On Friday, five Business Forward Local Leadership Council members met with President Obama at the White House to discuss the impacts of the ongoing federal government shutdown on their businesses.

The Local Leadership Council members were part of a small group of nine entrepreneurs from across the country invited to a briefing with the President, who updated them on the situation as we near a first-ever default in the nation’s credit. They shared stories with the President much like the ones we’ve received — including contracts cancelled, drops in consumer confidence, furloughed employees and the potential for additional layoffs should the shutdown continue.

From the White House blog:

For Det Ansinn, the owner of Brick Simple, a mobile app development firm in Doylestown, PA, the impact of the shutdown came as a surprise. “I didn’t expect the shutdown to affect our business so immediately,” said Ansinn. “One of our clients does work with the CDC, however, so they’ve put their project on hold. This shutdown affects our ability to plan ahead.”

For small businesses, the shutdown means that SBA loan applications cannot be approved, and small businesses cannot receive help exporting their goods to others countries. Many small businesses are struggling with how to take care of their employees as they see projects postponed and contracts dry up. The President thanked these business leaders for the work that they do creating jobs and investing in their communities, and briefly updated them on the conversations he’s had with all four Congressional caucuses over the past three days.

As one faction of one party continues to play politics with our economy, the President reiterated to business leader his determination to find a solution that will grow the economy and get the country on a sustainable fiscal path

The Small Business Advisory Council members at the meeting included Det Ansinn of Brick Simple LLC, Craig Dalton of DODOcase, T.J. Gentle of SmartFurniture.com, Marc Parham of the Partec Consulting Group, and Rahul Iyer of Siluria Technologies.

The full list of attendees can be seen at WhiteHouse.gov.