Research

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

Women Entrepreneurs: Helping Other Women Succeed

By Rieva Lesonsky - Oct 10, 2012 - 11 Comments

Are women more or less likely to help others of their gender get ahead at work? A Catalyst study done earlier this year asked both men and women about the kinds of mentoring and assistance they’d received. Overall, more than half (59 percent) had received either informal or formal … Read More

Are 87 Percent of Small Businesses Using Social Media Wrong?

By Lisa Barone - Sep 25, 2012 - 23 Comments

Vocus teamed up with Duct Tape Marketing to survey 400 decision makers at small- and medium-sized businesses to learn about their struggles and successes using social media. Specifically, the survey sought to discover the social sites most used by small businesses (SMBs), how they were managing … Read More

Small Business Satisfaction Partially Rebounds, Says Gallup

By Anita Campbell - Sep 17, 2012 - 5 Comments

A recent Gallup poll shows small business satisfaction levels have gone up. However, it's a case of good news / bad news. It's good news to see an uptick of any kind. But that good news is tempered by the fact that satisfaction has barely gotten back to the 2008 level, and small business … Read More

Let the Self Employed Deduct Health Insurance Premiums from Payroll Taxes

By Scott Shane - Sep 17, 2012 - 2 Comments

Suppose Congress passed a law exempting Americans from a tax on health insurance premiums as long as they worked for someone else, but required them to pay $1,800 if they were self-employed. Would you think it was fair? Probably not, but that’s in essence what happened when Congress failed to … Read More

Census Nonemployer Data Corrections: Wide Changes

By Dawn R. Rivers - Sep 11, 2012 - 1 Comment

The Census Bureau has finally released the nonemployer data for 2010 and this year’s update of the nation’s nonemployer population was accompanied by about as much drama as you'll ever get with data wonks. Nonemployer businesses, to jog your memory, are defined as firms with no paid … Read More

One Frightening Statistic on Small Business Health Insurance

By Scott Shane - Aug 13, 2012 - 11 Comments

The other day a reporter asked me what one statistic I thought best showed small business’s problems with the U.S. health care system. After thinking about it for a while, I decided that it’s this one: Since 1999 the average cost of employee health insurance premiums (for family coverage) has … Read More

Where Small Business Owners Get The Money They Need

By Scott Shane - Aug 6, 2012 - 33 Comments

Many entrepreneurs, policy makers, and academics wonder where small business owners get the money to expand their businesses. Thanks to the efforts of researchers at the Census Bureau, we know the answer. Above, I have created a chart that shows the fraction of small businesses with … Read More

Establishments Are Less Likely To Fail Than Firms

By Scott Shane - Jul 2, 2012 - 2 Comments

Since the mid-1980s, the number of U.S. business establishments has grown faster than the number of employer businesses, Census data shows. But this growth comes from higher odds of survival, not from higher rates of formation. The Census Bureau defines a business as an: “Organization … Read More

Have You Reinvented Your Business Lately?

By Rieva Lesonsky - Jun 20, 2012 - 11 Comments

What has it taken to keep your small business thriving—or even just surviving—for the past four years since the U.S. economy crashed? For my business, it’s been an ongoing process of reinvention. Turns out we’re not alone: A recent survey out from Citibank found the majority (53 percent) … Read More

The Small Business Tax: Government Regulations

By Anita Campbell - Jun 11, 2012 - 6 Comments

When governments impose regulations on small businesses that drive up the cost of doing business, it's like imposing a tax. Google's dictionary defines tax as "A compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits or added to the cost of some … Read More

Will Your Child Follow in Your Footsteps as an Entrepreneur?

By Susan Payton - Jun 1, 2012 - 13 Comments

Growing up, I didn't even know what an entrepreneur was. My parents both worked hard at their respective jobs, and held them for decades. But for my son, who's seven now, the picture is drastically different. He's got two parents who run their own companies - from home. His understanding of the … Read More