Engage presents
Talk SHOP: Small business Hub for Owners and Professionals

Practical policy insight and more for small business

Talk SHOP is Engage’s monthly newsletter for small business owners and the professionals who work with them. Each issue offers a bipartisan, plain-language read on what Congress and federal agencies are doing and what it means for small businesses and their employees.

The October 2026 Issue

Our first issue delivers the practical guide to the Section 45S paid leave tax credit that we promised readers this summer, maps where small business policy is made in Congress, looks at whether AI is fueling America’s business boom, and opens our American Engine column with a contributor piece on broadband and small business.

Policy Payoff

A Practical Guide to the Newly Permanent Paid Leave Tax Credit for Employers (Section 45S)

The federal tax credit for employers that offer paid family and medical leave is now permanent, and better than ever.

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Capitol Ledger

Where Small Business Policy Gets Made

Which committees in Congress steer small business policy, and who leads them.

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Power Tools
Presented byIntuit

Could AI Be Fueling America’s Business Boom?

Americans continue to start new businesses at record-setting rates according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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American Engine

Powering Small Business and Economic Opportunity

Talk SHOP contributor Linda Shim of Comcast on why broadband is essential infrastructure for small business, and why connectivity alone is not the finish line.

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Guiding Voices

Shirley Boubert-Rumble
Shirley Boubert-Rumble
Chair
Owner and CEO,
Usource Construction
Washington, DC
Tracy Chadwell
Tracy Chadwell
Founding Partner,
1843 Capital
Washington, DC
Gina Hadley
Gina Hadley
Co-Founder,
The Second Shift
New York, NY
Sue Malone
Sue Malone
Founder and CEO,
Strategies for Small Business
Nashville, TN
Emily Morris
Emily Morris
Founder and CEO,
Emrgy
Atlanta, GA

Talk SHOP is published by Engage, a nonprofit dedicated to women’s economic security and bipartisan, commonsense solutions. Rachel Pearson is Founder and Publisher, and Jason Kanter is Editor-in-Chief.