If you are a business owner, odds are you are a small-business owner. Small businesses, defined as those with fewer than 500 employees, make up almost half of private-sector employment, over 40 percent of US GDP, and are responsible for nearly two thirds of net new job creation. We may call them small, but they are a large part of the economy and its growth.

For those reasons and more, small businesses are a subject of interest for researchers, policymakers at the local, state, and national levels, and others. They are eager to understand, how are small businesses doing? What challenges do they face? How do they manage them?

Every year, the Federal Reserve Banks conduct a survey to learn answers to those questions, specifically focused on small business financing, financial conditions, and emerging issues. The Fed’s Small Business Credit Survey gives voice to thousands of small business owners and makes it easy to understand through public reports. By sharing your perspective, you can proactively inform policymakers about your successes and challenges as you navigate doing business.