Stories

Small businesses are the backbone of the global economy, driving innovation, creating jobs, fostering local economic growth and contributing significantly to the GDP. In the U.S., for instance, small businesses make up more than 99% of all companies, employ nearly half of the workforce and represent nearly 45% of the GDP. Without a thriving small business sector, economies stagnate, job creation slows, and innovation diminishes.

PayPal is committed to empowering and supporting small businesses and their growth by giving them access to the tools they need to get paid, grow, and more effectively compete in an ever-changing environment. You can learn more about PayPal’s small business tools that are helping to drive conversions and growth for businesses around the world.

As we kickoff National Small Business Week and Small Business Month – a time when we celebrate the many contributions of entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and small businesses – we have many exciting partnerships and programs lined up to support small businesses.
 

Partnership with Hello Alice

PayPal is launching a multi-pronged partnership with Hello Alice, an online digital platform that connects nearly 1.5 million solopreneurs and small business owners to financial resources and tools to help them grow their business. Starting this month – and lasting throughout the year – we’ll bring entrepreneurs together in-person and virtually to build community and share relevant business insights, integrate PayPal products and tools into the Hello Alice platform, and train thousands of entrepreneurs on relevant in-demand skills. You can learn more here. 
 

Identifying Opportunities for SMBs to Embrace AI

PayPal, in partnership with the Public Private Strategies Institute, will launch an initiative geared towards helping SMBs understand and remove roadblocks to leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for their business. The initiative, Empowering SMBs through AI, will launch later this month initially with a research report providing deeper insights into how small business owners perceive and engage with AI. It also explores the opportunities and challenges that AI presents for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), while also identifying key barriers that may be limiting broader adoption of AI tools and technologies in this sector. By capturing the voices and experiences of business owners across the country, the initiative aims to develop actionable, multi-pronged recommendations that ensure SMBs are equipped to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven economy. Check back on the PayPal Newsroom later this month to learn more.
 

SMB Policy Call to Action

As we continue our ongoing efforts to support small businesses, PayPal just released a policy framework designed to support the resilience and growth of small businesses in the ever-changing digital economy. The policy framework calls on policymakers and diverse stakeholders to take collective efforts on five priority issues for small businesses: 1) enhancing access to capital, 2) reducing regulatory burdens, 3) strengthening SMB cybersecurity, 4) accelerating digital transformation, and 5) reaching new markets. We will host a series of engagements to drive awareness around these priority issues to help support small businesses.You can learn more here.

Check back throughout the month and beyond to learn more!