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==Summary==
Small businesses are defined as privately owned and operated companies employing a small number of workers. In the United States, the legal definition of a small business is determined by a set of criterion specified by the [[Small Business Administration]]. Generally, those criterion mean that a manufacturing business with fewer than 500 employees or a non-manufacturing business with less than $7.5 million in revenue will be considered a small business by the U.S.A. [https://www.sba.gov/contracting/getting-started-contractor/make-sure-you-meet-sba-size-standards/summary-size-standards-industry-sector ] </onlyinclude> Alternatively, the European Union defines a small business as a firm with fewer than 50 employees.[http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/business-friendly-environment/sme-definition/index_en.htm ] </onlyinclude> Small business are pervasive throughout the United States and other countries. Typical examples of small businesses include: freight truckers, residential builders, exterior contractors,and architectural contractors[http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226256]. According to the SBA there are approximately 28 million small businesses in the United States that comprise 55% of all US jobs. Furthermore, the number of small businesses in the United States has increased by approximately 49% since 1982.
==The Small Business Administration==
{{:SBA}}
Agencies affiliated with the SBA include: Small Business Investment Company ([[SBIC]]), Small Business Innovation Research ([[SBIR]]), and Small Business Development Centers ([[SBDC]]).
===Contact===
Answer desk: answerdesk@sba.gov
Office of Performance Management and the Chief Financial Officer: (202-205-6449)
===[https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/1-FY%202016%20CBJ%20FY%202014%20APR.PDF FY 2016 Entrepreneurship Goals]===
Official Goals of the Small Business Administration
*Broad goal: Strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems through a variety of strategic partnerships to provide tailored training, mentoring, and advising services that support entrepreneurs during every phase of their business growth.
#Offer tailored training through structured programs and online access
===Budget===
SBA's total budget request for FY 2016 (including Stafford Act Disaster funding) is $860 million. Of this amount, $3.3 million is for business loan subsidy, $19.9 million for the Office of the Inspector General and $9.1 million for the Office of Advocacy. This total is inclusive of $28 million for administering non-Stafford Act disasters.
For further detail, see [[SBA Budget Graphs]].
===Criticisms===
The most prevalent criticisms of the SBA include [http://www.cato.org/publications/congressional-testimony/waste-fraud-abuse-small-business-administration-programs ]:
#Creates uneven playing field by aiding some businesses while denying aid to others, thus distorting markets;
*The CATO Institute argues that the very conception of the SBA was a bad idea, questioning the federal government's strategy in intervening in the credit market. They say that the United States grew to be an economic powerhouse with a small centralized federal government that largely left business development to the private sector. For more information about the CATO institute's criticism, see this [http://www.cato.org/publications/congressional-testimony/waste-fraud-abuse-small-business-administration-programs article].
==Issues Facing Small Businesses=====Health Care===
{{:Affordable Care Act}}
===Access to Capital===
{{:Access to Capital}}
===Student Debt===
{{:Student Debt}}
===Patent Reform===
{{#section:Innovation_Policy|Patent_Reform}}
==Further Reading==
*The Small Business Administration: https://www.sba.gov/
*The Federal Reserve Board Survey of Small Business Finances: http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/oss/oss3/nssbftoc.htm
*Trends in Small Business: http://smallbiztrends.com/
==References==
1. http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/186179/student-loan-debt-major-barrier-entrepreneurship.aspx
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