Should a small business expand in this current economic environment?  Most small business owners want to expand their businesses when times are good but what happens to them when times are difficult?  I have been pondering this question and it is extremely difficult to make a decision if I look at the uncertainty coming from Washington and in my state California.  Business owners must be prudent in any decision they make but when the governments that control the conditions under which we must operate those decisions are many times taken out of our hands by the threats of more regulation, more taxes, more labor concessions and restraints on how we run our businesses. Since many proposed taxes, penalties and regulations effective those small businesses under 50 employees the question becomes “do you grow to 49 employees and then stop?”  Is this the encouragement we are looking for from our leaders?