Here’s another item to add to the growing list of economic warning signs.

The proportion of small-business owners who feel like the economy will improve fell by 10 percentage points last month to 37%, according to the latest National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey.

What’s more, just 12% of respondents said now was a good time to expand, a five-point drop from January. This marked the largest monthly dip since April 2020, the NFIB noted. As if anyone needed a reminder, March 2020 was when the economy all but shut down as the Covid pandemic spread across the US and globally.

“Uncertainty is high and rising on Main Street and for many reasons,” Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB chief economist, said in a statement. “Those small business owners expecting better business conditions in the next six months dropped and the percent viewing the current period as a good time to expand fell, but remains well above where it was in the fall. Inflation remains a major problem, ranked second behind the top problem, labor quality.”

Overall, NFIB’s index of small business optimism decreased 2.1 points last month to 100.7. The index remained above the 51-year average of 98, “but is 4.4 points off its most recent peak of 105.1 in December,” according to the report. Its uncertainty index, meanwhile, rose to 104 points, its second highest level ever.

Click here for more on the drop in small business optimism.—AZ

Even while operating a fleet of around 750,000 vehicles, $3 billion global mobility solutions company Vontier was able to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 40% between 2020 and 2024. And some surprisingly small steps allowed it to achieve that milestone.

Vontier’s chief sustainability officer and chief administrative officer, Katie Rowen, spoke with CFO Brew at GreenBiz 25 about how lowering emissions can be simpler than it looks, and how finance and sustainability functions can better support each other’s work.

Get input from the ground up: Vontier follows Kaizen methodology, Rowen said. In 2023, it held Kaizen events with staff in both North America and India to brainstorm ways to reduce emissions while lowering costs and improving efficiency. Employees welcomed the chance to provide input, Rowen said: “They’re passionate about the subject, usually; they’re excited to make a difference and reduce our emissions.”

Rowen also met with fleet drivers and customers in Australia and New Zealand, who provided some valuable feedback. The drivers made one simple but powerful suggestion for lowering fuel costs: keeping their tires inflated. Often, drivers will ignore the tire check light when it first goes on, Rowen said. But “when you look at all the line-item ways to save fuel, the difference that actually makes is enormous,” she said.

For more on enabling sustainability cost savings, click here.—CV

The era of the 150-hour rule is waning.

Utah lawmakers recently passed legislation eliminating 150- and 120-credit-hour requirements for CPA licensure in state statutes. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is expected to sign the bill, which will then become law on July 1, 2026, according to the Utah Association of CPAs.

“This is a major step forward for the accounting profession,” Susan Speirs, CEO of UACPA, said in a statement. “By modernizing the licensure pathway, we are making the profession more accessible while maintaining the highest standards of competency and integrity.”

Utah will reportedly become the third state to shed the 150-hour rule, following in the footsteps of Virginia and Ohio, according to CFO Dive.

It’s not just lawmakers pushing for reform; many in the industry want to see licensure requirements loosened as well.

Keep reading here.—AZ