Small businesses are a little more optimistic as 2025 gets ready to give way to 2026. Leah Long, the state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says the biggest challenges for small business owners heading into the new year are operating costs and labor shortages. Long says all in all, 2025 was a good year for small businesses, spearheaded by legislation at all levels, starting on Capitol Hill.
“We did have an increase in optimism of business owners around the summertime area just because the Big Beautiful Bill, which contained that 20% small business function, was made permanent,” Long said.
Long says at the state level, she was glad to see the Louisiana legislature tackle insurance reform, and that will be a huge help for small businesses.
“Insurance rates were one of the biggest issues small business owners were dealing with, because they’ve got to eat those costs. If not, they pass them along to consumers, and that definitely affects your bottom line,” Long explained.
Long says there’s still work to be done, though – in 2026, she would like to see the legislature continue its work on lawsuit abuse.
“Workers’ Comp, that’s another sue-happy area that just really hurts these business owners. So it’s got to be about balance, getting the employees back to work, but also balance for those employers too,” Long said.
