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Small Businesses Stay Confident Amid U.S. Economic Uncertainty

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New GoDaddy research shows entrepreneurs remain focused on growth despite rising concern

TEMPE, Ariz., May 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Nearly half of U.S. small and microbusiness owners expect the national economy to weaken in the coming months. Despite the outlook, most still believe their own businesses will grow, according to new survey data released today by GoDaddy.

In the latest findings from the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab, formerly known as Venture Forward, 49% of 2,100 U.S. microbusiness owners* surveyed predict a weaker economy in the next six months. That is up 17 points from 2024. Even so, 66% of respondents have positive revenue expectations, and only 9% forecast a sales decline.

“Small business owners are realistic about the economy, but they believe in themselves,” said GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani. “GoDaddy’s research shows they remain intent on pushing their small businesses forward.”

The GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab findings reflect a steady shift over time. In 2023, 73% of microbusiness owners said they expected to grow revenue in the first 6 months of the year. Now in 2025, it stands at 66%. Most respondents still expect growth, clearly, but the trend indicates weakening optimism.

Entrepreneurs are also adjusting their long-term goals. 40% now say they plan to remain solo entrepreneurs – up from 36% last year – versus aspiring to build mid-size or corporate enterprises. This points to a growing interest in right-sized businesses that match owners’ lifestyles and risk tolerance.

Rising Costs Put Pressure on Small Business Margins

While optimism holds, cost pressures are rising and showing up not just in what small businesses pay, but what they can charge. Over half (52%) of respondents cited limited cash flow as their biggest financial barrier, but existing expenses (34%) and pricing pressure on goods and services (33%) ranked highest among specific cost challenges.

These pricing pressures are especially acute among Construction & Home Trades (40%) and Creative-Media businesses (36%), with solo operators and small teams reporting they are feeling the pinch of existing operating costs the most. For businesses with 5–9 employees, wages emerged as the top cost barrier (45%), reflecting a shift toward labor-related pressure once headcount rises.

One in three owners (33%) also named financial strain as their primary source of stress—ranking it above challenges like adopting new technology, managing vendors, or finding and retaining customers.

Access to capital, often a major hurdle for new businesses, appears to be improving. Only 8% of owners say it is their top challenge, down from 10% the year before.

Sharing their perspective on the results, Victor W. Hwang, founder and CEO of Right to Start, a nonprofit that promotes U.S. small business growth, added: “The results of this GoDaddy survey demonstrate quantitatively the drive and resilience of entrepreneurs all across the United States. Their commitment to their enterprises is relentless and innovative. America’s entrepreneurs are an extraordinary resource for strengthening the U.S. economy and growing new businesses and jobs nationwide.”

Commenting on the findings, small business owner Leo Lopez owner of San Jose-based La Fenice Pizza said: “The economy is definitely uncertain right now, but as a small business owner, you learn to live with that. I’ve had to adjust, simplify, and focus on what really works, and that’s helped me grow stronger. For me, resilience isn’t about being unaffected. It’s about finding a way to keep going, even when things get unpredictable. That’s how I’ve built my business, and I think a lot of us are doing the same.”

“Entrepreneurs are planning for what is ahead,” Bhutani added. “They are navigating these times by staying focused and determined. At GoDaddy, our job is to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed.”

For more insights from GoDaddy’s latest small business research, visit the full report here:
https://www.godaddy.com/ventureforward/the-future-of-entrepreneurship-is-leaner-smarter-and-more-resilient

About GoDaddy

GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company’s AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy’s expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com

* Microbusinesses are small businesses that typically employ fewer than 10 employees.

Source: GoDaddy Inc.

 

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SOURCE GoDaddy Inc.

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AMN Healthcare and Brightfield Launch First-of-its-Kind Healthcare Partnership Advancing Workforce Intelligence and Market Transparency

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Strategic collaboration expands AMN’s healthcare workforce intelligence with broader and enriched market data to help healthcare organizations make smarter, faster, and more confident labor decisions

DALLAS, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AMN Healthcare, the leader and innovator in healthcare total talent solutions, today announced it is expanding its workforce intelligence capabilities through a strategic partnership with Brightfield, a leader in measurable workforce intelligence, to deliver enhanced market intelligence and greater transparency to healthcare organizations. Brightfield’s Talent Data Exchange, or TDX, adds third-party market data and validation to AMN’s proprietary healthcare workforce insights. TDX provides an external view of workforce trends across both clinical and non-clinical roles, complementing AMN’s deep healthcare workforce intelligence data that is powered by clinical labor insights, proprietary analytics, and real-time intelligence from its technology platforms and extensive client network.

The partnership delivers a more complete and validated view of workforce costs, rate competitiveness and market dynamics—combining proprietary data with expanded market context—to help health systems align stakeholders, strengthen decision-making, and drive more effective, data-backed workforce strategies.

“Healthcare organizations are under growing pressure to balance cost, quality, access and workforce stability in an increasingly complex labor market,” said Kristy Willis, Chief Commercial Officer at AMN Healthcare. “By pairing Brightfield’s independent data and analytics with AMN’s deep healthcare workforce intelligence and analytics, we can give clients the most complete view of the market with third-party validation as a key differentiator — helping organizations build confidence, create alignment and make smarter workforce decisions backed by data they can trust.”

The partnership leverages the strengths of both organization’s extensive data and AI-driven analytics to translate meaningful insights into actionable workforce strategies aligned to each client’s operational, financial and clinical goals. The collaboration is part of AMN’s broader WorkWise ecosystem strategy, strengthening the company’s ability to bring healthcare systems a more unified, data-driven approach to predictive workforce planning, analytics and decision support.

“At Brightfield, our focus is helping organizations bring greater intelligence, transparency and discipline to extended workforce decisions,” said Sarah Koshiol, Chief Revenue Officer at Brightfield. “Together with AMN, we have an opportunity to bring that value to healthcare in a meaningful way — helping systems better understand the market, validate decisions and build more resilient workforce strategies for the future.”

The partnership is designed to help healthcare organizations:

Benchmark labor rates against independent market intelligenceStrengthen transparency in workforce cost and rate discussions validated through a third partySupport more confident decision-making across clinical, operational and financial stakeholdersIdentify opportunities to optimize workforce mix, utilization and spendMove from reactive staffing decisions to more proactive workforce planning backed by even more market data

About AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in total talent solutions for healthcare, bringing together the people, processes and technology to deliver better care. Through a steadfast partnership approach, we solve the most pressing workforce challenges to enable better clinical outcomes and access to care. In 2025, our healthcare professionals reached more than 13 million patients at more than 2,300 healthcare systems, including 93 percent of the top healthcare systems nationwide. We provide a comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals and deliver a fully integrated and customizable suite of workforce technologies.

About Brightfield
Brightfield is the leader in AI-driven workforce intelligence, helping Global 2000 enterprises optimize contingent and services procurement spend. Its proprietary platform, TDX, benchmarks millions of roles and rate points to deliver precise market intelligence, identify misclassifications, and unlock measurable savings. Brightfield empowers organizations to make smarter workforce decisions, reduce risk, and drive long-term value through data and AI.

Media Contact

Corporate Communications

AMN Healthcare

AMN-PR@amnhealthcare.com

Investor Contact

Randle Reece

Vice President, Investor Relations & Strategy

AMN Healthcare

(866) 861-3229 | ir@amnhealthcare.com

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SOURCE AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.

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Globee® Awards for Impact, Now in Its 19th Year, Invite Enterprise Technology Achievement Nominations from Professionals, Teams, and Departments Worldwide

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Recognizing local, regional, and global achievements across enterprise technology, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, enterprise architecture, data platforms, cybersecurity, automation, and organizational impact.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Globee® Awards, organizers of merit-based, data-driven business awards programs with worldwide participation that recognize achievements across industries, announced a call for global entries for the 19th Annual Globee® Awards for Impact, inviting nominations recognizing enterprise technology achievements from professionals, teams, and departments worldwide.

Apply now: https://globeeawards.com/impact/

The program welcomes submissions representing achievements in enterprise technology strategy, enterprise architecture, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, enterprise AI, data and analytics, data platforms, data governance, cloud computing, cloud transformation, cloud-native automation, intelligent automation, platform engineering, enterprise software, enterprise applications, business process modernization, legacy modernization, systems integration, cybersecurity, enterprise infrastructure, technology modernization, operational technology, IT operations, customer experience transformation, and other technology-driven initiatives that demonstrate measurable impact.

Organizations of all sizes are invited to participate, including startups, small and medium businesses, large enterprises, public and private companies, government entities, educational institutions, research organizations, and non-profit organizations worldwide.

Submissions may represent achievements from individual professionals, teams, departments, centers of excellence, enterprise architecture groups, technology organizations, transformation offices, data and analytics teams, and cross-functional initiatives that have delivered measurable results.

The Globee® Awards for Impact recognize achievements across category groups including products and services, company and organization, individual and team, and brand, communication and creative. These recognitions are part of 10 awards programs that collectively reflect achievements across business and technology domains.

Nominations are welcomed for local, regional, and global achievements, ensuring that impactful enterprise technology accomplishments at every level have the opportunity to be recognized.

Entries are evaluated through a merit-based, data-driven process involving participation from experienced professionals across multiple industries worldwide. Evaluations are conducted through a structured, consistent, and transparent framework based on defined scoring criteria.

Entries are open to organizations and professionals worldwide.

About the Globee® Awards

The Globee® Awards are organizers of merit-based, data-driven business awards programs with worldwide participation. Through 10 awards programs, the Globee® Awards recognize achievements across multiple industries and sectors. The programs use a structured evaluation approach involving participation from professionals across various industries.

Follow: @globeeawards

Hashtags: #GlobeeAwards #ImpactAwards #EnterpriseTechnology #DigitalTransformation #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseArchitecture #CloudComputing #Automation #TechnologyInnovation #GlobalRecognition

All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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SOURCE Globee Awards

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Outdoor Education Helps Students Build Confidence, Connection, and Curiosity Beyond the Classroom

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More than 11,500 students, teachers, and chaperones participated in WOLF School’s outdoor education programs in 2025, highlighting the growing demand for hands-on learning in nature.

APTOS, Calif., June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Across California and beyond, teachers, parents, and school leaders are increasingly recognizing what outdoor educators have long known: when students spend meaningful time learning in nature, they thrive.

Web of Life Field School (WOLF School), a California outdoor science school that has connected thousands of K–12 students with the natural world since 1989, is encouraging schools and families to consider outdoor education programs and nature-based summer camps as powerful opportunities for young people to grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

In 2025 alone, WOLF School served more than 11,500 students, teachers, and chaperones from 178 public and private schools through its outdoor science, environmental education, and marine conservation programs. Operating four year-round Northern California campuses and four distinct summer camp programs, WOLF School continues to expand opportunities for young people to learn through direct experience in the natural world.

Whether exploring a redwood forest, investigating local tidepool ecosystems, or working together to solve challenges, students in outdoor education programs gain more than scientific knowledge—they build confidence, curiosity, resilience, and a stronger sense of connection to each other and the world around them.

“At WOLF School, we see young people at their best,” said Desiree Gant, WOLF Associate Director. “When students have the opportunity to learn outdoors, they become engaged, curious, collaborative, and confident. Nature creates space for discovery—not only of science concepts, but of their own strengths and potential.”

Why Outdoor Education Matters

Outdoor environmental education offers students experiences that complement and enhance traditional classroom learning through:

Hands-on, inquiry-based science learningMeaningful opportunities for teamwork and collaborationConfidence-building challenges in supportive environmentsStronger connections to nature, community, and selfExperiences that encourage curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving

Research and educator observations consistently show that experiential learning in natural settings helps students deepen their understanding of academic concepts while developing valuable life skills that support success both in and out of the classroom.

As schools continue to prioritize student engagement, social-emotional learning, and hands-on science education, outdoor learning experiences are becoming an increasingly valuable complement to classroom instruction.

Learning That Stays With Students

At WOLF School, students participate in immersive, standards-based science programs led by trained naturalist teachers. Through field investigations, environmental stewardship activities, and shared community experiences, students develop a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of life and their role within it.

The impact is reflected in the experiences of participating students and educators. Teachers frequently report that after their students attend outdoor education experiences, they:

Increased student engagementStronger classroom communitiesRenewed enthusiasm for learning

One attending teacher shared, “Students gained confidence in their own nature skills and brought that with them back to our school community. They learned and appreciated nature and had a great time!”

Students often describe their time at science camp as one of the most memorable and meaningful experiences of their school years, while adult participants consistently praise the quality of instruction and mentorship. As one chaperone noted, “We were amazed by the energy and enthusiasm of the naturalists!”

“Outdoor education gives students a chance to see themselves in a new light,” said Gant. “They discover that they can lead, contribute, solve problems, and make meaningful connections with others. Those lessons stay with them long after camp ends.”

Opportunities for Schools and Youth Groups

Outdoor education programs like WOLF School serve:

Schools seeking engaging, standards-based science learning experiencesYouth organizations and retreat groups looking for impactful group programsFamilies interested in enriching nature and science-based summer camp experiences

Programs are designed to be accessible and adaptable for a wide range of ages, abilities, and learning styles, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to learn, explore, and succeed.

Now Booking for the 2026–2027 School Year

With limited space available across multiple Northern California camp locations, teachers and administrators are encouraged to explore program options early. Reservations are often made up to a year in advance.

To learn more or reserve a program, visit www.wolfschool.org.

About WOLF School

WOLF School is an outdoor environmental education organization offering immersive, standards-based science programs for K–12 students and nature-based recreational summer camps at four Northern California campuses. Through hands-on learning in natural environments, WOLF School inspires curiosity, builds confidence, strengthens relationships, and fosters lifelong connections to the natural world.

Contact: Heather Butler, Director of WOLF School, 831-431-0669, hbutler@wolfschool.org

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SOURCE WOLF School

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