What's Eating Entrepreneurs Today Small-business owners have a lot on their minds these days.
By Mikal E. Belicove •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Profitability, passion for the job, balancing work and home life -- all are issues taking up the most space in business owners' minds these days.
The recently released 2012 UPS Store Small Business Survey offers a window into what entrepreneurs are thinking about lately.
Here's a list of their biggest concerns, according to the survey:
- Making a profit (50 percent of respondents -- no big surprise here)
- Growing the business (36 percent)
- Time management (about 30 percent)
- Meeting customers' needs (about 30 percent)
(Responses add up to more than 100% because respondents could choose more than one answer.)
In a surprising finding, only one in three respondents said they have successfully turned their personal passion, talent or skill into a business. When you consider the importance many place on doing what we love, this is a sad showing.
Relatedly, about a third of respondents cited a desire to work for themselves as the main motivation for being in business. But another chunk (15 percent) said their incentive for being in business was needing a job.
Is this is the case for you, I encourage you to use your current entrepreneurial endeavor to learn as much as possible about business ownership and then transfer that knowledge to something you enjoy and have a passion for.
What's been top of mind for you lately? Share your thoughts and respond to others in the comments section below.
