State of the Business Owner 2013

State of the Business Owner 2013

The Pulse of Small & Midsize Business

An exclusive report revealing the critical factors for small and midsize business success in 2013. More than 1,700 owners participated, spanning the globe, with companies ranging from sole proprietors to those with hundreds of employees, with an average revenue of $4.7M.

GET SOBO 2013

Owner Metrics

State of the Business Owner 2013

Owners Are Putting The Recession Behind Them

dot dot

The Global Economy

0%

think the economy
will get better

The Optimism Index

+0%

Owners are more optimistic about revenue growth in 2013 vs. 2012

Slow Staff Growth

0%

more revenue growth
than staff growth

Wages Rising Slowly

0%

gave raises of 2%
or less in 2012

Owner Metrics

Owners’ Goals in 2013

Meaning Is More Important Than Money

Why did you start your business? SOBO participants are motivated by a variety of tangible and intangible factors. They are looking for meaning, freedom and independence as they reach for their financial goals.
Control Freedom Need Passion Money Independence Income
Shawn Bussel SOBO Testimonial
“I wanted to fix something that was broken, and help owners transform their businesses in the process.”
Shawn Busse, Kinesis
“I wanted to make a significant contribution to society - starting a business was my chance.”
Rachida Aziz, Azira
Shawn Bussel SOBO Testimonial
SOBO Map Icon
We set out to understand how hard business metrics and softer personal factors work together to drive business decisions and overall growth.

THE GROWTH PARADOX

Growth Doesn't Start With Revenues

Revenue

red arrow

Control

red arrow

Freedom

Control

green arrow

Revenue

green arrow

Freedom

Most owners assume that if the business grows, then they'll feel in control - but it's actually the other way around. Getting control of the business and establishing your critical systems is what leads to real growth.
Owner Metrics

Owners that had Marketing Metrics increased Happiness by 7.6% and Control by 10.6%

The Ownership Stack

9 Best Practices - The Essential Toolkit for Profitability
Written ValuesWritten Values Written VisionWritten Vision Strategic MetricsBusiness Metrics
Written Marketing PlanWritten Marketing Plan Ideal CustomerIdeal Customer Profile Marketing MetricsMarketing Metrics
Roll DescriptionsRole Descriptions Revenue PlansRevenue Plan Sales PlanRepeat Sales Plan
Rather than focusing just on revenue, successful business owners are focusing on profitability. The SOBO Report results highlighted the value of building out the foundations and core systems that are the keys to unlocking that profitability.
Office Buidings
Business Owner Metrics

Companies that implemented 9 Best Practices had 59.4% Greater Odds of meeting their profit targets

Next Steps

SOBO Report Step 1
State of the Business Owner 2013 - full report PDF

Access The Full 2013 Report

25 pages of insight and action steps to improve your business. Learn the tools and practices needed for sustainable growth and a healthy company.

"I found the initial report fascinating...
I have to say its impact on our company is enormous."Paul Woodhead
CEO, Direct Plastics
SOBO Report Step 2

Attend The Free Training Webinars

In these free events, our expert trainers will present the results of SOBO 2013, in a format that helps you diagnose your company's gaps and begin implementing the findings.

Webinar Schedule

Key Findings

May 30, 2013

SOBO 2013 Key Findings

Growth Paradox

Coming Soon

The Growth Paradox

Sustaiable Growth

Coming Soon

Sustainable Growth

Ownership Stack Where to Begin

Coming Soon

The Ownership Stack: Where to Begin

Get SOBO 2013

©2013 State of the Business Owner. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy  |  Press & Publishing Requests  |  Contact Us

Share
Share SOBO on Twitter
219
Share SOBO on Facebook
315
Share SOBO on Google Plus
35
Share SOBO on Twitter
204