic Chiapas coffee beans from Mexico, to the Denver area.

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Protect small business borrowers by ensuring transparent and fair lending practices

The pandemic has underscored the importance of accessible and affordable capital for small businesses like mine. It’s a critical component to maintaining my business’s operations and growth. That’s precisely why all small businesses should be protected as we search for capital. 

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