Economic Growth, Healthcare Costs and Tax Policy Top List of Small Business Concerns

NEW YORK, February 4, 2016 — OnDeck® (NYSE: ONDK), the leader in online lending for small business, today released the results of a new survey that reveal the top priorities for small business owners in the 2016 Presidential Election. According to more than 1000 small business owners across the nation, economic growth, healthcare costs and tax policy are the three issues most critical to the health and success of their business.

More than half of small business owners surveyed cited the need for economic growth as an issue crucial to their future. Forty percent are concerned about healthcare costs and forty-one percent are focused on tax policy issues. And while these concerns loom large, the majority of small business owners (75 percent), regardless of political affiliation, say they have faith in the current roster of presidential candidates to do something about them.

Snapshot: Critical Election Issues for Small Business in 2016

OnDeck surveyed more than 1000 small businesses via Facebook and email to identify the issues that are of greatest concern to them in the 2016 Presidential Election.

  • 56.6% are focused on economic growth
  • 41.1% are closely monitoring tax policy
  • 40.5% are concerned about healthcare costs
  • 24.2% care about new or changing regulations at the national and state level
  • 21.8% are concerned about the strength of the skilled/educated workforce

The OnDeck survey also found that 94.1% of the small business respondents voted in the last presidential election in 2012. That engagement level is striking when you consider that less than sixty percent of eligible voters in the United States voted at the polls during that same election.

“Small business owners help drive the economic growth engine of our country, and they are passionate and actively engaged in political dialogue surrounding today’s key issues,” said James Hobson, chief operating officer at OnDeck. “We hope small businesses will have a strong voice in the election since we know that when this country embraces its entrepreneurial spirit, the positive benefits ripple throughout our economy.”

About OnDeck
OnDeck (NYSE: ONDK) is the leader in online small business lending. Since 2007, the company has powered Main Street’s growth through advanced lending technology and a constant dedication to customer service. OnDeck’s proprietary credit scoring system – the OnDeck Score® – leverages advanced analytics, enabling OnDeck to make real-time lending decisions and deliver capital to small businesses in as little as 24 hours. OnDeck offers business owners a complete financing solution, including the online lending industry’s widest range of term loans and lines of credit. To date, the company has deployed over $3 billion to more than 45,000 customers in 700 different industries across the United States, Canada and Australia. OnDeck has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and operates the educational small business financing website www.businessloans.com. For more information, please visit www.ondeck.com.