Don't Look to the Media for How Small Businesses are Doing

CNN ran a story this week about how gas prices are crushing small businesses. They interviewed a food delivery guy who drives a hundred miles a week and said the economy is killing him.

Here's the thing. I ran the numbers. Gas prices are up about 40 cents a gallon. At a hundred miles a week, that's an extra eight to twenty bucks a month. Total.

If eight dollars breaks your business, gas prices aren't your problem.
You weren't making money before the first bomb dropped on Iran.

And sure enough — later in the interview, the guy admits he hasn't raised his prices in two years. He runs a food business. Grocery costs have been climbing for 24 months straight, and he absorbed all of it. No wonder he isn’t making any money.

But the media doesn't tell that story. They roll up with a camera, find the most sympathetic small business owner they can, and paint us all as victims of whatever the crisis of the week is. Poor small business owners. How will they survive?

Get out of here with that.

You and I know what it takes to run a business. We eat what we kill. No paid vacation, no company match 401k, no safety net. And while it’s hard sometimes we definitely are NOT victims…we’re making it happen every day because failure is not an option.

The next time you hear someone say the economy is crushing small businesses, or look how terrible the economy is and no small business owner can win, ask yourself: Am I charging what I'm worth and am I adjusting when costs change?

Don’t listen to what people say about “all small business owners,” take care of YOUR business and let’s continue showing everyone that small business owners are the smart, dedicated, engines of the American economy.

This was an epic 15-minute rant from my daily show Businessing with Pat Miller. During the rant, I lean into the media-side of this story and, welp, I got a little loud. If you’d like to see it, here it is!

Tweet of the week

Dickie Bush just solved your small business content problem. Mic. Drop.

2026 SBOC Conference Wait List - Now Live!

The 2026 SBOC Conference is coming in September 15-17, 2026, and this year we're doing things a little differently. Tickets go on sale to the public on May 13th at $399 (the lowest price we've ever offered), and that includes meals, swag, speakers, the welcome event, everything.

Here’s the problem…our conference holds 200 seats, but only 110 seats are available to the public — the rest are already spoken for by pre-registrations, VIPs, and sponsors.

Because of the growth of the SBOC we have also have 160 members standing by to grab tickets, too.

Here’s how the ticket sales will go:

• May 11 - SBOC Members will get the opportunity to buy tickets

• May 12 - SBOC WAIT LIST members will get the opportunity to buy tickets

• May 13 - The tickets will go on sale to the general public (if any remain)

If you want to get a ticket to our 6th annual small business event, get on the waitlist now! No financial commitment, just your name and email. Last year, people walked away from this conference with joint ventures, new clients, and business-changing breakthroughs — and this year we're bringing our keynote speaker in person. Click here to get on the waitlist so you get a shot at your seat…we’re already deep in planning, it’s going to be a blockbuster year!

Now Forming: AI Installation Group

My outlook on AI is simple:

• Using it right means treating it like an employee

• The opportunity is to automate as much of your business as possible - as quickly as possible

• The adoption is not optional. Either you’ll embrace the change or be affected by it later

My outlook on growing your small business:

• It’s better to collaborate with smart, driven people around you so you can move faster and make fewer mistakes.

• We are good at what we do but we’ll never see our complete opportunities because of blindspots and bias.

• Our business constantly changes but our mission will not. We must offer outrageous value at the highest rates possible for maximum growth.

I’m launching the AI Installation Group to unite these two belief areas. This six-month mastermind program will lead you through the most transformative six months we may ever see in small business. By October we will all see:

• AI team members taking on tasks, roles, and complete areas in our business

• Automation reducing our daily workflow and obligations

• Research, outreach, and sales funnel management that will explode our opportunity to serve more clients and sell more of our products

This will come through a flood of new tools, an unlimited amount of potential techniques, and a sinking feeling of “where do I even begin.”

That’s why I’m building the AI Installation Group:

• Monthly 2 Hour Mastermind meeting for education and group collaboration

• A new, exclusive “AI Slam” meeting for “show and tell,” and specific problem solving

• A new, exclusive “AI in Small Business” trendsletter for members to stay up to speed on breaking AI news with a focus on what matters and what we can ignore

• And, text and email support from me and the team when you have specific questions or get stuck with your implementation.

You absolutely can try to make this important transition on your own.
Or, you can get the right people around you and do this the right way.

The first group meetings is on March 25 - CLICK HERE if you want to learn more and reserve your seat.

Now, GO SELL SOMETHING!

Pat