Thumbtack.Com Small Business Survey : Methodology & Analysis

Small businesses have been described as the engine driving America’s economy, and with good reason. Small businesses accounted for 65% of net new jobs created between 1993 and 2009 and employ nearly half of all private sector employees. A recently released Kauffman Foundation report noted that the Great Recession has had the effect of “pushing many individuals into business ownership because of high rates of unemployment.” Despite this, the share of GDP produced by small businesses has steadily declined over the past decade. There has never been a more important time to determine what matters most to small businesses. The Thumbtack.com Small Business Survey, conducted in partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, is designed to provide the media, researchers, policy makers, and the public at large with a better understanding of what small businesses value. This information can be used by would-be entrepreneurs to decide where to start their companies and by governments to determine where they excel and where they can improve