5 Factors Small Business-Owners Should Consider When Voting For President

The Business Journals reports, as a leading voice for the small-business sector, one of the factors I track and report on is public policy.

In my advocacy role, I vociferously support those issues that benefit small business and pugnaciously oppose those that don’t, regardless of political party origin.

Before every presidential race since 2000, I’ve reconciled the policies of the two major party candidates with the top concerns that keep small-business owners up at night.

Here are those comparisons for the five small business issues that currently find their way to the top of every survey.

1. We need more business

Admittedly, this is the default lament of almost every small business. But in the past seven years, business leaders have reported that the greatest factor in their investment/risk-taking/hiring calculus has been an unprecedented high level of uncertainty.

When asked about the source, the answer is invariably anti-business policies and rhetoric from Washington. Examples include, but are not limited to: direct expensing limits under Section 179 of the tax code; the Obamacare roll-out roller coaster; policies skewed in favor of unions; and now, the upcoming Department of Labor (DOL) overtime exemption rules.

Hillary Clinton 2008 might have been better for the economy than Barack Obama, but not Hillary 2016. She’s been pulled too far to the left — read: anti-business — to do anything that would promote business risk-taking.

In almost every way, Donald Trump will likely be more to the left than a true-blue fiscal conservative. But he does have an advantage regarding the economy in that he knows what it takes to create a job. Clinton doesn’t.

With their big lobbies, big business will do okay in the economy regardless of who is president, because crony capitalism will thrive under either Trump or Clinton. The problem for small businesses is we’re not organized and we’re no one’s crony.

On the economy, I’ve got to go with the one who’s made a payroll.

To find out the remaining factors small business owners need to consider before heading to the polls follow the link below:

Biz Journals – 5 factors small business-owners should consider when voting for president