National Association for the Self-Employed – Business Benefits, Educational Resources and Access to Health Insurance for Small Businesses and Startups > National Small Business Week: May 18th

Washington, D.C., May 20, 2009 -- According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), approximately 60 percent of Americans own or work for a small business. The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is teaming up with the SBA again to sponsor National Small Business Week 2009. For forty-six years, one week has been set aside annually in order to honor the contributions of the nation's small business community.

"It has been a tough 12-18 months for the self-employed and micro-businesses," said NASE President Robert Hughes. "This year's Small Business Week, in particular, honors the established business who's fallen on hard times, as well as the new venture who just needs some help to get started."

Many activities surrounding this week focus on small business financing, which has grown especially difficult to navigate in the current economic climate. The NASE works with the SBA to help increase access to capital and lends our support to federal initiatives that have proven helpful to micro-business growth, such as the 7(a) and 507 loan programs. This summer, America's Recovery Capital (ARC) loans are expected to be widely available to businesses. The new financing method carries no interest for the borrower and are 100 percent guaranteed by the SBA.

"These ARC loans can provide the critical capital and support many small businesses need to make it through these tough economic times," said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. "Together with other provisions of the Recovery Act, ARC loans will free up capital and put more money in the hands of small business owners when they need it the most. This will help viable small businesses continue to grow and thrive and create new jobs in communities across the country."

For more information, please visit http://nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/.

Details on America's Recovery Capital loans can be found at www.sba.gov.

About the NASE
The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is the nation's leading resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, bringing a broad range of benefits to help entrepreneurs succeed and to drive the continued growth of this vital segment of the American economy. The NASE is a 501(c) (6) nonprofit organization and provides big-business advantages to hundreds of thousands of micro-businesses across the United States. For more information, visit the association's Web site at www.nase.org.

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