Lee Iacocca

Nearly half of U.S. small business owners are 55 or older, 10,000 boomers retire daily, yet only 54% have succession plans. These businesses employ 62 million Americans. When they close for lack of a buyer, those jobs vanish forever—not to competition, but to nothing.

A national 'Business Inheritance Corps'—a matchmaking and financing operation that pairs retiring owners with vetted younger operators, provides seller financing structures, and offers the seller a continued small stake so they stay invested in the transition.

The skilled trades shortage is now critical—plumbers, electricians, welders, machinists. The workforce is aging out and young people were told for decades that college was the only respectable path. Manufacturing reshoring is stalling because there's no one to run the machines.

A network of intensive 16-week trade academies co-located with actual manufacturers, where students earn while they learn on real production. Partner with community colleges for credentials but run the floor like a factory—attendance mandatory, quality standards enforced, graduation tied to job placement.

American auto parts suppliers are being crushed between tariffs, EV transition costs, and OEM price pressure. Chapter 11 filings hit a 10-year high in 2025. When suppliers die, the whole supply chain becomes fragile—and we end up dependent on foreign sources for critical components.

A supplier stabilization fund and consortium—bridge financing tied to operational restructuring and shared purchasing power. Pool small suppliers for raw materials buying, standardize quality systems across the group, create shared engineering resources.

Corporate turnaround expertise is concentrated in expensive advisory firms that extract fees while companies die. Chapter 11 filings are surging. Middle-market companies—$50M to $500M revenue—can't afford the restructuring talent that could save them, so they liquidate instead of reorganize.

A turnaround SWAT team for mid-sized manufacturers—experienced operators who take equity stakes instead of fees, move into the company for 90-day sprints, and focus on the basics: cash management, supplier negotiations, workforce retention, product focus.

Car dealerships are being squeezed between EV transition costs, manufacturer direct-sales pressure, and consolidation. Small-volume independent dealers are being bought out or forced out. But dealers are often the economic anchor of their towns—employers, taxpayers, community supporters.

A dealer cooperative network that provides shared back-office services, group purchasing for parts and equipment, EV charging infrastructure financing, and succession planning support. Give independent dealers the scale advantages of mega-groups while keeping them locally owned.

Immigrant entrepreneurs start businesses at higher rates than native-born Americans, but face systematic barriers: licensing complexity, credit access, language barriers in regulatory compliance, predatory 'business opportunity' schemes.

Immigrant Business Service Centers in twenty metro areas—one-stop shops that provide licensing navigation, SBA loan application support, basic accounting setup, and connection to established immigrant business networks. Staff them with people who actually came up the same way.

Elder care is becoming a crisis as boomers age and the healthcare system isn't built for it. Adult children are becoming unpaid caregivers, sacrificing careers and savings. The caregiving burden falls disproportionately on women and destroys family finances.

A caregiving support infrastructure—networks of trained home care workers, respite services, care coordination, and family education. Fund it through a combination of insurance products and employer benefits, since keeping workers' parents healthy keeps workers productive.

Liability insurance costs are crushing small manufacturers, nonprofits, and service businesses. Premiums have skyrocketed and coverage has shrunk. Some businesses can't operate at all because no insurer will touch them. We've created a system where the fear of lawsuits prevents productive activity.

Industry-specific mutual insurance cooperatives—member-owned insurers that pool risk within sectors, enforce safety standards, and return underwriting profits to members. Start with manufacturing and expand to other sectors. Use the group's collective leverage to negotiate reinsurance and build reserves.

Infrastructure—roads, bridges, water systems—is failing across America. Federal money flows slowly through bureaucracy. Local governments lack expertise to manage complex projects. Meanwhile, skilled workers who could do the work can't find steady employment.

Regional infrastructure corps—standing organizations that maintain permanent skilled crews, own equipment, and contract with multiple municipalities for ongoing maintenance and repair. Fund through long-term municipal bonds backed by dedicated revenue streams.

Community colleges are supposed to train the manufacturing workforce, but their programs are often disconnected from actual employer needs—wrong equipment, outdated curricula, instructors who haven't worked in industry for decades. Manufacturers are desperate for workers; graduates can't get hired.

A manufacturer-embedded training model where companies literally build and operate training facilities inside community colleges, with their own equipment, their own quality standards, and guaranteed hiring for graduates who meet the bar.