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Small companies represent 99.7% of all employer firms and employ half of all private sector employees in the U.S., according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.  Thus, the concerns of small business owners are especially significant to this year's Presidential election.

In a new study from the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, 40 percent of small-business owners named those two issues as the most important factors in choosing a president. Ethics, honesty and corruption in government were also of significant importance.

Much of the talk on the campaign trail this week surrounded a leaked Romney video and an old tape of President Obama discussing wealth redistribution.

At the DNC, Obama accepts the nomination and highlights job creation, while the Romney campaign jumps on Friday’s bleak jobs report.

Republican nominee Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick, Paul Ryan,and his positions in relation to small business will be under the microscope from now until November.  Small business has emerged as a hot-button issue in the 2012 Presidential Election, and the VP candidate's policy proposals that impact business growth will be important in voters' decision-making.

Comments made by President Obama during a weekend campaign stop in Roanoke, Va., have some small business owners furious. Obama said, while speaking to a crowd of supporters about taxes: “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” 

If they were in President Obama's shoes for one day, business owners said in a recent survey that they would lower taxes, reduce regulation and tackle health-insurance issues.

Employers are divided as to whether or not they will continue providing health-care benefits to their workers leading up to the 2012 election. Although Obamacare was upheld by the Supreme Court, only about 50% of employers said they will move forward with their current benefits strategy regardless of the political outcome, according to a recent survey.

It’s not an easy thing to consider, and for many small business owners, little thought is given to what will happen to the business in the event of their death. Without planning and forethought, the business could end up in probate, potentially creating irreparable damage.

You are never too young or too old to create a succession plan for the business you have worked so hard to cultivate. Oftentimes business owners either have a plan that is too outdated to use, or haven’t even sat down to create a model of what their business will look like once they hand over the reins.

Finding the right candidates and learning about what makes them tick without violating their privacy can be a great balancing act, especially for small business owners with limited time and resources. Throw social media in to the mix, and you can expose your business to potential risk -- and even lawsuits.

According to a poll released Thursday from the Small Business Majority, half of small-business owners want President Obama’s reform bill upheld, either as it stands or with minor changes. 

“The Politics of Small Business,” released this week by the National Small Business Association (NSBA), found that 97% of small business owners vote in national elections, and 94% vote in state elections. And 99% of small business owners said they are registered to vote.

When you begin working toward turning your million-dollar business idea into a reality, how can you ensure people you hire and/or consult with along the way don’t take your plan and run with it? Make sure they sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement, say legal experts.

The following six steps all characterize small business owners who saw revenue increases in 2011 over the prior two years – in other words those who successfully weathered the recent economic storm, according to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.

Just because your business is small, doesn’t mean the data you hold is any less valuable to hackers. Here’s what experts say you should be doing now to protect your business from potential data breaches.

No matter how long-winded or confusing a contract may be, reading the fine print is crucial for protecting your business. As one entrepreneur is learning the hard way, once you are operating as a business owner, you lose consumer protection rights.   

Liability insurance protects your business from potential lawsuits. Insurance policies vary widely, covering different types of risk at varying cost to the business. Before you start shopping for policies, here is a guide on what you need to know about liability insurance:

The White House is touting its new Framework for Business Tax Reform as a way to cut the corporate tax rate and simplify taxes for small businesses

The White House has a new plan to lower corporate tax rates to 28% from 35%. Here's a look at which industries could benefit and which could suffer.