Small Business Stats - our market!

Small Biz Stats & Trends

The small business marketplace changes rapidly. The information included on this page represents the most current information. When discussing a “small business,” this site uses the definitions provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. Read their FAQ sheet.

Small Business Impact on the Economy
The estimated 29.6 million small businesses in the United States:

Employ just over half of the country’s private sector workforce
Hire 40 percent of high tech workers, such as scientists, engineers and computer workers
Include 52 percent home-based businesses and two percent franchises
Represent 97.3 percent of all the exporters of goods
Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms
Generate a majority of the innovations that come from United States companies
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, September 2009


Small Business Survival Rates
Small Business Openings & Closings in 2008:

There were 627,200 new businesses, 595,600 business closures and 43,546 bankruptcies.
Seven out of 10 new employer firms survive at least two years, and about half survive five years.
Findings do not differ greatly across industry sectors.
Sources: U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, September 2009
Survival and Longevity in the Business Employment Dynamics Database, Monthly Labor Review, May 2005. Redefining Business Success: Distinguishing Between Closure and Failure, Small Business Economics, August 2003.


Trends in the Small Biz Marketplace
General Trends

The number of self-employed workers in June 2005 fell 3.1 percent or 303,000 from the month before, Labor Department data showed. Self employment tends to fall as the economy grows. That's especially true among laid-off workers who start tiny companies after failing to find work in slow times. (Source: USA Today, July 17, 2005)
During 1979-2003, self-employment increased: 33 percent for women; 37 percent for African Americans, 15 percent for Latinos, 10 for White Americans and 2.5 percent for men. (Source: SBA, Office of Advocacy)
Where do small business owners go for advice? 52 percent from individual mentors; 51 percent from social networks; 44 percent from trade associations; 36 percent from business advisors; 31 percent from the Internet and 27 percent from Chambers of Commerce (Source: American Express)
Women in Business

Women represent more than 1/3 of all people involved in entrepreneurial activity. (Source: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2005 Report on Women and Entrepreneurship)
Between 1997 and 2002, women-owned firms grew by 19.8 percent while all U.S. firms grew by seven percent (Source: SBA, Office of Advocacy)
Women-owned firms accounted for 6.5 percent of total employment in U.S. firms in 2002 and 4.2 percent of total receipts. (Source: SBA, Office of Advocacy)
The number of women-owned firms continues to grow at twice the rate of all U.S. firms (23 percent vs. 9 percent). There are an estimated 10 million women-owned, privately-held U.S. businesses. The greatest challenge for women-owned firms is access to capital, credit and equity. Women start businesses on both lifestyle and financial reasons. Many run businesses from home to keep overhead low. (Source: SBA, Office of Advocacy and Business Times, April 2005)
Women are more likely to seek business advice—69 percent women vs. 47 percent men. (Source: American Express)
Minority-Owned Businesses

Black-owned businesses are the fastest growing segment, up 45 percent between 1997-2002. Revenues generated by the nation's 1.2 million black-owned businesses rose 25 percent between 1997 and 2002 to $88.8 billion in 2002. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
The number of U.S. businesses with Hispanic owners grew at three times the national average from 1997 to 2002 to 1.6 million businesses in 2002, a 31 percent increase from five years earlier. (Source: MSNBC)
Seniors in Business

Entrepreneurship among seniors is growing. In 2002, the rate of self-employment for the workforce was 10.2 percent (13.8 million workers), but the rate for workers aged 50 was 16.4 percent (5.6 million workers). Although those age 50 made up 25 percent of the workforce, they comprised 40 of the self-employed. Solo business formation in the future will be driven by people who take early retirement or whose jobs just disappear. (Source: AARP/Rand Corp. "Self-employment and the 50 Population")
Veterans in Business

In 2004, about 22 percent of veterans in the US household population were either purchasing or starting a new business or considering purchasing or starting a business and nearly 72 percent of veteran entrepreneurs planned to employ at least one person at the start of their venture (Source: US Census Bureau)
Hot markets for small businesses:

eBay drop-off sites
Search engine optimization and Internet marketing
Performance apparel
Niche health and fitness
Technology security consulting
Services/products for Hispanic-market
(Source: Entrepreneur magazine, "Newest Trends & Hottest Markets," January 2005)

This article appears on the SCORE.org website

We are RECRUITING for Small Business Consultants and Agents.....

We seek Business Partners to help us go to market! Know anyone fabulous?



We are looking for network-savvy business agents to represent us in the USA - who will also provide consulting and start-up services to the business they recruit into http://www.Bizdrive.biz.

We have an amazing commission system embedded in our platform that ensures business agents can track sales, earn residual income from sales generated by the businesses they bring on (we pay - not the seller) and grow their customer base quickly and easily.

We need people with sector experience (professional service, natural resources, supply chain, real estate and automotive, home and lifestyle, health and wellness, technology, green tech, freelance, and more) and people who know the internet (we can help teach this). Training and on-going support is provides. Revenue generation is immediate.

In these tough times - we hope to be able to attract some aggressive and accomplished agents who have a strong network in their region and who 'get' the issues facing small business.

Please chat with us if you know anyone.

Tracey and Darren

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BrowseBlogs.com

Hanging out in the CLOUD!

We put up our first few pages to the roaring applause of ---- our own team and close friends. Cool none the less. 6 years of hard work. http://www.bizdrive.biz

So - we have an intro page with a pre-registration, a first cut at BizdriveTV - small business content programming from user submitted content and guest notables like Anthony Crescenzi speaking on economic trends impacting small business. We also have our 40/40 video series up.

The BIG news is that thanks to our amazing partners Mike, Paul, Ed and Ty at CIRRHUS9 - we are now flying high in the cloud. The server cloud that is. We can grow to millions of users instantly - as we expect we'll need to.
http://www.cirrhus9.com/

The other big news is that the site content - the thousands of pages and 14 modules of outrageous functionality - is being spit and polished and soon - hard core final testing and then - well - nothing will be the same again for small business :)

Our Linkedin Groups are kicking into gear. Our PR gals - Carly and Phoebe are getting us in the swing. Phoebe is our Chief TWIT. Who knew we'd have a Twit on purpose - never mind a Chief Twit. Carly is a marketing guru in training with such a natural knack we can't wait to see what she does.

The only thing puzzling is why we continue to stay committed to a low cost of entry ($ 25.00 annual membership fee) when those around us offering FAR less are charging $ 20+ per month. I thought we were in tough times - not make it tougher on entrepreneur times. Maybe they just aren't frugal irish girls raised on deals.

Please - if you have ideas on pricing for success without hosing the little guy - I'd love to hear about them.

We are on the critical path now. Stay tuned.

Please tell all your entrepreneurial friends, small business owners and startups about our pending service.

I will post an entry on 'What is Bizdrive' that can be forwarded around.

See you online!

Tracey :)

Bizdrive.biz

WOW!

This is the eve of our pre-launch.

In the end, it became as it began. "Tracey - this would be perfect for small business." -- Harry De Leeuw, Chairman, Bizdrive.biz (August, 1993, Lake of the Woods, on the deck at the cottage).

6 years to get here. 10 developers. 1000 lessons. 1000 mistakes. One Trevor. One Tracey. One Gus. One Darren. One Steve. One Harry. One Jane. One belief - the value for small business was off the charts if we could pull it off.

One vision and goal- Let's match people who need service, with people who provide it; and facilitate service delivery tracking and collaboration for the buyer and seller, over and over again. Let's make it secure for both the buyers and the sellers throughout the whole deal. Let's help build relationships - not just transaction processes. Let's give small business the tools the big company uses so they can compete. Let's make the sellers the ads. Let's help the buyers be able to buy from many - and sell if they wish. Let's make sellers buyers and buyers sellers. Let's bring in the staff and teams. Let's help sellers deliver outstanding quality service easily to buyers in real time. Let's personalize everything. Let's integrated every single thing together. Let's build for the weird and changing workforce. Collaboration and communication are the two things that ensure on time and on budget delivery for projects - let's bring that to day to day business. Oh there's too much here! Okay - no problem. Every business is completely different from one another. They can just use what they need. Every business will use the tools differently. They can remain unique and competitive - as they are.

Tactics get considered and tossed. Morphed and remain tethered. Every angle. Every scenario. Pitches are made and refined. Pitches get tweaked. Site tweaks. 14 modules tweaked. Processes tweaked. Our mantra became - "Make that process happen auto-magically!".

We dreamed it. We made it. And so was born bizdrive.biz.

Welcome to a new way to buy, sell and grow online. Made by entrepreneurs in small business for entrepreneurs in small business.



Tracey De Leeuw:)
CEO,
http://www.bizdrive.biz


PS. Check out our videos and learn all about bizdrive.biz and pre-register!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9427dhvcMY

PPS. Sell online!
Join our Service Marketplace for American and Canadian Small Businesses at http://www.bizdrive.biz - tell your friends!

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Curious about how to market and sell a small business online? Check out our video series - 40 ways to sell online for FREE (or under $ 40). You can watch the series on BizdriveTV!


Stay tuned. There is so much more!