Many economists have surmised that the health of U.S. small businesses is key to the health of the U.S. economy. In fact, a Forbes article by Ian Shepherdson, “Small Businesses Are The (Missing) Key To A Full Economic Recovery,” cites that small firms account for about half of the nation’s gross domestic product and employ about half the workforce, “so if they are struggling it is very hard for the economy as a whole to grow in line with its long-term trend.”