Why small businesses are important: The heart of our nation

The Heart of our Nation

The principles found in the Declaration of Independence didn’t just help create a nation. They created the conditions for generations of Americans to innovate, build, create jobs, and strengthen their communities. Too often, taxes, red tape, licensing rules, and outdated regulations make that path harder than it should be. When Americans are free, they can achieve extraordinary things.

That’s why One Small Step is sharing stories of entrepreneurs who built, hired, and served their communities. These stories show how removing barriers can help entrepreneurs start a business, create jobs, give back to local communities, and pursue the American Dream.

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Recognize a small-business owner who took a risk, created opportunity, or made your community stronger.

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What small businesses make possible

They turn freedom into opportunity

Every small business begins with someone willing to take a risk, solve a problem, and build a better future. When people are free to pursue an idea, the American Dream becomes more than a promise — it becomes a path forward.

They create jobs from the ground up

Small businesses help workers gain skills, earn higher wages, support their families, and advance. Pro-growth policies allow business owners to reinvest, expand, buy equipment, and create more opportunities in their communities.

They thrive when barriers come down

Complicated permits, unnecessary regulations, and one-size-fits-all mandates can stop an entrepreneur before the doors ever open. AFP works alongside business owners to remove those barriers so they can spend less time navigating government and more time serving customers, hiring workers, and growing.

They strengthen the communities they call home

Local businesses are often the first to sponsor a team, support a family in need, mentor a young worker, or step up during a crisis. Their impact reaches far beyond the storefront — showing how people closest to a community are often best equipped to help it thrive.

What freedom makes possible

6:44

Sprankle's Neighborhood Market

Saxonburg, PA — Neighborhood grocery

A second-generation grocer, Doug used the relief from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to expand his store, create jobs, and reinvest money back into Saxonburg’s small businesses. When those cuts were set to expire, he partnered with Americans for Prosperity and became a leading voice in the fight to make tax relief permanent for business owners nationwide.

5:27

Tres Jardines

Atlanta, GA — Food truck

Tony Harrison and Brandon Peña left corporate America in 2014 to launch a food truck, only to run into a Georgia rule requiring a separate permit for each of the state’s 159 counties. They joined AFP’s grassroots push for HB 1443, which now lets food truck owners operate statewide on a single permit — clearing the way for entrepreneurs across the Peach State.

12:24

Kut Kings

Waterloo, IA — Mobile barbershop

William learned to cut hair while incarcerated and, once released, set out to bring that skill to underserved communities. When Iowa law made mobile barbershops illegal, he worked with AFP-Iowa to lobby the legislature, remove the barrier, and get his Kut Kings mobile barbershop on the road.

10:51

The Brewing Projekt

Eau Claire, WI — Craft brewery

A U.S. Marine veteran, Will Glass invested half a million dollars to open his brewery — then spent years battling entrenched regulations that nearly bankrupted him. With Americans for Prosperity in his corner, he fought back against the state barriers built to drown out newcomers and kept The Brewing Projekt alive.