The International Council for Small Business (ICSB) was founded in 1957 in the United States as a comprehensive organization of outstanding researchers, scholars, teachers, administrators, and public policy makers interested in entrepreneurship and small business. As the organization grew, members decided to form national affiliates, and the U. S. Affiliate of the ICSB was established in 1981. In 1985, the name was changed to the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE).

USASBE is an eclectic group of government officials, directors of small business development centers, and academics in fields like finance, marketing, management, and economics united by their common interest in entrepreneurship and small business.

As leaders in their fields, they are making an impact on government policy and on the development of small business and entrepreneurship. USASBE's forward-looking members are determined to remain on the cutting edge of research; they are extending the field of knowledge and shaping entrepreneurial thinking for the 21st Century.