Farad Ali

In the endless speculation surrounding the recently passed $787 billion U.S. stimulus package, one key question is: What if we fully engage the backbone of our economy – the more than 26.8 million small businesses – in this recovery effort?

The stimulus bill addresses several critical issues facing our entrepreneur community: increased access to business loans; more generous provisions for loss accounting; hiring and capital gains incentives and equipment expensing; but, there is still much to do to ensure this critical business segment is fully integrated.

In the world of small and medium business, we know Government assistance is just one facet of recovery. We know the secret to survival is – as it has always been – us. When we network among ourselves, when we reach out to our state and local communities and governments and operate as efficiently as possible, we can succeed and prosper.

It’s at times like this that our entrepreneurs create the opportunities and innovations that keep America growing. To entrepreneurs: I urge you to seek out networking opportunities. To our elected officials: I urge you to consider entrepreneurs as a critical starting point for leveraging this historic stimulus opportunity.