According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the United States is home to 33.2 million small businesses. Combined, these make up 99.9% of all U.S. businesses! Here is an even more surprising fact; small businesses were responsible for 63% of all new jobs created between 1995 to 2021. We might imagine that big companies are churning out the jobs, but in reality, America is built on small companies striving to succeed! So what does it take for a small business to thrive in the United States? Many factors play a role, but as with many money matters, location is key. The team at Finfare has created this incredible index to highlight the best and worst states to start a small business. Check it out:

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We love indexes like this! They combine multiple relevant data sets to create a bigger, more insightful picture. This index includes factors such as corporate tax rate, state unemployment tax, LLC fees, average monthly commercial electric bills, minimum wage, commercial spaces for lease, and business survival rates within one year AND five years. All together, these facets create a more trustworthy outlook on the best places for small businesses. If there is a specific factor you want to know more about, there are top five lists below the main chart. I was impressed and surprised that California has a one year business survival rate of 86.8%! I figured that there would be plenty of cutthroat competition there. It drops down to 55.7% after five years, but that is still the third highest!

What color do you associate with success? While this answer may vary significantly depending on where you live (shout out to this fantastic and fascinating guide to colors in culture by David McCandless), it seems that many of the most successful companies in the world are linked with blue. Today we are admiring a bold and vibrant visualization by Wizard Pins! This chart shows colors ranked by how many Fortune 500 company logos they appear in. It is a visual feast that shines a light on color psychology in branding, marketing, and beyond!

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I wonder how long it took the designer to count each color in all 500 logos! So why is blue the most common color for logos? Many brand giants are distinctively associated with blue, such as Walmart, Facebook (now Meta), GM, Ford, LinkedIn, Intel, United, and Pepsi! According to this article by Inc., the “answer is science, not fashion.” Not only is blue a beloved color for branding, it is also the world’s most beloved color of all. According to research by psychologists Stephen E. Palmer and Karen Schloss over the span of seven years, a person’s color preference can be “determined by averaging out how much that person likes all of the objects they associate with that color. Your inclination for orange, for example, depends on how you feel about pumpkins and traffic cones and Cheetos, among other things.” There are many universally cherished things that are blue, such as clear skies and crystalline seas. Most people love a warm, sunny day with sky blue above and sea blue all around. While Walmart’s blue logo might not evoke the bliss of a balmy beach outing, it may unconsciously stir a sense of goodness and stability.

Sales of new vehicles reached 15.5 million in the United States in 2023, a respectable 12.4% increase over the previous year. Which car brands would you guess sold the most vehicles? Depending on what area of the United States you live in, this answer will surely vary. The team at Convoy Car Shipping has created this striking chart visualizing the car brands that sold the most vehicles per day in 2023. Take a look!

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I love the approach of visualizing sales on a per day basis – it really helps to put into perspective just how many vehicles these automotive manufacturers are churning out! Toyota narrowly secured first place with 5,282.8 vehicle sales per day. Ford is close behind with 5,176.8 vehicle sales per day. Then there is a sizable drop to third place with Chevrolet selling 4,655.5 vehicles per day. The most sold Toyota in 2023 was the Toyota Camry, which has ruled supreme for many years. It is also the top-selling sedan in America! The most sold Ford is the Ford F-Series, which is also the best-selling truck in the United States! In fact, the Ford F-series pickup has been America’s best-selling vehicle for 42 years in a row, with over 745,000 rolling out of dealerships in 2023. That means that nearly half of the Fords sold were F-series! From a design perspective, I appreciate the sleek, dark, and minimalist design of this chart. The shadowy sedan on the top with the head light and brake light beams is a striking touch.