Joyce Klein is the Director of the Aspen Institute microenterprise Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination (FIELD).
We've all heard, and seen the data, that small businesses are an important source of job growth. But what about the smallest businesses—microenterprises? Do these businesses—food trucks, home day-care providers, landscapers, small construction contractors—also support jobs? Are they relevant in addressing our nation’s employment challenges?
As the Presidential campaign goes down to the wire, the debate on jobs and the economy continues to intensify. One thing both campaigns agree on is the role of small business as a key engine of new job creation.
The working poor struggle to make ends meet leaving little, if anything, for household savings. At least one fourth of US households are underbanked. That is close to 60 million individuals who rely on inadequate and often predatory services for their personal and business finances.
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