Small Business Links for 2007-04-03

• Small-Business Economy Surges Forward - Business owners continue to hire new employees and pay higher salaries, according to the March 2007 SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard, an economic indicator that tracks the health of U.S. small businesses.
  
  
• Willis Group Sharpens Focus on the Small Business Market - Willis Group Holdings Limited (NYSE:WSH), the global insurance broker, announced today that it is accelerating its effort to grow its business among small companies around the world.

Top 10 States For Small Business

SurePayroll put out it's newest list of the Top Ten States for Small Businesses in 2007. The SurePayroll Top Ten is based on employee growth. The underlying presumption is that growth in size suggests that a small business is doing well. The list for 2007 is:

1. Utah
2. Maryland
3. Nevada
4. Colorado
5. Arizona
6. New Jersey
7. Indiana
8. California
9. Texas
10. North Carolina

The ability to grow employee headcount in an environment where labor costs are rising also shows strength in these Top Ten states' small business economies.

At the same time, small business employees in these growth states can also view these economic results positively - jobs are available to them and salaries are rising. While employees in other states did experience salary growth in 2006, the job growth in most states was flat or declining in 2006.