NEWSRELEASE
For Release: February 13, 2004
Contact: John McDowell (202) 205-6941
john.mcdowell@sba.gov
SBA Number: 04-06 ADVO
Top 10 Reasons To Love Small Business
The Heart Of The American Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Just in time for Valentines Day the Office of Advocacy of the SBA offers the top 10 reasons to love small business, the heart of the American economy.
Top 10 Reasons To Love Small Business
10. Small businesses make up more than 99.7% of all employers.
9. Small businesses create more than 50 percent of the nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).
8. Small patenting firms produce 13 to 14 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms.
7. The 22.9 million small businesses in the United States are located in virtually every neighborhood.
6. Small businesses employ about 50 percent of all private sector workers.
5. Home-based businesses account for 53 percent of all small businesses.
4. Small businesses make up 97 percent of exporters and produce 29 percent of all export value.
3. Small businesses with employees start-up at a rate of over 500,000 per year.
2. Four years after start-up, half of all small businesses with employees remain open.
1. The latest figures show that small businesses create 75 percent of the net new jobs in our economy.
The Office of Advocacy, the “small business watchdog” of the government, examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats and it funds research into small business issues.
For more information, visit the Office of Advocacy website at
www.sba.gov/advo.###
Created by Congress in 1976, the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy directs the office. The Chief Counsel advances the views, concerns, and interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policy makers. Economic research, policy analyses, and small business outreach help identify issues of concern. Regional Advocates and an office in Washington, DC, support the Chief Counsel’s efforts. For more information on the Office of Advocacy, visit
www.sba.gov/advo, call (202) 205-6533.