2026 REPORT ON THE SMB ECONOMY

Main Street: The Biggest Opportunity in America Today?

Get the 2026 Report:

According to Pew, 86% of Americans trust small business more than any institution. Far more than church, the military, school, and big business.

So, who's buying, building, and innovating on Main Street?

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If you like HVAC, AI, and EBITDA, you'll love this...

The map of Main Street, USA

36.2 million small businesses. We ranked every state and metro by SMB activity, and the findings might surprise you.

America's demographic time bomb

America's owners are aging up. We mapped exactly what that wave looks like and where opportunities are opening.

SBA lending hitting all-time records

But the real story isn't the headline numbers, it's spotting which segments are exploding and what that tells you.

Who's buying businesses right now

We surveyed 200+ active business buyers. See what they're targeting, and the skill gaps keeping them from closing.

The blue-collar AI revolution

How Main Street operators are cutting costs, capturing leads, and building custom software for $10K that used to cost $150K

5 predictions for Main Street

The Great Bifurcation, the boomer economy, PE moving downstream, and why 2026 belongs to the builders.

Insights from investors, innovators, and SMB owners

1-Apr-27-2026-07-10-07-3081-PM
Codie Sanchez
Founder and CEO, Contrarian Thinking
2-Apr-27-2026-07-10-17-8065-PM
Chris Petkas
General Partner, Contrarian Thinking Capital
4-Apr-27-2026-07-11-06-2956-PM
Steven Montgomery
CEO, ResiBrands
 
5-Apr-27-2026-07-11-47-3156-PM
Amjad Masad
CEO, Replit
8-Apr-27-2026-07-12-39-2563-PM
Bobby Graham
President, BizScout
9-4
Alex Jekowsky
CEO, Cents
3-Apr-27-2026-07-11-30-9898-PM
Alexander Seutin
CEO, Drillbit
7-4
Mark Hoadley
CEO, Hauler Hero
6-Apr-27-2026-07-12-03-3359-PM
Anthony Tokosky and Alex Kang
Owners, Priority Doors and Windows