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
NASE member Knikki Hernandez is the founder of Turning The Tide Tutoring LLC in Ruckersville, Virginia, where she helps students become confident, independent writers by teaching them to turn their ideas into clear, effective writing.
With more than a decade of experience as a high school teacher, Knikki has worked with students of all skill levels and recognized that many understand concepts better than they can express them. Her structured, step-by-step approach helps students build confidence, strengthen organization, and develop critical thinking alongside their writing skills.
Through her four-stage program, students progress from learning the basics of clear expression to becoming independent thinkers who can communicate with confidence in school, college, and beyond.
Posted on
Jul 30, 2026
The House is adjourned for the August recess, the Senate is likely to recess the first week in August, what awaits when they return for the very short period post August and the midterm elections.
Here is what is on deck:
Every business owner starts out the new year with grand ideas. Whether your goals included rapid growth month over month, or just a more sustainable way of working that featured plenty of days off, you might not quite be experiencing the success you had envisioned.
But that’s okay. There’s always time to make adjustments and fine-tune your small business to inch closer to your objective. This post is going to break down how you can use a mid-year review and reset process to figure out what is working, what’s not, and how to make more progress on the things that matter.
Posted on
Jul 29, 2026
If you’re self-employed or running a small business, chances are you didn’t start your company because you aspired to become a marketer, spokesperson, or public relations professional. You started it because you had a skill, an idea, or a conviction—and because you believed you could offer something better, more personal, or more trustworthy than what was already in the market.
What many small business owners overlook is this: that journey is your story. And when told intentionally, it can become one of the most effective and affordable growth tools you have.
In today’s crowded marketplace, customers are no longer persuaded by polished advertising alone. They want credibility. They want to understand who they are buying from, why that business exists, and whether its values align with their own. For small businesses, that creates a powerful opportunity—because authenticity is not something you need to manufacture. You already live it every day.
Posted on
Jun 29, 2026
The 2026 midterm elections are shaping up to be one of the most consequential Senate cycles in a decade. Republicans enter November defending a 53-47 majority, and the battleground map — while favorable to the GOP overall — contains enough volatile seats to put majority control genuinely in play. Five races in particular deserve close attention from small business advocates: Alaska, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, and Texas. Together, they will do more than determine which party controls the floor; they will reshape the committees, priorities, and personnel that drive small business policy in Washington.
Gary ONeill is the Managing Director of Examiners Edge® Patent Agency in Dallas, Texas, where he helps self-employed business owners and micro-business leaders turn innovation into defensible patent assets. A federally licensed U.S. Patent Agent and former senior USPTO Patent Examiner, Gary has supported the prosecution of 1,000+ patent applications across a wide range of technologies. Examiners Edge focuses on practical, business-aligned patent strategy—helping clients reduce competitive risk, improve negotiating leverage, and position their innovations for growth.
Because patents can feel abstract, the firm uses a managed-investment approach with clear decision checkpoints so clients stay in control of scope, timing, and budget. The typical entry point is a 45-minute Patent Asset Strategy Session™ using the Examiners Edge proprietary evaluation framework to clarify feasibility, priorities, and next steps.
Posted on
Jun 28, 2026