Meeting small business capital, technology and labor needs and relieving their regulatory burden could drive new boom. The economy has experienced 75 straight months — more than six years — of private sector job growth. Yet some areas still have not recovered all the jobs lost during the recession, and nationally, under-employment exceeds pre-recession levels. How can we increase the speed of job creation?

A critical part of the answer lies with America’s small businesses, which create over 60% of net new private-sector jobs and employ nearly half of America’s workforce. Helping them expand — to get their ideas off the ground — is one of the best ways to support economic growth and needs the continued focus of both elected officials and the private sector.

Political debates on economic growth tend to focus on taxes. But taxes are just one big issue facing small businesses. A report released by Babson College — “The State of Small Business in America” — underscores that fact. It provides a window into small businesses’ most pressing needs, and it can serve as a blueprint for addressing them.

As we’ve seen through Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, entrepreneurs across the country are facing barriers to growth. Based on a survey of over 1,800 small businesses, the report pinpoints four major challenges that cut across industries: the need for better access to capital, less burdensome regulations, more qualified workers and ability to better assimilate information technology. Let’s consider each.