Weak demand, not regs, named as top small business concern
In a new national poll commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance, and Small Business Majority, small business owners named weak customer demand, not standards and safeguards, as the most important problem facing their businesses right now. In fact, a majority of the small business owners surveyed agreed that fair, effective regulation of business is necessary to ensure competitiveness and fairness in a modern global economy. Small business owners expressed support for policies that ensure environmental health, food safety, and worker protection for customers and communities.
The polling surveyed a politically diverse cross-sampling of small business owners (50 percent identified as Republican) with fewer than 100 employees. Small business owners cited weak customer demand as the most important problem they face, with more than twice the number of employers citing it over any other issue. The rising cost of health coverage and other benefits came in second, and the level of government regulation came in at a distant third.
Similarly, small business owners do not view cutting regulations as a solution to the nation's ongoing jobs shortage. When asked what would do the most to create jobs, the majority cited eliminating incentives for employers to move jobs overseas. Reducing regulations ranked fifth on the list, with only 10 percent supporting that approach.