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Report: 89% of Small Businesses Using AI Report Positive Impacts

Revenue Brew reports on new data from Homebase, an AI-powered operator for small businesses: 89% of small businesses using AI report a positive impact, and owners are more than twice as likely to expect AI to help their business grow (49%) than to reduce head count (22%). Nearly three-quarters (74%) of surveyed small businesses are using or piloting AI tools, up from 64% in 2025, with usage ranging from 54% among businesses under $500,000 in revenue to 81% among those above $5 million. Businesses using AI for scheduling and payroll report an estimated 7.7 hours and $343 saved per month.

2026 Annual Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers Conference

The annual conference of New York's Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers, held Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 9:30 AM to 5 PM at Civic Hall in New York City. The EAC network provides training, coaching and support to new and aspiring entrepreneurs across New York State. Registration is through Eventbrite.

Relay

Online banking and money-management platform built for small businesses: checking and savings accounts, debit cards, accounts payable and receivable, expense management, and integrations with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Gusto, and Plaid. A free checking tier is available; savings, credit, and loan products carry their own terms.

Small Business Trends

Online publication covering small business news, technology products, marketing, and management advice for entrepreneurs and business owners. Free to read, supported by advertising.

Basecamp

Project-management and team-chat software from 37signals, with a free plan for one project.

Why I recommend it: Only one project is free; teams quickly need the paid plan. Check the limits before you move your work in.

Manhattan Chamber of Commerce — Research + Data

Free reports and data on small business conditions in New York City. Current findings include a Manhattan storefront vacancy rate of 12.99% as of Q1 2026 (against a 12.79% pre-pandemic benchmark, with 8 of 12 community districts at or below it), non-resident visits down 2.1% year over year — the first decline in five years — an estimated $4.5bn in annual tariff costs absorbed by NYC small businesses and roughly $4,200 in added annual household costs, business formation at a five-year low, and an analysis of 211,000+ Department of Consumer and Worker Protection inspection records showing 62.3% of city business inspection cases end in default judgment, with summonses to unlicensed businesses up 171% in a year.

Why I recommend it: If you run or plan a business in New York, the inspection findings matter most: a default judgment means the business never showed up to contest the summons, and 62.3% is a warning about how easily a fine becomes final. Use the storefront tracker to argue about a specific neighborhood rather than the city average. One flag to keep in view — a chamber of commerce advocates for its members, so the tariff and enforcement figures are produced by an organization with a position on both.