Stacker-Small Business

Price indices work off a basket: Pick a fixed list of goods, then track what that list costs over time. The Consumer Price Index does this for a whole economy. To create a similar index for the first 90 days of a company’s life, Brex examined internal data to determine what startups purchase using their

Among primary-residence buyers who applied to multiple lenders and ultimately closed, 21.4% of respondents reporting self-employment said an earlier application had been turned down, compared with 14.5% of wage-employed respondents, according to a new analysis from Griffin Funding. Separately, Polygon Research estimates non-qualified mortgage (non-QM) origination volume rose 31.6% in 2025 to $239.3 billion. Self-employed

Beauty is one of the most resilient industries in the U.S. Even while going through some difficult economic years, Americans still spend around $280 a year on cosmetics. Globally, the beauty and personal care market is a more-than-half-a-trillion-dollar industry. But behind all this strength and resilience stand social media and content creators. With 71% of

A California law written in 1967 to stop wiretapping on telephone lines has become the basis for thousands of lawsuits arguing that everyday website tools, chat widgets, tracking pixels and analytics scripts amount to illegal interception of a visitor’s communications. The suits aren’t limited to major technology companies. They’ve been filed against retailers, insurers, hospitals,

The economic contribution of Latinos living in the U.S. is estimated at $4.4 trillion, equivalent to having the fourth-largest gross domestic product in the world, according to a joint report from California Lutheran University and the UCLA Health Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture. For the fourth year in a row, the GDP

Setting up a payroll system can feel like a steep climb if accounting isn’t your strong suit, but it’s the backbone of your business’s health. In fact, when asked what one job they would trust AI to do perfectly, 17% of small business owners ranked bookkeeping and taxes as the top tasks they would outsource,

For years, payroll had one primary job: Pay employees accurately and on time. That expectation hasn’t changed. But employees increasingly expect something more. They want to understand how they’re paid, why deductions changed, how overtime was calculated, where benefits are reflected, and how compensation decisions connect to the bigger picture. In other words, payroll is

Accessibility landed on your desk. Maybe it came from a customer complaint, or maybe your legal team forwarded a demand letter. Or your manager just said, “Can you own this?” and moved on with their day. Every guide you found assumed a dedicated accessibility team, a governance committee, and an engineering queue that exists to

In an ever-changing world, more Americans are opting out of the challenging job market and transitioning into the driver’s seat in their careers. Many have chosen to control their success by being their own boss, and an increasing number filed business applications in 2026, as Thimble outlines below. According to the United States Census, business

Build it, and they will come doesn’t always hold true for businesses, especially small businesses like auto repair shops. You can hire the best techs, purchase the best equipment money can buy, keep your repair shop clean and organized, and still, when it comes to getting those customers in the door? Crickets. Why? Because no

Investing in a leading user-friendly CRM should see your sales and marketing teams save most (if not all) the hours they would have dedicated to training. The trick is to use the time saved to your advantage. But what does “user-friendly” really mean? A user-friendly CRM is a customer relationship management platform built to make

  The compliance challenge for businesses has fundamentally changed. The challenge is not just about understanding, interpreting, and applying regulations: it is also about managing the speed and volume of regulatory change. So far this year through mid-summer, over 200 HR-related compliance laws have been enacted in the U.S., including several governing the use of

  The median annual wage for an auditor or accountant in the U.S. is $81,680. However, this doesn’t include office overhead, benefits, software, or the financial and time costs of finding the right candidate. The gap between perceived and actual costs may shape whether you’re making a smart financial decision or an unexpectedly expensive one.

  Whether it’s skipping coverage until it’s too late or underestimating their financial risk, many first-year business owners share some of the same regrets around business insurance coverage for their new venture. ERGO NEXT conducted research with 501 small business owners this year, and the findings reveal some common insurance mistakes and the wisdom many

  You replaced your heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system last year, upgraded to modern LED lighting throughout your shop, and maybe even added solar panels to the roof to improve efficiency. What you might not realize is that the federal government set aside real money to reward exactly those decisions, and small businesses are

  A business line of credit gives you flexible access to funding exactly when you need it. Unlike a traditional loan, you don’t receive a lump sum up front. Instead, you draw only what you need and pay interest on the amount you use. It can help you handle seasonal dips and jump on growth

  You’re the finance leader at a scaling company with 50-500 employees, and your CFO wants a number that justifies the accounts payable automation return on investment (ROI). The figure has to be defensible and grounded in the current accounts payable (AP) process cost. The problem is that your current AP process is a patchwork

  How to get return on investment (ROI) from Yelp Ads comes down to tracking what happens after the click. Yelp reports the clicks, calls, and directions your page generates, and your own attribution has to show which of those became paying customers and whether the profit covered what you spent. That gap is why

  For many skilled tradespeople, business can run smoothly day after day until one single accident changes everything. All it takes is one slip, one dropped tool, or one big spill to trigger a lawsuit large enough to wipe out years of hard work. An established business can vanish with just one claim. Most small

  Controllers can calculate the accounts payable (AP) formula quickly, but applying it to a real ledger takes judgment. At close, invoices sit in multiple states, and ERP sync gaps can leave the balance sheet showing one figure and the aging report another. Getting the number right is what makes it defensible to your CFO