NFIB/eBay Small Business Summit Wrap-Up

The NFIB and eBay Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C., officially ended Tuesday, but the news and insights from the Summit offer an outline of the top concerns and priorities that small business owners brought to the nation's capital this week and that will set the priorities for NFIB's work in the coming months.

Here's a rundown of the top take-aways from this week's Summit:

Rising healthcare costs are a primary concern. NFIB's small business owner members made that point loud and clear in NFIB's Small Business Problems and Priorities survey, released at the Summit. MSNBC blogger Eve Tahmincioglu echoed that concern in her coverage of the Summit, noting that increased costs for healthcare coverage and energy, and inflation, rank as chief pressure points on profitability for many small businesses.

AARP CEO Bill Novelli's keynote also addressed how his organization and NFIB will be working to address healthcare solutions from a small business perspective. Washington Post small business blogger Sharon McLoone highlighted Novelli's remarks and the joint Divided We Fail initiative in her blog. 

The Summit's healthcare panel also provided NFIB members with a chance to share their concerns and interests. Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey moderated the panel, which included a bipartisan group of speakers and an on-the-spot poll that allowed NFIB members the opportunity to offer their suggestions for healthcare reform. Panelists Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) shared highlights of the NFIB-supported bills they've introduced in Congress, the Healthy Americans Act and the SHOP Act, respectively.

Candidate John McCain pledges tax relief, spending restraint. In his Summit keynote address, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain drew distinctions between the policies he would pursue and support as president and those offered by Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama. In particular, McCain highlighted his support for tax reform that includes a first-year expensing deduction and no increases in capital gains and estate taxes--two areas in which, McCain noted, Obama has proposed increases.

Indeed, NFIB members are concerned about potential tax increases under a Democratic administration. NFIB member John Raney says he's "worried that a change in administration will mean a tax increase." The owner of the Texas Aggieland Bookstore in College Station, Texas, says he supports tax reform as a key prong in ensuring his business' profitability.

McCain also pledged to re-adopt federal spending restraint as a key priority, calling for a one-year pause in the growth of lawmakers' discretionary spending priorities (known as "earmarks").

McCain's keynote drew a throng of media, including Inc. magazine blogger, Robb Mandelbaum, who noted the largely enthusiastic support from Summit attendees for McCain.

Pundits Share Political Crystal Ball. NFIB's keynote session featuring Charlie Cook and Stu Rothenberg offered the following prediction about this November's election: Democrats are likely to increase their majority in Congress, picking up as many as five Senate seats and 15 House seats. Neither of the pundits offered any predictions on who would win the presidency this November. (Inc. magazine blogger Robb Mandelbaum offers more coverage of the Cook/Rothenberg session.

NFIB Members Find Summit Worthwhile. Between meeting and networking with fellow small business owners and interacting with lawmakers during Capitol Hill meetings, several NFIB members found the Summit's breakout sessions to offer insights to help manage their businesses more successfully. NFIB member Bingo Roncelli, owner of Roncelli Plastics, found the session on avoiding legal liability to be helpful. Meanwhile, Sharlene Chapman, owner of the new Park Forest, Ill.-based Jump Fitness and Dance, says the Summit was helpful for her as a new entrepreneur to "learn the ropes" of running a successful business.

Special note: NFIB's online staff thanks all the bloggers and other media who covered the Summit and shared their views--as well as the NFIB members and Summit speakers who made this year's Summit one of the best-attended events on record. Stay tuned to http://www.nfib.com for future updates on how NFIB will incorporate the insights and perspectives shared at the Summit into our member outreach and advocacy efforts.