Lots of positive notes in the news for entrepreneurs of late. A poll shows that small businesses are well appreciated (and thank goodness for that, because the alternative would be awfully deflating). And a computer behemoth and even the space program are reaching out to small businesses as well.
Here’s a look at some recent headlines.
Everything is awesome
Good news, small business owners! America loves you. That’s made clear by a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, which examined what institutions are helpful or harmful to people’s interests. Small businesses were the runaway winner. A whopping 72 percent say small businesses are helpful, and half of those add “strongly” to it. Only 5 percent said small businesses are harmful. (The remaining amount said “neither.”)
How does that compare to other pillars of society? Here’s a look at some of the findings:
- Local news media: 49 percent helpful, 15 percent harmful
- Local government: 38 percent helpful, 19 percent harmful
- State government: 36 percent helpful, 26 percent harmful
- Federal government: 31 percent helpful, 36 percent harmful
- Large business corporations: 26 percent helpful, 37 percent harmful
- Wall Street: 19 percent helpful, 28 percent harmful
- Congress: 17 percent helpful, 44 percent harmful
Microsoft’s focus
Street Fight (slogan: Inside the Business of Hyperlocal) brings us the story of Microsoft’s new chief executive, Satya Nadella. Before his days with Microsoft and its search engine Bing, he dealt with software for small businesses. Writer Steven Jacobs says that looks to be part of the company’s latest emphasis.
Bing’s reach in the search market is up, according to the story, from 16.7 percent in February 2013 to 18.4 this February. Ginny Sandhu of Bing tells Street Fight that the company has focused on reaching small businesses. Part of that effort is offering “high-touch” elements. The example used: a Pizza Hut-Xbox collaboration in which a user can order a pizza by using the gaming console.
“From a ‘potential’ standpoint, the opportunity is huge,” Sandhu says. “So far, we haven’t done a great job integrating everything and exposing it in an easy-to-use fashion. But getting to the point where we can say you can truly leverage the entire Microsoft ecosystem in a way that’s scalable for a small business is one of our key initiatives.”
Space and small businesses
NASA is working with 27 small businesses for research and technology projects, according to Business News Daily. The high-tech companies submitted proposals — the total of which exceed $16 million — for technological improvements for planetary robot exploration, power and propulsion and “computational fluid dynamics codes.”
Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for space technology, said in a press release that NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program and Small Business Technology Transfer Program are “at the foundation of America’s future in space and aeronautics.”
“Innovative ideas explored by our partners in industry and the broader U.S. research community help NASA execute our missions and bring new American products and services to the global technology marketplace,” he said. “These job-creating NASA investments fuel the innovation engine these small businesses provide to our economy.”
