Research

Infographic Data Reveals Fearless Women Business Owners

By Rieva Lesonsky - Feb 20, 2013 - 6 Comments

As depicted in this women owned businesses infographic, women small business owners are feeling decidedly optimistic about 2013, with 81 percent feeling upbeat about their businesses’ prospects for the coming year, reports a study by Web.com Group Inc. and the National Association of Women … Read More

6 Reasons For You To Love Small Businesses

By Nellie Akalp - Feb 15, 2013 - 21 Comments

According to a 2012 Public Affairs Pulse Survey, 88% of adults interviewed have a favorable view of small businesses. Only 16% said the same about major corporations. Below are six reasons for you to love small businesses and continue to support small business owners in every way possible: 1. … Read More

Yes, Some Small Businesses Have Social Media Budgets over $100,000

By Anita Campbell - Jan 3, 2013 - 14 Comments

How does your social media budget compare with other small businesses? If you're like 5% of the small businesses that have a social media strategy, then you have a social media budget over $100,000 annually. But what if you're not part of the $100K club for social media budgets? Well, the … Read More

Independent Workforce On The Up And Up?

By Dawn R. Rivers - Dec 31, 2012 - 4 Comments

If you're looking for work in this brave new 21st century world, the place to be is in the freelance space, according to a recent global business survey by Elance. The survey, in which more than 1500 firms from around the world participated, contains quite a bit of great news for freelancers -- … Read More

Most Profitable Industries for Small Business

By Scott Shane - Dec 31, 2012 - 3 Comments

If you are thinking of starting a small business, you might care about potential profits. While your skills as an entrepreneur and the quality of your business idea certainly influence what you will earn, so does the industry in which you operate. In fact, as figures from business data aggregator … Read More

The Average S-Corp Owner Isn’t Rich

By Scott Shane - Dec 24, 2012 - 5 Comments

If you are the sole owner of the average Subchapter S Corporation in manufacturing, finance and insurance, or wholesale trade, the President of the United States thinks you are rich. According to data from the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Statistics of Income, the average S Corp in these … Read More

Fewer Than One Quarter of Small Businesses Have Social Media Strategies

By Anita Campbell - Dec 17, 2012 - 13 Comments

Small businesses are getting better at using social media to meet marketing and customer goals. However, they struggle with figuring out a strategy and deploying social media in that strategy. Fewer than one-quarter of small businesses (24%) use social media as part of a planned social media … Read More

Santa or Scrooge: The Pulse of Small Businesses This Holiday Season

By Susan Payton - Nov 29, 2012 - 1 Comment

Whether a small business is generous or a little penny pinching during the holidays usually depends a lot on how well the company did for the year. If you had a great year, it's easy to get in the holiday spirit and give clients and employees gifts. But if you didn't fare as well as you projected … Read More

Small Business Owners Think Local For 2013

By Rieva Lesonsky - Nov 28, 2012 - 5 Comments

As the year draws to a close, it’s time for small business owners to take stock of what they can expect in 2013 - and most of them are expecting something good, according to the Fall 2012 Bank of America Small Business Owner Report. The semi-annual survey found more than half of small business … Read More

Entrepreneurial Resources to Help Women Business Owners

By US Small Business Ad… - Nov 25, 2012 - 4 Comments

Last month was National Women’s Small Business Month – one of the fastest growing segments of the small business community. Today, about 30 percent of small businesses are owned by women, compared to about 5 percent in 1970 – that’s 7.8 million businesses growing at twice the growth rate … Read More

The Battered Incomes of the Self Employed

By Scott Shane - Nov 12, 2012 - 8 Comments

Self-employed people have more variable income than those who work for others, economic theory explains. When times are good, their earnings often rise more than the incomes of those receiving a paycheck. But when times are bad, their pay takes a bigger hit. The 2010 Federal Reserve Survey of … Read More

Health Care Costs: Big Problem For Small Business Owners

By Scott Shane - Nov 5, 2012 - 6 Comments

Are you skeptical that politicians listen when small business owners describe the biggest problems that they face? If you aren’t already dubious about our elected officials’ willingness to respond to the problems faced by small business owners, then you will be if you read the August 2012 … Read More