Intuit Hosts First Small Business QuickBooks Council in Washington D.C.

Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), makers of TurboTax, QuickBooks and Mint, today announced it brought and hosted five small businesses from across the United States and a variety of industries at its inaugural Small Business QuickBooks Council in November in Washington, D.C.

The small business owners met on Capitol Hill to discuss the needs of U.S. small businesses with lawmakers and regulators, including the Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The goal was to further educate the group about how government policies can foster even stronger small business growth. They shared perspectives and personal stories in four key policy areas:

• How technology is a catalyst for small business growth
• The ability to access capital for sustainability and growth
• The impact regulations have on small business processes
• How small businesses can better meet the needs of their employees

"Being a part of Intuit's first Small Business QuickBooks Council was unlike any experience I have ever had," said Joe Rice, QuickBooks Council Member and Executive Director of SOVRN, a leading advertising platform for small businesses. "I felt empowered to share my thoughts on how policy can help, not hinder, my success as well as the success of all small businesses. I look forward to further conversations and discussions with the Intuit team and policy leaders."

The five small businesses that participated in the first QuickBooks Council are:

• SOVRN: Located in Boise, Idaho, SOVRN provides advertising tools, technologies, and services to tens of thousands of content creators, helping them make money, grow their businesses
• Teaspressa: Based in Phoenix, Teaspressa is an all-natural, specially-blended tea that was created to be brewed like coffee.
• Business Management Consultants (BMA): Located in Alexandria, Va., BMA is a business process and human capital management firm.
• Val's Cheesecakes: From Dallas Val's Cheesecakes aims to inspire and spread the love of cheesecake through storefronts, delivery and catering.
• SweetSpot WiFi: In Palo Alto, Calif., SweetSpot WiFi delivers interactive, high-fidelity, customized content via on-premises wifi networks.

"There are 800 million small businesses worldwide, 47 million of which are in the United States, and they create two out of three new jobs, yet they often don't have a seat at the table with policy makers to share their perspectives and stories on how government can help ensure their long-term success and prosperity," said Chris Leahy, Vice President, National Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Intuit. "As the champion of small businesses, we saw an opportunity to work more closely with these small business owners to ensure their voices are heard by lawmakers, regulators and administration officials who create policy."

Read more about the Small Business QuickBooks Council's experience here.

About Intuit

Intuit's mission is to Power Prosperity Around the World. We are a global financial platform company with products including TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mint and Turbo, designed to empower consumers, self-employed and small businesses to improve their financial lives. Our platform and products help customers get more money with the least amount of work, while giving them complete confidence in their actions and decisions. Our innovative ecosystem of financial management solutions serves approximately 50 million customers worldwide. Please visit us for the latest news and in-depth information about Intuit and its brands and find us on social.

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