Perspective: Small businesses can attract, retain employees despite labor shortages

As we start a new year, Americans are usually filled with a renewed sense of optimism — a fresh perspective and a positive outlook on what is to come. For small business owners, 2023 hasn’t brought the same excitement. Labor shortages, inflation and supply chain disruptions are battering businesses of all sizes across this country, and Baltimore-area small businesses such as mine are experiencing all these challenges. Sen. Ben Cardin said last summer that “our communities have regained a hard-earned sense of normalcy after the worst of COVID-19, but for many small businesses, the nightmare continues.”