Small Business in Australia

Sometimes as a small business owner, you can feel a little alone. Which is why I have an Advisory Board, Mastermind Group, Previous staff club, and other networks.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports that, for Australia, in June 2006 there were 1,646,344 small business operators. In June 2007 there were 2,011,770 actively trading businesses.

Proof enough that you aren’t alone. Of the business owners:

• 68% were male and 32% were female
• 58% were aged between 30 and 50 inclusive; 33% were >50; and 9% < 30
• 67% worked full-time hours (ie: 35+ hours/week) and 33% worked part-time hours (ie: < 35 hours/week)
• 71% were born in Australia
• 92% conducted one business; 6% two businesses; 2% three or more businesses

In 2003-04, 325,935 new businesses started. In June 2007, 49% of these were still operating. In the short to medium term, business survival is related to the age of a business, so the longer a business survives, the greater its chances of continuing survival.

Non-employing businesses, have significantly lower survival rates than employing businesses, so while 49% of all entries in 2003-04 were still operating in June 2007, 71% of new employing businesses were still operating compared to 40% of new non-employers.

So, next time you are feeling staff angst, maybe they are helping your survival.