Hi Michelle,

It’s really hard to pinpoint small business startup rates, especially home-based and micro business, so official numbers in these areas are always iffy. Technology is making it easier to launch any type of business, but due to the ease of entry, there’s also more competition. That’s probably the biggest reason for any slowing, it’s becoming harder and harder for small sellers to identify new opportunities. They’re out there, but it takes more work to find them and the marketing sphere is quite noisy. That may be scaring some would-be startups off. Hope this helps to answer your question.

Cheers!
Krista