Why do Americans love small business? Five reasons jump out from all the studies and surveys:
1. Small business owners are the embodiment of the American dream.
Americans like the gumption it takes to invest one’s life savings to follow the dream of starting a company. We are, after all, supposed to be a nation of go-getting, risk takers living in the land of opportunity.
2. Americans love the idea that big companies come from tiny ones.
While studies show that few small businesses actually grow, and only a sliver of entrepreneurs want to do more than start a little company, virtually all big companies started small. As a nation, we love the idea that oak trees come from acorns.
3. Small business is the underdog and Americans root for the underdog.
Small business owners work more hours and make less money than the rest of us, according to the Pew Foundation. They face competition from deep pocketed big companies who — according to the perception of a significant minority of Americans — sometimes use unfair tactics to compete, a Public Affairs Council survey found.
4. Small business owners are seen as honest and ethical.
Only 8 percent of Americans think the CEOs of major corporations are highly ethical, but 52 percent who view small business owners as such, according to the Public Affairs Council survey.
5. Small business is seen as the backbone of a middle class way of life.
When asked who should get credit for supporting the middle class over the last half century, 51 percent of Americans picked small business — more than double the amount that chose labor unions, big companies or the federal government.
See more details from this Entrepreneur article: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226176
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