Small Business Optimism Felt in Kansas City

The Small Business Optimism Index reached a historical high in August at 108.8. The score, which comes from a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business, beat the previous record of 108 set in 1983 when Ronald Reagan was president. According to the NFIB website, the Small Business Optimism Index is “driven by small business owners executing on the plans they’ve put in place due to dramatic changes in the nation’s economic policy.”

Kansas Citians have felt this optimism too, so says Jenny Miller, who is the network builder at KC Source Link, an organization that supplies entrepreneurs with resources to start and grow their businesses. “Traditionally when the economy is where it’s at right now, looking at unemployment rate being very low, we have less people wanting to start businesses. Since the last recession, we have found that that is not true, and so KC Source Link’s phone calls are still as busy as they have been over the previous years,” Miller said. “Traditionally, we would see a slump, and we have not seen that, indicating people are still wanting to start businesses.

Miller said KC Source Link has received a lot of calls in regards to health care businesses for the elderly, specifically related to transportation, companion care and visiting homes. Additionally, she said Kansas City is on its way to becoming America’s most entrepreneurial city, as in the past three years there has been a 290% increase in available capital for businesses.