I lived a few years in the Philippines and I learned what small business actually is and also micro-businesses. There are mom-and pop restaurants and shops which are small businesses. People sell stuff on the streets, at the beach, and out of a grill in their homes, those are micro businesses. In the Bukid (Away from towns) maybe 1 in 5 hmes are Sari Sari stores (Out a grill) with most having closed because of giving credit.

In the Town where I lived there was a shop with an Apt. above that rented @ 300 Bucks a month. Here in the USA my niece who works for I-hop wanted to add another location. The rent would be 350,000 a year. I'm sorry, but having to tie up a million bucks isn't small business to me. And there is almost no micro-businesses. Maybe the hot dog carts and flea markets.

We have the illusion of free market, that's not the reality. As just one example, If you own a rental property and you don't charge what the IRS determines if Fair Market, then you are liable to pay income tax on fair market regardless of what you charge.

The WEF applies pressure on everything going up and up in price when actually with more efficient manufacturing many things should become cheaper. Making things abroad because of labor costs is a falsehood. Labor is the smallest expense for most factories. The factory I worked in for 10 years, the manager told me that labor was 2% of overhead.