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Microbusinesses are the lifeblood of our nation’s small business economy

Alabama Microenterprise Network (AMN) is a statewide nonprofit association that exists to bridge the divide between microbusinesses, the entities that serve them and the communities that benefit from them.

AMN Fact Sheet

Alabama Microenterprise Network (AMN) is a statewide nonprofit association that exists to bridge the divide between microbusinesses, the entities that serve them and the communities that benefit from them.

AMN Fact Sheet

Small business

What is a microbusiness?

Microbusinesses, defined as enterprises with fewer than five employees, including the owner, are the small businesses on Main Streets and cross streets all over this country and they cover the full gamut of economic activity.

Think of a small law firm with two attorneys and a paralegal; the owner of the corner grocery, stock assistant and clerk; the after-school tutor; a computer technician; or an independent truck driver.  Microbusiness activity is everywhere.

Microbusinesses are the country’s largest segment of small businesses.

  • Microbusinesses in Alabama are responsible for more than 2 million jobs.
  • Microbusinesses create a variety of positive social impacts by providing income, wealth and upward mobility across racial, ethnic and gender lines.
  • The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) stated that “If just one in three microenterprises hired a single employee, the US would be at full employment”.
AMN facts
Alabama Microenterprise
Alabama Microenterprise

AMN

What We Do

Awareness

PROMOTE

AMN builds the public’s awareness of the impact that microbusinesses have on our State and nation.

Education

educatE

AMN is seen as a “trusted” resource for information on and about microbusinesses.

Advocacy

ADVOCATE

AMN is committed to advocating so that Alabama microbusinesses have a better seat at the small business resource table.

Small business resources

Since 2017, AMN has focused its programming on the inability of people of color to build wealth and the impact that the lack of wealth has on microbusinesses.

We looked at what the wealth gap is and why persons of color are disproportionately affected by the wealth gap.  We also looked at the impact the wealth gap had on the ability of persons of color to build wealth and how it impacted their ability to start and grow small businesses and improve their lifestyles.

In 2020, we shifted gears and looked at the impact of COVID-19 on

microbusinesses. Again, people of color are disproportionately impacted, not only by the disease itself, but by mandated business closings and their inability to qualify for and/or receive federal and state pandemic relief funds.

This year, as microbusinesses “settle in” to their new reality, we focus on the impact that COVID-19 had on nonemployee firms and firms owned by people of color.  And we also look at how the pandemic impacted communities of color.  Each year we highlight national and regional publications that address these issues. 
Below are our 2021 publications to read and download.

Small Business Credit Survey Nonemployer Firms Report
SBCS Report Firms Owned By POC
NUL- State of Black America
2021 State of Microbusiness in Alabama
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