Revenued

Revenued Talked to 5 Small Business Owners About Tariffs. Here’s What They Told Us.

Most #smallbusiness owners think they don't qualify for funding, but really they just don't know what's out there. Revenued CRO Jake Lerner joined John Lee Dumas on EOFire today to break down the funding gap nobody talks about, and why the real barrier isn't access. It's just not knowing what's out there. Take a listen if you are a SMB owner or financing provider. If nothing else, you'll take with you these 3 "value bombs": 1) Alternative funding isn't as expensive as you think. Used right, it can cost less than the risk of not funding at all. 2) Revenue tells a better story than credit. One reflects your business. The other reflects your past. 3) The right capital isn't the cheapest capital, it's the one that best fits how your business actually works. https://lnkd.in/dHpNmaxX

We survey #smallbusiness owners every quarter. What we're seeing right now is different. In February 2026, we talked to 307 small business owners for our Q1 2026 SMB Economic Outlook Report. The data was already sobering before the #Iran conflict escalated. Now some of those numbers read like a warning that came true. 75.6% told us costs were higher than a year ago. 62.9% had fewer than 3 months of operating cash. Of the 61% who sought financing, more than half couldn't qualify. That was February. Before oil hit $115 a barrel. The full report is linked. If you're running a business right now, it's worth a read. You're not alone in what you're feeling. #SMB #SmallBusinessOwner #Construction #Restaurants #Healthcare #SmallBusinessEconomy

Two reports dropped this week on small business health: one from Revenued, and one from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). The findings couldn't be more different. NFIB's optimism index reported to be at its 52-year average. Sales volumes hit their highest point since May 2022. The word "steady" shows up a lot. Revenued surveyed 307 small business owners the same month, and what we found was a different story: - 75.6% say costs are higher than a year ago - 72.6% say cash flow is harder to manage than last year - 62.9% have less than three months of runway if revenue slows - 33.9% have less than one month on hand One set of numbers says "holding steady." The other says "running out of time." Both are true. They're just measuring different businesses. NFIB's members tend to be established — employees, assets, history. Our respondents? One-third are solo operators. Nearly half generate under $250K a year. These are the businesses that can't absorb a slow quarter, a delayed payment, or an unexpected expense. And when we asked what policymakers could do to help right now... 39.1% said improve access to capital. Nearly double the next answer. Not taxes, not inflation, not regulation. Just Capital. The ability to fund the business they're already running. The optimism index doesn't have a line item for "I took a second job to keep my business open." Our data does. If you run or work with small businesses, do these numbers match what you're seeing on the ground? Because the data suggests there are two very different Americas showing up in this economy right now. The full Q1 2026 SMB Economic Outlook Report is available at https://lnkd.in/eciNNPG3

307 small business owners told us what it actually feels like right now. The data is striking. The quotes are harder to shake.

Plans change. Timing changes. Your next move might be closer than you think. 2026 brings you more options.