Current issues in the development of small business in the field of non-food product sales

Small businesses are crucial to the economic development of regions and the country as a whole, as their numbers significantly exceed those of other business entities. This article examines the nature of small business in Russia, the number of people employed in this sector, and presents key aspects of the current system of state support for small businesses. It also examines the current state of the small business sector in the Irkutsk Region. Recommendations formulated to improve the situation of regional, primarily manufacturing, small business enterprises using a logistics approach and its application tools. This work may be of practical interest to researchers studying small business issues, as well as to those interested in finding cost optimization tools related to material flows.