Business Advice

Small businesses have two common ways to survive a cash-flow crunch: borrow money or chase down unpaid bills. Both are getting less predictable at the same time.  Small businesses are getting squeezed from two directions at once. It is harder to borrow your way through a cash-flow crunch, and it is riskier to trust whoever … Read more

With 55% of U.S. B2B invoiced sales overdue, businesses need to collect unpaid bills without losing valuable customers. A harsh approach may recover one invoice but cost years of future business. Research from The Kaplan Group shows that respectful collection methods can improve cooperation, support payment, and protect customer relationships. The relationship is not separate … Read more

Independent work is no longer just a side-gig phenomenon. It is increasingly being treated as a structured small-business path, especially in professional, creative, educational, and information-based sectors.  A new report by The Kaplan Group analyzed two trend lines behind that shift: U.S. search interest, which is rising fastest for terms like “start freelancing” and “freelance … Read more

A shrinking, more expensive workforce under rising financial stress The U.S. debt collection industry is contracting at precisely the wrong moment.  Over the past six years, the number of employed bill and account collectors has fallen by about 33%, based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.  The sharpest drop came between 2023 and 2024, … Read more

Jobs are the clearest signal of economic health. Where they’re growing, money moves and invoices get paid; where they’re disappearing, financial distress and unpaid debt aren’t far behind. The Kaplan Group pulled together more than 90 statistics across the industries we know best, debt collection, staffing, marketing, SaaS, software, manufacturing, financial services, and distribution, to … Read more

AI has moved from an experiment to the defining operational shift in debt collection. Just two years ago, fewer than half of agencies had AI plans of any kind. Today, that number has inverted. A new report by The Kaplan Group draws from the most recent data to assess where AI stands in 2026 and … Read more

Marketing and advertising agencies don’t just feel late payments on their own books. When large clients take months to pay, that debt pressure trickles down to the freelancers and contractors who do a growing share of the work. A new report by The Kaplan Group looks at how extended payment terms for agencies combine with … Read more

Business bankruptcy filings in the U.S. have surpassed pre-pandemic levels. After bottoming out at 13,481 filings in 2022, annual business bankruptcies climbed to 24,737 by 2025. A new report by The Kaplan Group analyzes federal judiciary data from 2019 through 2025 to map where commercial bankruptcies are rising fastest. Key Takeaways National business bankruptcy trends … Read more

In 2025, U.S. goods trade expanded in both directions, with exports and imports growing compared with 2024, but imports rising more than exports. The annual goods deficit is slightly wider than the year before. A new report by The Kaplan Group examines when this shift happened, and which partners and product groups drove it. Key … Read more

Small businesses rarely fail because they lack ideas; they fail because they run out of cash. The Kaplan Group compiles 51 up‑to‑date data points on how often owners are juggling late customer payments, rising costs, and expensive debt just to keep the lights on. These numbers highlight the financial pressure points that can quickly turn … Read more

What happens when 12.8M green card holders can’t get SBA loans? The Small Business Administration has issued new rules that shut lawful permanent residents out of its main small‑business loan programs, even if they own just 1% of a company. That shift could pull billions of dollars in affordable credit away from immigrant‑owned and mixed‑ownership … Read more

A new report by The Kaplan Group shows that temp help employment more than doubled between 1990 and its March 2022 peak, yet has since fallen by nearly one‑quarter. At the same time, online interest in “staffing agencies” and “temp work” is higher than ever, signaling curiosity and concern that don’t fully align with actual … Read more

The U.S. manufacturing landscape entering 2026 is defined by mounting financial strain and rising credit risk. Balance sheets are weakening, bankruptcy activity is climbing, and many producers are increasingly dependent on debt just as trade tariffs and higher input costs squeeze margins. Together, these pressures are fueling longer payment terms, more frequent delinquencies, and a … Read more

America’s small business landscape is under pressure from higher interest rates and tighter credit—but not all states are feeling it the same way. A new report from The Kaplan Group ranks all 50 states on small business health using a blend of credit fundamentals and early stress signals, revealing where small firms look most resilient … Read more

U.S. “office” construction is no longer just about cubicles and corner suites. It has split into two very different stories: a shrinking market for traditional offices and a fast‑growing, infrastructure‑heavy buildout of data centers. A new report by The Kaplan Group offers a data-driven snapshot of this transformation, highlighting rapid data center growth, as artificial … Read more

U.S. business debt entered 2026 under sustained pressure, not a single crisis moment. The Kaplan Group analyzed key economic signals to show how tighter credit, higher‑for‑longer interest costs, and tariff‑driven price shocks are reshaping the risk landscape for American companies.​ Our full State of U.S. Business Debt 2026 report provides detailed findings and charts. Key … Read more

On September 28, 2024 Governor Newsom signed SB 988, the Freelance Worker Protection Act, and its key provisions became law on January 1, 2025. The FWPA creates baseline contract and payment protections for many freelancers and small one-person contracting entities, and it gives freelancers tools to enforce those rights. Who’s covered The law defines a … Read more

International tourism to the United States experienced a significant contraction in July 2025, with total losses of 624,404 visitors representing an 8.9% year-over-year decline. The downturn generated an estimated $2.62 billion in lost spending. A new report by The Kaplan Group analyzed how tourism-dependent cities are facing elevated foreclosure risk due to a decline in … Read more

The B2B payment landscape in 2025 reveals a crisis of unprecedented proportions. More than half of all business-to-business invoiced sales in America are overdue, creating a ripple effect that touches every aspect of commercial operations—from cash flow and growth plans to supplier relationships and operational efficiency. The Payment Delay Crisis Current data reveals that late … Read more