QuickBooks Small Business Survey Reveals Most Small Business Owners Were Loners As Children

Were you a loner when you were a kid? If so, you're not alone anymore. QuickBooks recently surveyed over 1300 small business owners in the US to find out more about current small business trends, and small business owner concerns and opinions for the coming year.

Forty three percent of those surveyed said they were a loner as a kid and most of them had some type of entrepreneurial venture ranging from mowing lawns to babysitting to lemonade stands. Does that sound like you?

What I found interesting is that 43% of the small business owners responding were the oldest when it came to birth order. Perhaps that's caused by an independent streak that was started when they were very young.

But what I found most validating was the reason each of these small business owners started their own business. The top two answers were to "be my own boss" and "turn my passion into a business." That's what I hear repeated over and over by small business owners who strike out on their own. What about you?

Overall, the survey provided some interesting results. Take a look at the findings below.

How would others describe you as a kid?

• Nerd 25%
  
• Bully 1%
  
• Jock 11%
  
• Clown 20%
  
• Loner 43%

If you had a job as a kid, what did you primarily do?

• Mowed the lawn 8%
  
• Babysat 25%
  
• Ran a lemonade/food stand 1%
  
• Did chores around the house 9%
  
• Held a newspaper route 12%
  
• Various after school jobs 29%
  
• A unique job that I created 7%
  
• I did not have a job 11%

What´s your birth order?

• Oldest 43%
  
• Youngest 24%
  
• Middle 22%
  
• Only child 11%

What was the most influential factor for starting your business?

• Needed a job to supplement my income 10%
  
• Saw need for business in market 9%
  
• To turn my passion into a business 23%
  
• More flexible hours 10%
  
• To be my own boss 40%
  
• Spend more time with my family 4%
  
• Better pay 3%

What´s the number one characteristic that´s most important to be a successful entrepreneur?

• Risk taker 16%
  
• Visionary 19%
  
• Hard worker 37%
  
• Good with people 18%
  
• Optimistic 6%
  
• Process oriented 4%

What level of education do you have?

• High school diploma 21%
  
• Associate degree 15%
  
• Undergraduate degree 25%
  
• Graduate degree 29%
  
• Trade degree 5%
  
• No degree 4%

How old were you when you started your first business?

• Under 25 16%
  
• 26 to 35 29%
  
• 36 to 45 30%
  
• 46 to 55 18%
  
• 56 or older 7%

What´s your overall business outlook for 2007?

• Bleak 10%
  
• Optimistic 56%
  
• Status quo 34%

What´s your main New Year´s business resolution?

• Spend more time with family 19%
  
• Manage my finances better 22%
  
• Grow my business 40%
  
• Better compete with competitors 5%
  
• Other, please specify 15%

What´s the number one issue facing small business in 2007?

• Employee compensation 3%
  
• Employee benefits 13%
  
• Competition from big business 16%
  
• The economy 39%
  
• Taxes 18%
  
• Other 10%