Profits, hiring on the rise for most business owners

It’s safe to say that the country’s economy is back – and in a big way. Employers have added more than 1 million jobs to payrolls since November, the jobless rate is hovering at 16-year lows and the stock market is booming, influenced by robust corporate earnings and low inflation.

But it isn’t just companies that have gone public that are thriving – the same can be said for businesses as a whole, medium and small included, a newly released report suggests.

More than 85 percent of business owners believe they will finish this year in a better place than they were last year, according to the latest Private Capital Access Index report from Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business Management. Specifically, in the third quarter, 87 percent of respondents said they were “somewhat” or “extremely” confident about experiencing growth in 2017, up from 80 percent this time last year.

Some companies have already experienced growth, evidenced in their bottom lines. Indeed, 3 in 4 small businesses reported their earnings were in the black between July 1 and Sept. 30, the report found, jumping sharply from 65 percent during the second quarter.

Increased hiring expected
Business owners are also looking to swell the size of their ranks, with 66 percent of companies intending to hire over the next six months, the PCA Index analysis showed. That’s virtually unchanged from the previous quarter but up 10 percent compared to the penultimate quarter of 2016.

When businesses hire employees, they are making a significant commitment to their future,” said Bodhi Ganguli, lead economist at analytics firm Dun & Bradstreet. “When business owners have greater confidence in the economy, hiring will accelerate.”

Other surveys are also indicating increased hiring. Nearly 45 percent of employers in a CareerBuilder poll said they expect to fill more full-time positions between October and December. Last year, just 34 percent indicated as much.

At Growth Capital, we specialize in providing creative financing solutions to growing businesses. Whether through the Community Advantage Loan Program or Ohio Regional 166, we can provide the tools that have helped formerly struggling small-business owners find their second wind. In short, as our name indicates, we help make growth possible.