There were about $1\mathrm{.}96$ million Latinx$-$owned businesses in $1998$ and $2\mathrm{.}72$ million in $2001.$

a$)$ Find an exponential model for this data in which $t=0$ corresponds to $1998$ and the number of businesses is measured in millions.

$f(t)=$

b$)$ Assuming the model remains accurate, how many million Hispanic$-$owned businesses will there be in $2023?$ Round to the nearest tenth.

million businesses