Amigos de Guadalupe has launched the Hecho en Mayfair business mentorship program as part of the Neighborhood Prosperity Project to combat poverty and gentrification in East San Jose's Mayfair neighborhood. The program has helped 12 small-business owners increase their combined revenue by $160,000 in four months.

Create aligned autonomy within your teams by combining transparency, alignment to shared goals and iterative feedback, so they can make decisions confidently while staying coordinated with organizational objectives, writes startup advisor Keith Lucas. "Competent leaders of intrinsically motivated teams build systems optimized for team-based creativity, innovation and problem-solving -- systems defined by practices, principles and feedback loops," Lucas writes.

On The Ultimate Entrepreneur podcast, Jay Abraham, CEO of The Abraham Group, advises that expansion is possible by optimizing current operations, assets and customer relationships, rather than pursuing riskier tactics like new product launches or aggressive hiring. Abraham notes that even small improvements in these areas can lead to substantial results, and he advocates for consultative selling and viewing business assets strategically to maximize returns without added risk.

Huntington National Bank and Live Oak Bank plan to use generative AI from software company Casca to automate and expedite Small Business Administration 7(a) loans, with the aim of approving loans in just a day or two. Live Oak will launch Live Oak Express for 7(a) loans under $350,000, and Huntington plans to implement the software next year for various steps in the lending process.

The Business Roundtable has launched a workforce initiative to address skilled trades worker shortages, led by Carrier Global and Lowe's. The program targets industries such as construction and building, industrial and manufacturing, energy, and maintenance and repair. Carrier aims to hire 1,000 service technicians and train 100,000 professionals over five years, while Lowe's has issued $43 million in grants for training.

The US Small Business Administration has officially opened the nomination period for the 2026 National Small Business Week Awards, inviting entrepreneurs to submit their stories of perseverance and growth. Additional recognition will be given in categories such as exporting, federal procurement and disaster recovery.