Kristen Schwab

Ebis does a lot of this dirty work himself, because he likes to, but also because he has just five employees.

He has heard from a number of job seekers in the last two months.

But Ibis says many don't have the skills he needs.

And that's a challenge for small business owners nationwide, says Celeste Carruthers of the University of Tennessee.

So owners may be wary of taking a chance on new hires, says Carruthers.

And it is far from the best of times for small businesses.

Holly Wade from the National Federation of Independent Business says you can see why in today's CPI report.

16% say inflation is their biggest challenge.

That's the highest share in over a year.

Beth Wood owns the 21 Bar and Grill in Keene, New Hampshire.

One of her fastest rising costs?

Up from $65 a few months ago.

Fortunately, her new spring menu leans more pesto and less red sauce.

I'm Daniel Ackerman for Marketplace.

That category includes computers, computer storage devices, peripheral equipment.

Where everything that's kind of even tangentially related to this AI build-out is seeing a bid in activity.

I thought he'd buy something for $9 billion in cash, and instead he's trying to buy something for $50-plus billion in cash and stock.

My name is Jeff Besson.

We've been married for almost 20 years and we're based in San Diego, California.

And I said, wait a minute, what if there's a way you could just go to a wedding, but you're not actually crashing it, you're intentionally invited?