As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, there’s no better time to honor the entrepreneurs, tradespeople, dreamers, and doers who helped build the nation from the ground up. Small businesses have been the engine of American growth since the country’s earliest days—and they remain essential to its future. This year, we’re launching Founded: The Small Businesses That Built America, a year‑long series exploring the extraordinary role small businesses have played in shaping the nation’s economy, culture, and identity.
From blacksmiths and merchants of the colonial era to immigrant‑owned shops of the 19th century to the manufacturing hubs and Main Street retailers thriving today, small businesses have evolved alongside the country itself. They’ve powered westward expansion, fueled industrialization, anchored communities, and adapted through eras of war, recession, technological change, and unprecedented innovation. Today, they are leading in nearly every way—building new technologies, adapting AI and creating jobs in every sector. While the tools, industries, and business models have transformed over 250 years, one thing has remained constant: small businesses drive progress.
Today, small businesses account for 99.9% of all U.S. companies and employ 46% of the American workforce, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. You’ll find them in every corner of the economy—construction, technology, transportation, hospitality, finance, retail, food services, and more. Americans deeply value these enterprises, with 82% saying small businesses bring people together and strengthen communities.
Today, small businesses account for 99.9% of all U.S. companies and employ 46% of the American workforce, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Our Founded series will spotlight the entrepreneurs behind century‑old businesses that have endured and evolved; iconic American brands that started as small, scrappy ventures; and modern startups and solopreneurs redefining what’s possible. Together, their stories trace a remarkable narrative of resilience, creativity, and determination.
America’s support for its small businesses has grown over time as well. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1912 to advocate for businesses of all sizes. Mom and Pop Business Owners Day, created in 1939, remains an annual reminder of the value of family‑run shops. And in 1953, the federal government established the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to help entrepreneurs start, grow, and compete.
As we look ahead, the future of small business is bright. Technologies like artificial intelligence are accelerating innovation and lowering barriers for entrepreneurs everywhere. Americans are increasingly mobile and connected, opening new opportunities to start and scale companies from virtually anywhere. The spirit of ingenuity that defined the nation’s earliest entrepreneurs continues to thrive.
In her 2026 State of American Business address, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark put America’s 250‑year journey into perspective: “When you think about 250 years in the scheme of history—in the arc of humanity—it is a blink. And if you think about all we have accomplished in that very short time, it is breathtaking.”
Imagine what the next 250 years of American entrepreneurship will bring. As Clark said, “We must be fearless because it’s our legacy and our future… We are not in the business of dreaming. We are in the business of doing.”
This series honors the doers—the small businesses that built America, and the ones building its future.
Erica Sweeney contributed to this article.
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