Entrepreneurial & Small Business Development Flashcards
the SBA defines small businesses in most industries as having ___ or fewer employees
500
small business serves as
employers - they create jobs
tax revenue generators - broaden the tax base
economic supporters - they buy and supply products and services
property owners and renters
providers of economic stability - owned and operated by people who have a stake in the community
the most common entrepreneurial support mechanism offered to small businesses is
technical assistance
assistance may be offered in the following areas
- how to structure
- understanding regulations and codes
- understand tax burden
- writing business plans
- accessing capital
- financial management techniques
- market and competition analysis
- workforce development
- commercialization and tech transfer
- exit strategies
growing consensus that supporting entrepreneurs is a great way to____ and____
grow jobs and the tax base
entrepreneurs should be surrounded by ___, informal or formal
networks
small business owners often learn best from ___
peers
economic gardening provides companies with information related to
markets, customers, and competitors that larger firms typically have
the firs step to understanding an economic gardening program is to
understand the different stages of business growth
start-up growth stage =
new business ventures where innovation drives a person or a group of people to formally start a business
second stage companies =
those that have grown past start-up but not to full maturity (Edward Lowe)
gazelles or high-impact companies =
experience a rapid stage of expansion, growing at least 20% over the previous four years
debt financing
typically delivered as a loans based on the borrower’s ability to repay and collateral.
debt financing is considered “non-dilutive” meaning
the owner does not lose any part of their ownership of the business
equity financing
capital infusion from a venture capital firm or angel investor often used to leverage debt
equity financing is considered “dilutive” because
the entrepreneur is required to give up a portion of ownership
what are some advantages of equity investment?
- provides greater funds to invest in rapid business growth and development
- may be an experienced management team and financial expertise to help the company grow once the VA or angel owns a stake
what are some disadvantages of equity investment
- the entrepreneur loses some control of the business
it is up to the ___ to build networks of angel investors and venture capital funds for the entrepreneur
economic development practitioner
the smallest business type is the _____, which typically employs __ or fewer people
microenterprise; five
the common characteristics of small business are
- innovation
- community ties
- flexibility
- limited capital
innovation =
often more innovative in terms of products and process; SBA says that more than half of the nation’s technological inventions come from small business
community ties =
less likely to relocate and more likely to hire local, also belong to chambers and support local charities and sponsor events
flexibility =
adapt more quickly to rapid changes in market demand
limited capital =
about half of small business owners start their companies with less than $20,000
the majority of small businesses fail within ____months
18
roughly ___% of start-ups survive the first ____, and only ____% a decade
40%; five years; 10%
majority of small firms offer employees ____ and fewer ___ than their corporate counterparts
lower wages; benefits
questions to ask someone who wants to start a business include
- do you know what kind of business you want to start? are you qualified
- can you make a profit?
- have you researched your market? is it a niche?
- do you have written business, financial, and marketing plans?
- do you know where you will locate?
do you know what materials you will need to start? - have you identified financing sources?
- do you know how to manage bookkeeping and financial statements?
- have you consulted regulatory and legal officials?
- have you thought about the pros and cons of being an entrepreneur?
- have you considered the hours?
- do you have a strong sense of self-reliance?
broadly, the stages of entrepreneurial business development are
- creating the idea
- formalizing the plan
- opening the business
- expanding operations
business incubators are mechanisms used to ___
encourage and support young companies until they become viable
incubators provide new firms with ____,
affordable space, technical assistance, managerial support, securing debt and equity financing, finding employees