In this week’s installment of Small Biz Breakdown, our expert panel delves into the possibility of the U.S. losing its status as the central hub of the global economy and the potential implications for small business owners.
Is this concern valid, or simply a knee-jerk reaction to the latest economic developments and headlines in the news? Tune in to the latest episode of Small Biz Breakdown to hear our panel’s insightful take on this topic and much more.
Small Business News Roundup
Here’s a roundup of the top stories affecting small business owners in the past week:
HubSpot’s Spring 2025 Spotlight event showcased over 200 new and updated features aimed at accelerating growth for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). From enhancements to Breeze Agents and Marketing Hub Enterprise to the introduction of new AI-powered Workspaces, these updates offer immediate value to SMBs.
Verizon Business introduced My Biz Plan, a customizable wireless offering for small and midsized business (SMB) customers across the nation. This new plan allows business owners to tailor wireless services to their specific needs, departing from traditional carrier packages.
Canva’s Visual Suite 2.0 launch at the Canva Create 2025 event brings a host of AI-powered tools and features geared towards boosting creativity and productivity. This comprehensive product update aims to seamlessly integrate these two elements for users.
Landbase rolled out the Campaign Feed, an enhancement to its agentic AI-powered go-to-market (GTM) platform, alongside the acquisition of Delegate. These new additions aim to bolster AI-driven GTM strategies for businesses.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) introduced new verification measures to combat loan fraud, ensuring that financial support reaches eligible American small business owners. These protocols come in response to findings by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovering widespread abuse of SBA loan programs.
Wix announced Astro, an AI-powered business assistant integrated into the Wix platform, aimed at simplifying site and business management tasks for users. Astro offers various tools and features accessible through a chat-based interface on the Wix dashboard.
B2B Stars, an AI-powered business analytics and reputation platform, expanded its reach to the United States to assist small and midmarket businesses (SMBs) in enhancing corporate visibility, identifying reliable partners, and attracting new clients. Originally launched in Europe in 2024, B2B Stars now provides data on over three million U.S. firms.
Snapchat’s introduction of Sponsored AI Lenses leverages its proprietary Generative AI technology to offer brands interactive and creative ways to engage with users. This new advertising format aims to place consumers at the center of AI-powered branded experiences on the platform.
Adobe’s suite of new AI-powered tools across its flagship video editing products, including Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Frame.io, aims to revolutionize video editing with advanced capabilities.
Meta unveiled new tools for managing business chats on WhatsApp, emphasizing user empowerment and business accountability to enhance customer experiences in a chat-driven digital landscape.
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reported a decline in the Small Business Optimism Index for March 2025, falling below the 51-year average of 98. Small business owners express concern over policy shifts and economic conditions affecting their optimism.
The build-to-rent (BTR) housing market saw a record-high completion of 39,000 new single-family rentals in 2024, as reported by Point2Homes. This upward trend reflects a 15% growth in the BTR sector based on Yardi Matrix data as of March 2025.
An influencer marketing study by Heepsy revealed that YouTube users are more likely to forget passwords than users on other platforms, leading to increased account recovery requests.
Zoom’s launch of Zoom Tasks, an AI-powered task management product integrated into Zoom Workplace, offers users a streamlined way to track, manage, and complete tasks through its AI Companion assistant.
Small Biz Breakdown covered the impact of Trump’s tariffs on small businesses in its latest edition, analyzing economic conditions and their implications for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
The City of Raleigh opened the final round of Facade Rehabilitation Grants for 2025, supporting exterior improvements to commercial properties within the city. Awards will be announced in mid-May after the application window concludes.
The Kansas Department of Commerce initiated the SIGNS grant program to enhance downtown districts’ economic appeal with high-quality signage projects, supporting retail and commercial businesses across the state.
Raleigh also started the application window for the Building Up-fit Grant Program, offering funding for interior improvements within commercial properties. Awards for this cycle will be announced in May, following the application deadline in late April.
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