National Small Business Week: Signs of Rising Optimism in Colorado

By Justin D. Everett | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

This National Small Business Week, May 3-9, we’re not just celebrating America’s entrepreneurs – we’re seeing the results of policies that are putting them back in the driver’s seat. Across Colorado and the country, small businesses are growing, hiring, and investing again – and they have the confidence to do it. That didn’t happen by accident.

Under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, we’ve ushered in a new era of economic strength focused on Main Street – making the Working Families Tax Cuts permanent, rolling back burdensome regulations, and restoring the conditions small businesses need to succeed; and the results are clear.

Last year alone, the U.S. Small Business Administration delivered a record $45 billion in capital to more than 85,000 small businesses through its core lending programs – the highest level in the agency’s history. That’s not just an all-time record; that’s tens of thousands of entrepreneurs opening doors, expanding operations, buying equipment, and creating jobs across Colorado.

At the same time, the SBA’s investment programs reached new heights last year, with a record $53 billion portfolio supporting small business growth nationwide. That is what it looks like when government gets out of the way and gets back to its mission: empowering America’s job creators.

But just as important as access to capital is confidence – and I’m hearing from small businesses across Colorado that their confidence is back thanks to President Trump’s pro-growth, economic agenda.

For 12 out of the last 13 months, small business optimism has remained above its 52-year average – a clear signal that job creators believe in the direction that the economy is going under this Administration. That kind of sustained confidence matters. It’s what drives decisions to hire a new worker, expand into a new location, or take a risk on a new idea; and we’re seeing it play out in real time.

Small businesses are investing in manufacturing, rebuilding supply chains here at home, and strengthening the backbone of our economy. From family-owned shops to growing startups, they’re embracing America’s comeback.

This National Small Business Week, we’re not just recognizing the 36 million small businesses that participate in our economy – they are the economy.

When they succeed, Colorado succeeds. When they grow, our communities grow – with better jobs, better wages, and stronger local economies. That’s why the Trump Administration has made one thing clear: we are putting American workers and small businesses first.

Under President Trump and SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler’s leadership, we are giving Main Street the tools it needs to compete – and win. The record-breaking SBA loan volumes we’re seeing today aren’t the finish line – they’re the foundation. Because when small businesses have confidence, when they have capital, and when they have an Administration that’s on their side, there’s no limit to what they can achieve. And right now, across Colorado and across America, they’re proving it.

Justin D. Everett serves as the SBA’s Rocky Mountain Regional Administrator in Denver. He oversees the agency’s programs and services in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.