Guide to Federal Small Business Politics

Read national media

The nation's largest newspapers and business magazines devote extensive coverage to the nexus of business and politics.

I recommend: Inc. magazine covers political news of interest to small business owners. Fortune Small Business magazine covers taxes and small business legislation. U.S. Politics Today, which calls itself a "nonpartisan news service for political professionals," covers the Small Business Administration (SBA). Additional coverage of federal regulations as they relate to small business is at Small Business Review.

Check in with Uncle Sam

Several branches of the federal government post detailed information about regulatory changes and political activities that have an impact on small businesses.

I recommend: Get regulatory alerts from the SBA. The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business examines special problems related to small enterprises. Become active in small business political issues through the SBA's Office of Advocacy. Visit the searchable archive of government regulations at Regulations.gov.

Read association Web sites

Small business trade groups and chamber of commerce organizations are other important resources to track the political small business climate. Many of these groups will cull the information most important for their members and post it on their Web sites.

I recommend: The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) calls itself the voice of small business. The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) tracks legislative news, maintains a priority list of information and does "micro business" advocacy. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business and Professional Women/USA also track issues of importance to small enterprises.