Small Business

Report: Why the 21st Century Antitrust Act is Critical for New York Small Businesses

Katy Milani

May 19, 2022

In New York, rampant market power is endangering the economic dynamism that New York small businesses generate. State lawmakers have the opportunity to build a more level playing field for small businesses by passing the 21st Century Antitrust Act. Our report, published with New Yorkers for a Fair Economy, illustrates why this legislation will strengthen the economic vitality of communities across the state.READ MORE

New Survey: America’s Independent Businesses See Monopoly Power As Biggest Threat

Jess Del Fiacco

March 30, 2022

When asked about the challenges they face, the top three issues small businesses pointed to all have to do with the unchecked exercise of market power by dominant corporations.READ MORE

2022 Independent Business Survey: Top Challenges and Policy Priorities

ILSR

March 30, 2022

ILSR surveyed 908 small, independent businesses across across the country. We asked about the challenges they face and the policies they believe would improve the survival and success of independent businesses.READ MORE

In The Forge: We Need a Popular Front to Overthrow Corporate Rule. Small Businesses Are Key.

Stacy Mitchell

March 24, 2022

In The Forge Stacy Mitchell argues that we are in unprecedented moment to organize a broad popular front of small businesses and working people to change the course of corporate concentration.READ MORE

Video: The Progressive Fight for Small Business w/ Rep. Pramila Jayapal, White House Advisor Tim Wu, and Leading Advocates

Stacy Mitchell

January 31, 2022

In January, ILSR hosted a conversation with key leaders and advocates including Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and White House Advisor Tim Wu to discuss the importance of small business to achieving a vibrant, equitable economy where all people and communities can thrive. READ MORE

Watch Now: Small Business's Big Moment

Kennedy Smith

January 20, 2022

On February 10th, 2022, ILSR and Main Street America hosted a conversation about how communities can use some of their federal American Rescue Plan Act allocations to support small business growth and development. The webinar was based on a new report by ILSR that outlines a dozen ideas for using American Rescue Plan Act money to cultivate and support small businesses.READ MORE

In The New York Times: How a Labor & Small Business Alliance Could Rebuild the Middle Class

Susan Holmberg

June 18, 2021

Labor and small business were once natural allies in a New Deal coalition that backed muscular policies to limit corporate power and build a thriving middle class. A growing antimonopoly movement is rekindling this alliance, writes Stacy Mitchell in The New York Times.READ MORE

Special Delivery: Our Report Shows How Local Delivery Services are Superior to the Big Apps

Kennedy Smith

May 25, 2021

Unlike the predatory Wall Street-backed apps, local delivery services charge lower fees, support restaurants, keep wealth in the community, and demonstrate that when it comes to food delivery, local delivery models are better and more efficient.READ MORE

In The Washington Post: Small Pharmacies Beat Big Chains at Delivering Vaccines. Don't Look So Shocked

Stacy Mitchell

February 5, 2021

In the Washington Post, Stacy Mitchell explains why we shouldn't be surprised that West Virginia and North Dakota's independent pharmacies are beating the chains in vaccine distribution. The small pharmacies have proved remarkably nimble, while CVS and Walgreens have stumbled.READ MORE

Stacy Mitchell on SiriusXM's Tell Me Everything

Susan Holmberg

December 17, 2020

Stacy Mitchell joined John Fugelsang on SiriusXM's "Tell Me Everything" to talk about small businesses as critical allies with labor in the fight to check concentrated corporate power.READ MORE

In The Nation, the Left Should Fight for Small Business

Susan Holmberg

December 2, 2020

It's hard to believe, but Democrats used to be the party of small business. In The Nation, Stacy Mitchell and Susan R. Holmberg argue that the left should once again embrace small business. Doing so is crucial to reversing inequality & rescuing democracy. It’s also key to winning Congress.READ MORE

Now is the Moment to Advocate for Small Business: A Kauffman Conversation

Susan Holmberg

September 9, 2020

Stacy Mitchell joined an online discussion with Jason Wiens, policy director for the Kauffman Foundation, and Brandy Bynum Dawson, director of Advocacy for the NC Rural Center about the critical role policy plays for small businesses – especially given the confluence of factors in 2020.READ MORE

Report: Fewer Small Businesses are Receiving Federal Relief Loans in States Dominated by Big Banks

Stacy Mitchell

April 29, 2020

A significantly larger number of federal relief loans are reaching small businesses in states where small, local banks comprise a greater share of the market, compared to states where big banks are more dominant, an ILSR analysis has found.READ MORE

How a Rebirth of Independent Pharmacies Could Cure Rural Ills

Stacy Mitchell

November 6, 2019

Independent pharmacies could flourish and multiply, helping to solve the growing problem of healthcare deserts — if only policymakers would stand up to the big players in the drug industry.READ MORE

Survey: Independent Businesses See Major Threats in Amazon, Corporate Concentration

ILSR

August 6, 2019

ILSR's Independent Business Survey offers insight and guidance to elected officials looking to build a more equitable, entrepreneurial, competitive, and dynamic economy.READ MORE

Stacy Mitchell in The Atlantic: Democrats Were Once Small Business Champions

Charlie Thaxton

May 16, 2019

In The Atlantic, Stacy Mitchell focuses on the Democrats' forgotten role as small business champions, and on Elizabeth Warren's reclaiming of the monopoly trustbusting tradition.READ MORE

In Book Review for Washington Monthly, Stacy Mitchell on "The Truth About Big Business"

Stacy Mitchell

July 24, 2018

In the July-August issue of "Washington Monthly" magazine, ILSR's Stacy Mitchell rebuts a new book's claims that the monopolization of the U.S. economy is a good thing. As she does so, Stacy also mounts a vigorous counter-argument, explaining how economic policy has tilted the playing field in favor of bigness, but how small businesses perform critical functions that big businesses can't.READ MORE

Why Care about Independent, Locally Owned Businesses?

Marie Donahue

July 23, 2018

Locally owned businesses play a central role in healthy communities and are among the best engines that cities and towns have for advancing economic opportunity and building resilient places. Here, we outline five important reasons for local officials to support independent businesses, based on a growing body of research.READ MORE

Why Small Businesses Matter for Workers

Stacy Mitchell

April 18, 2018

Small businesses are sometimes criticized as being bad for workers — but that idea is wrong. In this piece, we look at how small and large businesses compare on concrete metrics like wages, and find that in some industries, including retail, employees at small businesses earn more. There's also a larger way in which the interests of small businesses and working people are aligned, we argue: Both groups benefit when public policy works to disperse economic power.READ MORE

What Neighborhood Retail Gets Right (Episode 27)

Nick Stumo-Langer

August 24, 2017

Gina Schaefer, the founder and owner of several local hardware stores in Washington, D.C., joins us to talk about starting and growing a neighborhood business and how her stores are faring in the age of Amazon.READ MORE

Audio & Video

Why We Can't Shop Our Way to a Better Economy: Stacy Mitchell's TEDx Talk

Stacy Mitchell

December 1, 2012

In this TEDx talk, Stacy Mitchell makes the case for a new phase in the local economy movement.READ MORE

Watch: Stacy Mitchell Speaks on the New Localism

ILSR

March 4, 2016

ILSR's Stacy Mitchell spoke about policy to shape the next phase of the local economy movement in this presentation at the 2016 Winter Institute. The annual conference and educational event, hosted by the American Booksellers Association, was held in Denver on Jan. 25 and 26.READ MORE

Factsheets & Infographics

The Ripple Effect When You Shop Local (Infographic)

Olivia LaVecchia

November 21, 2017

When you choose locally owned businesses for your shopping, you create a ripple effect. Our new infographic shows what happens when you shop local — starting with you.READ MORE

Top 10 Reasons to Support Locally Owned Businesses

Stacy Mitchell

December 10, 2012

Here are the ten short-and-sweet reasons why supporting independent businesses is critical to the well-being of our communities and our economy.READ MORE