Why Congress Should Sweep Small Biz Off Its Feet – Not Under The Rug

Valentine’s Day is the time for celebrating special connections – or in the case of small businesses, connectivity. 

Digitally-enabled small businesses perform better in a competitive landscape. But this year, Congress is acting like a particularly bad date: making plans without them and throwing out empty promises to put small businesses first.

To give lawmakers some guidance, here are three ways they could get a “swipe right” from small businesses:

1. Help us feel safe. 

When it comes to cybersecurity issues, members of Congress forget that small businesses may not have the resources to survive in a world of hacking, phishing and data breaches. To gain their trust, Congress must encourage small business owners to bring breaches forward to investigators and ensure they are not punished for doing so. 

2. Pay attention to us.

In a crowded American economy, small businesses rely heavily on big tech’s investments in digital tools, platforms, and marketplaces. 85% of small businesses confirm that digital tools and services help the performance of business operations – and regulating these services could spell disaster for small businesses that rely on access to affordable data.

3. Don’t hold us back.

Inexpensive digital advertising can be the difference between a small business that thrives and one that falters. Government restrictions on data usage could make advertising less nimble, less effective and more expensive – and cripple small businesses’ growth.It’s time for Congress to stop sweeping small businesses under the rug – and sweep them off their feet. See how 3C advocates for small business digital services here.