Prometheus 6

Want to see what the feds mean when they say "small business"?

SBA has several general Size Standards. A business in one of the following industry groups is small if it is not greater than the size standard indicated.

Industry Group	Size Standard
Manufacturing	500 employees
Wholesale Trade	100 employees
Agriculture	$750,000
Retail Trade	$6.5 million
General & Heavy Construction (except Dredging)	$31 million
Dredging	$18.5 million
Special Trade Contractors	$13 million
Travel Agencies	$3.5 million (commissions & other income)
Business and Personal Services Except:	$6.5 million
Architectural, Engineering, Surveying, and Mapping Services	$4.5 million
Dry Cleaning and Carpet Cleaning Services	$4.5 million

If the size of a business exceeds the size standard for its overall industry group, it may still be a small business for the specific NAICS industry in that group. Some industries have higher size standards than the general one for the industry group. SBA has a Table of Size Standards on its web site.

Many of the Self-Employed Are Simply on Their Own
By MILT FREUDENHEIM

The small businesses that struggle the most with health insurance may be the smallest of all: those with only one employee.

In 11 states, self-employed people have some of the same legal rights as small companies when it comes to dealing with insurers: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Vermont.

But elsewhere, in dealing with insurance companies, the nation’s estimated 20 million self-employed are on their own.