Financial Diaries | Small Firm Diaries New

Credit, Risk, and Succession: Three opportunities to better support small firms

Last week we hosted a virtual faiVLive event sharing early findings from Small Firm Diaries USA, with three panelists who work with small firms from different angles: a CDFI lender, a national policy expert, and a city government program lead. The conversation raised three places where small firms could use better and more tailored support. 1. The credit problem is shifting from access to quality The landscape for small business credit has shifted in the last decade. “There

Tracy Cole and Laura Freschi

May 6

Beyond the bottom line: The importance of understanding how small firms define success

When we talk about what makes a small firm “successful,” we usually think about familiar financial metrics like profit margins and revenue growth. These measures are intuitive, easy to quantify, and deeply embedded in how lenders, policymakers, and analysts evaluate firm performance. But many small firm owners don’t define success solely in financial terms. They weigh financial viability with other factors like community impact, financial stability, and personal values. This

Tracy Cole

Apr 23

hosts and panelists at the SFD USA early findings event in Atlanta

Early Findings from the Road: What we’re seeing so far in the SFD USA data

Over the past few weeks, the Small Firm Diaries research team has been visiting US cities to share what we're seeing in the data so far—stopping in St. Louis, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, and New York, with Oakland still ahead on May 26. These conversations have been useful in both directions: hearing where our findings on growth, credit use, and jobs resonate with local audiences, and hearing the questions and pushback that have helped us sharpen our thinking.

USA

Laura Freschi

Apr 16

Join us for Small Firm Diaries USA early findings events in 6 US cities

We're pleased to announce six upcoming early findings events, where we'll share an inside look into initial findings from the Small Firm Diaries USA study, and invite discussion about implications for policy, practice, and efforts to better support small firms and workers in the United States.

USA

Laura Freschi

Feb 4

Why Different Datasets Tell Different Stories: What This Means for Understanding Small Firms in the U.S.

The landscape for small firm data in the US Commensurate with their importance in the US economy, there are many data sources at the national, state, and local levels examining small firms. Whether you’re looking for data on jobs, new business creation, or startup survival, there are a number of places you can find information.* While more data is generally a good thing, it can be overwhelming to try to navigate the myriad datasets and statistics and make sense of the differ

USA

Tracy Cole

Oct 27, 2025

Chat GPT-generated collage showing financial diaries and economic surveys

Understanding Small Firms: Complementing Big Data with Financial Diaries

Small firms with 1-20 workers make up the majority of employer firms in the US. But these businesses, especially those in low-income neighborhoods, are under-examined in existing research like large economic surveys. Here's why, and here's how the Small Firm Diaries proposes to help fill the gap.

USA

Tracy Cole

Sep 4, 2025