So a U, where there's a bad stretch before a recovery, is more plausible.

FORBES: Economic Scrabble

With a personal history that includes mentorship by the doomed singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt and a dark stretch of addiction and jail time, followed by recovery and creative resurgence, Mr. Earle has fielded many offers to write that book.

WSJ: What Makes Steve Earle Run

As such, steady declines in start-up size, which stretch back more than a decade, could explain the slow labor market recovery following the previous recession in 2001, as well as today, according to Brian Headd, an economist at the SBA's Office of Advocacy.

WSJ: With New Technology, Start-Ups Go Lean