The July jobs report lands at 8:30 a.m. ET. Back-to-school tax-free weekends open today across TX, IL, MA and more. Plus how to win the value shopper when every price drops the same amount.

AI is now a daily back-office tool for small businesses. AI-written phishing and deepfake voice calls are targeting small teams. Experts point to AI email filtering and endpoint detection as the biggest protection for the money.

Small-business sales rose 0.8% in June with average tickets up 3.7%. Inflation (34%) and cash flow (30%) remain top worries. The SBA relaunched SBA.gov with the combined 7(a)/504 loan ceiling now at $10M.

Hiring demand rebounded but 84% of owners trying to hire can't find qualified applicants. Enhanced ACA subsidies expire at year end and could more than double self-employed premiums. Plus the two-sided affordability crunch.

A fresh round of reciprocal tariffs took effect August 1 with no grace period, a 50% Canada tariff hits August 19, and the first-year bill (avg $306K per small importer) is landing. Plus the SBA's new $9M SCALE grant program.

Back-to-school is set for a record forty-three billion dollars, but the money moves early — Alex explains why your promotion needs to launch this weekend, not on Labor Day. Then the hard truth: Walmart now reaches nearly eighty percent of parents, so independents have to win on curation, not price. Plus the value obsession spreading across every category, and how to make your value obvious without slashing margins. Three stories, five minutes.

AI has gone mainstream on Main Street — up to nine in ten small businesses now use it — and Alex shares the one-task way to start without getting overwhelmed. Then the dark side: scammers are using deepfake voice calls and fake IT support to target small teams, and the single habit that stops them. Plus a federal crackdown on pandemic-loan fraud, and why your forgiveness paperwork needs to be one click away. Three stories, five minutes.

It's Fed day. The central bank is expected to hold rates for a fifth straight meeting — Alex explains what that means for your variable line of credit and the six-point-seven-five prime rate. Then genuinely good news: the SBA just doubled its combined loan ceiling to ten million dollars, reshaping the math on expansion. Plus June retail sales barely budged, and how to turn cautious customers into bigger baskets. Three stories, five minutes.

Hiring is still brutal: a third of owners can't fill open roles, and labor quality is back at the top of the worry list — Alex explains why speed beats salary right now. Then some rare optimism, as the NFIB index climbs toward its long-run average and owners start moving on paused investments. Plus 2027 health premiums arrive with double-digit increases in several states, and what to ask your broker before renewal. Three stories, five minutes.

A fresh round of tariffs took effect this weekend, and small importers are absorbing the hit first — Alex breaks down how to find your exposure before your next order ships. Then the New York Fed quantifies just how much harder tariffs hit small firms than large ones, and why pricing is now a monthly decision. Plus a rare bit of good news as inflation cools to three-and-a-half percent, though restaurants aren't feeling it yet. Three stories, five minutes.