Student Debt & Small Business Growth

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Rising student debt may be limiting the ability for young entrepreneurs to access capital markets, and consequently stifling small business growth.

Start-ups and small businesses account for approximately 60% of net employment activity in the United States. According to a Gallup poll conducted in October 2015, one of the biggest hurdles these companies and new entrepreneurs face, is identifying and accessing the capital to finance their ventures. After the financial crisis of 2008, many entrepreneurs self-fund their businesses to circumvent the convoluted, and arduous process of acquiring a bank loan. Personal debt therefore, becomes an integral component of the financing equation in starting a small business. Recent trends in small business growth have highlighted an underlying problem in the ability for entrepreneurs to utilize their personal debt capacity.