Simple strategies to encourage repeat business, strengthen customer loyalty, and prepare for a successful year ahead.
For many small business owners, the final months of the year bring a familiar mix of opportunity and pressure. There are projects to finish, financial goals to evaluate, and decisions to make about what comes next. Whether business is booming or slowing down, October is a natural time to look at what has worked throughout the year and where there may still be opportunities to finish strong.
When evaluating business performance, it's easy to focus on numbers. Revenue, new customers, expenses, and profitability are all important measures of success. But one of the most valuable assets a small business has doesn't always show up neatly on a financial statement: its relationships.
Posted on
Oct 29, 2026
Sheana Graham is the founder and principal consultant of Savvy HR Studio, an HR consulting firm based in Longwood, Florida. With more than 25 years of experience in human resources across healthcare, higher education, and corporate environments, Sheana helps organizations build stronger workplaces through effective communication, compliance, and strategic HR solutions.
Through Savvy HR Studio, Sheana provides AI-powered HR solutions, compliance audits, employee relations strategies, and training for small businesses. Her mission is to make HR more approachable, practical, and accessible while helping business owners navigate challenges and create people-centered workplaces.
Posted on
Oct 29, 2026
Democrats need four of the six toss-up Senate races to win control; prediction markets put their odds of getting there at roughly 64–67% as of Oct. 26, with Iowa the only one of the six where the Republican is the favorite.
At a glance
Five of the six seats are Republican-held; Michigan is the one Democrats must defend. Odds are Kalshi/Polymarket win prices for the Democrat, from the latest snapshots I found (Oct. 11–21), and move daily.
Artificial intelligence is transforming industries nationwide, and America’s small-business community is no different. Kelly Loeffler, who heads the U.S. Small Business Administration, recently said small businesses will be the “biggest beneficiaries” of AI — a “huge leveler of the playing field for America.” Working with and on behalf of the National Association for the Self-Employed, I have spent more than four decades as a certified public accountant advising small businesses — companies that, according to the SBA, employ nearly half of the private-sector workforce. I hear daily from our community, more than 33 million strong, that owners are using AI more and more. The question is no longer whether they will adopt it, but whether they will use its full value.
Nicole VanHaaren is the owner of VanHaaren Designs, a web and graphic design business based in Charlotte, Michigan. In addition to web and graphic design services, Nicole also offers photography.
With a passion for creativity and working with people, Nicole started VanHaaren Designs to gain experience in web design while helping other small businesses strengthen their online presence. She currently balances running her business with a full-time job and pursuing her master’s degree.
Posted on
Sep 28, 2026
With the midterm elections five weeks away, Congress has largely closed up shop until November. The House left town September 16 after leadership canceled its final two scheduled weeks of votes, and the Senate is using its last few days to move a handful of bills before its own October break. Both chambers are due back November 9 for a lame-duck session scheduled to end December 18. Here’s where things stand on the issues that matter most to NASE members. No Shutdown — For Now
Six months into 2026, America’s roughly 34 million small businesses and self-employed workers are navigating a landscape of genuine policy wins undercut by real economic strain.
The Optimism Rollercoaster
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index tracked a volatile path through the first half of the year — dipping to 95.3 in May, its lowest reading since the post-election surge, before climbing back to 97.4 in June and then jumping to 99.8 in July, the highest level since August 2025. Hiring plans and capital expenditure intentions drove the July rebound, even as the Uncertainty Index stayed well above its historical average, with owners citing labor quality and availability as their top concern.
In 2026, the NASE awarded five Dependent Scholarships totaling $15,000. The NASE Dependent Scholarship Program is designed to help ease the financial burden of higher education for legal dependents of NASE Members between the ages of 16 and 24 by providing five $3,000 educational scholarships.
Since 1989, the NASE Scholarship Program has awarded more than $1.8 million to members’ dependents in support of their educational goals. This year, our review team evaluated 25 outstanding applications, and we would like to thank everyone who took the time to apply.
Posted on
Aug 24, 2026
The Real Problem Isn’t What You Think
Motivation is a terrible business partner. Some days it shows up. Most days it doesn’t. And when it’s absent, everything feels harder: returning calls, sending invoices, doing the strategic work that builds your future.
In the 2025 Mental Health in Freelancing Report by Leapers, 68% of self-employed professionals reported this same struggle: stress and mental fatigue sabotaging consistent execution. At NASE, many members fight this battle.
Here’s what we’ve learned: The battle itself is the problem.
Posted on
Aug 24, 2026
The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), the nation's leading advocate and resource for the self-employed and micro-business community, today awarded $15,000 in scholarships to five dependents of NASE members — including three who are heading to college with plans to start or expand a business of their own.
Posted on
Aug 17, 2026