Brandon Kochkodin

1 week ago | forbes.com | Brandon Kochkodin

Kelly Loeffler's Small Business Administration is forcing some small businesses to choose between valued immigrant employees and access to funding. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe Small Business Administration (SBA) put new rules into effect on June 1 for getting government-backed small business loans. But one part of the new rules has gone largely unnoticed. Broadly speaking, the agency says the changes were made to make the loans safer for taxpayers.

1 week ago | forbes.com.mx | Brandon Kochkodin

La administración Trump afirmó que los aranceles traerían empleos de vuelta a Estados Unidos, especialmente para las pequeñas empresas. Quizás eso suceda algún día. Sin embargo, por ahora, principalmente han generado confusión y ralentizado la contratación en el mercado laboral. Así lo indica el informe de empleo de mayo de la Federación Nacional de Empresas Independientes (NFIB), un grupo de defensa de las pequeñas empresas.

1 week ago | forbes.com | Brandon Kochkodin

Building walls breaks industry. Protests erupt over President Trump’s immigration crackdowns. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reservedPresident Trump’s fortune rose from building glitzy towers brandishing his name. His political star ascended by railing against illegal immigration. But construction, his original cash cow, leans on those immigrants’ labor, whether they are documented, or not.

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Brandon Kochkodin

Small business owners see brighter days ahead. gettyDespite the mayhem and uncertainty generated by President Trump’s tariffs and tariff threats, small business owners’ optimism rose last month. That’s according to the Small Business Optimism Index from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a lobbying group for small business owners. The NFIB surveyed 5,000 of its members and received 485 usable responses in May. The survey’s headline optimism number ticked up to 98.8 in May.

3 weeks ago | forbes.com | Brandon Kochkodin

Small businesses are putting the brakes on hiring plans. gettyThe Trump administration said tariffs would bring jobs back to America, especially for small businesses. Maybe that’ll happen someday. For now, however, they’ve mostly brought confusion and slowed hiring on Main Street. That’s according to the May jobs report from the National Federation of Independent Business, a small business advocacy group. The report is based on a random sample of 485 NFIB member firms surveyed throughout the month.