Micah Logan

SMALL BUSINESS MASTERY THE PULSE 1. Tariffs have already hit more of your costs than you’ve probably priced for. The New York Fed found 55% of small goods-sector firms nationally, 62% in the New York area, and 67% of small retailers report tariffs affecting their business, and about 80% of all firms said their imported input prices rose in 2025 versus 2024. Of the firms facing higher costs, roughly 80% passed at least some of it on to customers, but a full 60% are still absorbing part of it...

SMALL BUSINESS MASTERY THE PULSE 1. Confidence is up. Nobody’s pulling the trigger. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.4 points in July to 99.8, its highest level since August 2025 and above the 52-year average of 98.0, with hiring plans driving most of the gain. Read one line down, though, and the picture changes: the Uncertainty Index climbed to 91, far above its long-run average of 68, driven by owners unsure whether it’s a good time to expand or commit capital. Source: NFIB,...

SMALL BUSINESS MASTERY THE PULSE 1. Confidence is up. Nobody's pulling the trigger. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.4 points in July to 99.8, its highest level since August 2025 and above the 52-year average of 98.0, with hiring plans driving most of the gain. Sounds great until you read the other line. The Uncertainty Index climbed to 91, far above its long-run average of 68, driven by owners who aren't sure it's a good time to expand or commit to capital spending. Source:...

SMALL BUSINESS MASTERY THE PULSE Communication broke in a measurable, expensive way this year, and most owners don't see it because it's invisible from where they sit. In a recent business communication survey, three in four leaders admitted their company underestimates the cost of poor communication. One in five said they'd actually lost business over it, and most of them put the damage at $10,000 or more. This isn't a soft, morale-and-vibes problem. It's rework, blown deadlines, and deals...

SMALL BUSINESS MASTERY THE PULSE The corporate world spent 2026 tearing the org chart apart. Citigroup cut its structure from 13 management layers down to 8. Company after company is "flattening" deleting the middle boxes to shorten decision chains and get leaders closer to the work. But Fortune's own framing is the part to sit with: the great flattening doesn't automatically work. Removing boxes isn't the same as fixing who decides. Source: Fortune - "Jane Fraser cut Citi's management layers...

The slowest-moving part of your business is you THE PULSE Owner burnout stopped being a wellness topic this year and quietly became an operations problem. A 2026 Patriot Software survey found that 53.5% of small business owners lose sleep every week and nearly half, 47.7%, have skipped or delayed their own paycheck to keep the doors open. The report's own framing is the part worth sitting with: this isn't a personal failing; it's structural, and it's tied directly to constant decision-making...

Note from Micah: Let me first say, I'm sorry I've been MIA with my newsletters. Sometimes when you're the one writing them, you just need a break, but I have GREAT updates for you. The last few months turned into something I didn't expect. A lot happened. Good things. Big things. Here's the short version: I gave the keynote at the Digital Enterprise Show in Malaga, Spain. I've been invited to deliver another one in New Orleans. I finished and officially copyrighted my first book. And the...

Small Business Mastery In Today's Email: The Pulse: 3 stories shaping the small business landscape right now Core Insight: Why "fix everything" is actually a strategy for fixing nothing The TRIAGE Framework: 5 steps to find and fix your highest-leverage problem first The Data: What owners are struggling with most in 2026 and what it costs them This Week: A 4-week action plan to break out of overwhelm and start moving 📣 New Offering: The Cash Flow Cohort spots are filling fast 📣 NEW OFFERING...

Small Business Mastery In Today's Email: The Pulse: 3 breaking stories shaping the 2026 hiring landscape The Data: What the numbers actually say about the talent squeeze The Framework: 5 retention and hiring moves that work for small businesses right now What To Implement This Week The Small Business Pulse 1. NFIB: 31% of Small Businesses Have Unfilled Openings Source: NFIB Small Business Economic Trends – February 2026 The latest NFIB survey found that 31% of small business owners have...