By Elaine Pofeldt
CNBC, May 6, 2016
With a debate heating up over how the rise in the minimum wage will affect job growth — especially in the small-business arena — new findings reveal surprising truths.
In their latest survey of small-business owners, Manta, a social network for entrepreneurs, found they were almost evenly split on the issue, with 51 percent favoring raising the minimum wage and 49 percent against it. ... John Swanciger, CEO of Manta, said he was initially surprised by the percentage of small-business owners who support a minimum wage increase. But after studying Manta's data, he said, "The overarching theme I've come to realize is the great majority of small businesses are already paying minimum wage, either well over it or somewhat over it."
Among those who supported raising the minimum wage in Manta's survey, half said they supported raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, while 30 percent said they'd favor raising it to $12 and 20 percent supported raising it to $10. ...
David Titterington has made a deliberate choice to pay his team more than Nebraska's $9-per-hour minimum wage. Titterington owns Wild Bird Habitat, a small business that sells items such as birdbaths and squirrel feeders from two stores in Lincoln, Nebraska. He said he pays everyone on his 12-person team at least $11 an hour to attract people who have the right expertise in wildlife. Plus, he said, it's the right thing to do.
"I think everyone is entitled to make a fair wage," said Titterington, whose business generates just under $1 million in annual revenue. ...