Small businesses dominate the number of overall businesses in the United States albeit the power of large organizations. As small businesses continue to inundate the American landscape, small business leaders are faced with growing challenges stemmed from a challenging economy. Oftentimes people draw upon small businesses as a means for supplemental income, while many small business owners rely on their small business sustainability and success as primary source of income. IQ and technical expertise are necessary, yet attention to the importance of critical factors of emotional intelligence, such as self-awareness, self-management, and motivation are often neglected factors needed to sustain a small business in San Diego County especially during economic or emotional uncertainty. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study is to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of emotional intelligence and the effects of stress on small business leaders. The study used a modified van Kaam method by Moustakas (1994) with semi structured digitally recorded and transcribed interviews of small business owners within San Diego County using NVivo Software. Studies are available on varying aspects of small businesses and emotional intelligence. This study investigated whether economic and emotional stress affects small business leaders in San Diego County. The six vigorous themes that emerged from the interviews with the small business leaders were perception of emotional intelligence, practicing self-control, helping employees practice self-control, motivating employees, behavioral changes, and general stress.