…but feel distracted and overwhelmed playing multiple roles.
San Francisco [news release] — Sole proprietors, who make up three-fourths of all small businesses, lack the time and resources to focus on generating new business, according to a new survey from Visa USA. At the same time, the vast majority say they are happier now than they were at their previous employer, despite working as hard or harder.“The day-to-day challenges faced by a sole proprietor are often overlooked for broader, universal business issues like healthcare costs and the economy,†said Ken Yancey, CEO, SCORE. “Yet these individuals make up an overwhelming majority of small businesses that may become larger, well-established brands in the future. It is extremely important to identify and address their needs through education and mentoring programs at an early stage to help them reach their full potential.â€
Sole Proprietors Long to Focus on Generating New Business
Thirty-five percent of sole proprietors say their primary challenge in maintaining and growing a small business is an inability to focus on generating new business, while 27 percent cite stretching themselves across multiple roles and projects.
Other challenges mentioned by sole proprietors included:
— limited resources (23 percent)
— lack of time to focus on their passions (23 percent)
— difficulties in running their businesses efficiently (23 percent)
“Small business owners — and sole proprietors in particular — are constantly juggling multiple projects, conflicting priorities and limited resources as they maintain and grow their businesses,†said Howard DeBow, Vice President of marketing, Visa USA. “By providing small businesses with tools that make it easier to manage their finances, Visa is committed to helping these business owners focus on what matters most — their business goals and personal passions.â€
Most Would Hire for Growth, but Distrust Lingers
Of the 1,000 sole proprietors surveyed, 52 percent said that with the help of an additional employee, generating new business would become a focal point and personal priority. Sole proprietors say they would use their newly available time to:
— evaluate and address their businesses’ weaknesses/areas needing improvement (32 percent)
— focus on activities that they are most passionate about (26 percent)
Respondents stated that they would delegate marketing (28 percent), sales (26 percent) and operations (25 percent) responsibilities to a new hire. Only 5 percent said they would have their new employee handle their company’s financial duties.
When asked what prevented them from hiring an additional employee, 69 percent cited a lack of available budget;16 percent cite work-style personality; and 13 percent say distrust or an unwillingness to share the workload keep them from adding to their team.
Women, Men Cite Different Reasons for Starting Their Own Business
Most sole proprietors (69 percent) agree that flexibility to create their own schedule and work environment was a reason they originally went into business for themselves, followed by the freedom to operate as the main decision maker. Women cite “flexibility to create their own schedule and work environment†as a reason for going into business alone (72 percent of women versus 63 percent of men), whereas men cite the promise of “freedom to operate as the main decision maker†(54 percent of men versus 46 percent of women).
Predictably, a vast majority of sole proprietors say they are happier now running a small business than they were at their previous employer (83 percent). However, nearly two-thirds (60 percent) say they work more or about the same as working for an employer.
Small Business Opportunities
According to Visa USA research, small businesses spend approximately $4.7 trillion annually, $300 billion of which is spent on personal and business payment cards. Small businesses represent a lucrative and growing target segment for Visa and its stakeholders as a clear opportunity exists to replace costly processes (paper checks, invoicing) with more efficient electronic payments.
Visa USA recently announced that, for the first time, small business spending on Visa Business cards (sales volume) in the United States surpassed $100 billion over a 12 month period. For the four quarters ended June 30, 2006, small businesses made $103.5 billion in purchases with their Visa Business cards, representing a year over year growth rate of 32.2 percent. For the second quarter of calendar year 2006, small business spending on Visa Business cards totaled $28.9 billion, a 29.9 percent increase over the same period last year.
About the Survey
Survey findings are based on a national (U.S.) online survey of 1,000 small business sole proprietors age 18 and over. The survey was conducted using Survey Sampling International’s SurveySpot nationwide Internet panel. Survey respondents were required to own and manage their own business and employ no other workers. The poll was conducted from July 17 to July 25, 2006. The survey results have a margin of error due to sampling of no more than plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.