Report: Slow sales biggest business worry - Jan Norman on Small ...

Report: Slow sales biggest business worry

February 3rd, 2012, 1:00 pm ? ? posted by Jan Norman, small-business columnist

Weak consumer demand is the biggest concern for small-business owners, according to a new survey from three liberal business advocacy groups.

The survey, ?Small Business Owners? Opinions on Regulations and Job Creation,?? concludes that small businesses aren?t creating jobs because of slow sales, not because of the amount of government regulation they have to deal with. The survey is from the Small Business Majority, Main Street Alliance and American Sustainable Business Council. (Click on the chart below for a larger view)

Source: Small Business Owners' Opinions on Regulations and Job Creation

?Legislators have introduced bills aimed at curbing regulations, believing this would stimulate our sluggish economy,? the report says. ?While lawmakers are right to view small business as the key to economic recovery, small businesses don?t see regulations as their number one concern.?

Agreeing that poor sales is the top business concern is the monthly Small Business Economic Trends report, based on small-business polling, from the conservative National Federation of Independent Business. For example, in January, the trends report said ?poor sales? is the top concern of small-business owners, with 23% listing it as their number one concern (34% listed it as the top concern a year earlier).

On both surveys government regulations rank third. The Small Business Majority survey found only 14% concerned about regulation; NFIB said 20% (13% a year earlier.

This week?s jobs reports must be signalling? that sales are picking up. Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that U.S. employers added 243,000 jobs in January and the national unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%. On Wednesday, the ADP National Employment Report said private companies added 170,000 new jobs, 56% of them from firms with fewer than 50 employees. And Intuit says small businesses hired 50,000 new workers in January.

In fact, the National Small Business Association?s economic report released this week shows that small-business owners were? more positive at the end of 2011 with 75% confident about the future of their businesses, the highest reading in three years.

All this adds up to good news for the economy because small businesses account for the majority of new jobs and half the gross domestic product, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The Small Business Majority survey asked more questions about government regulations. Other findings:

• ?93% said they can live with some regulation if it is fair, management and reasonable
• 78% said some regulations are important to level the playing field with big business
• 73% want one-stop electronic filing of government paperwork

This survey polled 500 small-business owners nationwide.

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Source: http://jan.ocregister.com/2012/02/03/report-slow-sales-biggest-business-worry/77382/

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