Business Buzz: Small businesses continue to drive Colorado’s economy despite headwinds

DENVER — In this week’s 9NEWS Business Buzz, Business Expert Ryan Frazier looks at how Colorado’s small businesses are performing as the state closes out 2025.

Joining the show is Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Justin Everett to break down current trends and the tools available to business owners across the Mountain West.

Colorado is home to over 730,000 small businesses, representing 99.5% of all businesses in the state and employing 1.2 million workers—nearly half the workforce.

Small Business Saturday and the broader holiday kickoff brought signs of strength. Adobe Analytics reports that U.S. holiday online sales were up 9.1% over last year, including Black Friday, reflecting continued consumer demand heading into the peak shopping season.

The SBA closed Fiscal Year 2025 with a record $44.8 billion in small-business loans nationwide, signaling strong demand for capital.

But the recent 43-day federal government shutdown temporarily froze that flow:

• Roughly 46 Colorado loans per week were delayed
• Equaling about $26 million per week in stalled capital for local firms

With the shutdown over, SBA lending programs have resumed and are working through the backlog.

The SBA highlighted several efforts designed to help firms navigate supply-chain challenges and growth pressures:

• Made in America Onshoring Portal: A national SBA tool connecting businesses with verified U.S. manufacturers and suppliers to reduce risk and improve sourcing stability. Tens of thousands of companies have already enrolled.
• Lending Improvements: Continued modernization of approval processes for SBA’s core loan programs.

With steady consumer spending, a significant lending rebound, and new supply-chain tools coming online, small businesses remain a powerful driver of Colorado’s economic momentum heading into 2026.

Watch the full episode above.