Part of the reason our economy is in so much trouble is that our government has given over too much power (excessive money in politics) to multinational corporations. The rules of doing business favor these entities over small business and for these reasons WalMart will squeeze out almost every small business by offering poor quality at low prices. Consumers may not actually want poor quality, but the megastores can make it impossible for small businesses to compete fairly.
The small business owner must deal with liabilities and regulations when they hire their first employee, that would choke a mule. Laws are passed every day adding to the benefits and other requirements needed for hiring employees.
The skills of a good small business owner are again, completely different from those of the entrepreneur. Because of the team nature of a business organization, leadership skills become paramount. This is the third tier of Spiritual Growth and Development leading an organization in the creation of value for others. This is the group for which this website is wholly intended to rescue. Making well the small businesses in our community is the true path to economic security for all of us. Think local, buy local only makes economic sense if we want quality goods and experiences, we can't afford to have them all shipped in, especially with rising transportation costs.
The bulk of the information you will find on this site is dedicated to helping small business owners succeed at creating franchise prototypes, businesses that run without the need of the "secret ingredient" supplied by the entrepreneur or business owner.