How Small Business Owners Win in 2026
Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

How Small Business Owners Win in 2026

B2Upper-intermediateJuly 29, 202635 min
  • Interview
  • Business & money

Today, Nicole is teaming up with U.S. Bank to unpack the state of small businesses and what entrepreneurs can do right now to get ahead. Nicole sits down with Shruti Patel, U.S. Bank's Chief Product Officer for the Business Banking segment, to unpack the findings from the bank's fourth annual Small Business Survey and what they reveal about the state of entrepreneurship right now. Shruti breaks down why small business optimism dipped from 93% to 83% this year even as resilience holds strong, why only 3% of owners are currently considering a sale or exit, and what that s...

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officer for the business banking segment. We talk about small business growth strategy,

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and the small payment method switch that could make a big difference to your bottom line.

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0:00

I'm Nicole Lapvin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. It's time for some money rehab. Business owners, side hustlers, W-2 employees who are thinking about making the entrepreneurial leap, this one's for you. Because between macroeconomic factors and new AI tools,

0:26

there are a lot of new opportunities for founders. Yet optimism in founders is down from last year. But you guys, we got this. Our partners at U.S. Bank put together an annual small business survey to understand the challenges facing businesses right now and ultimately help and build solutions. So to dig into what they learned this year, I'm talking to Shruti Patel, U.S. Bank's chief product

0:47

officer for the business banking segment. We talk about small business growth strategy, what Gen Z entrepreneurs specifically should know about scaling, and the small payment method switch that could make a big difference to your bottom line. Shruti Patel, welcome to Money Rehab.

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