Small Business Exposed

Chapter 2

Small firms in the economy (and solar system)

Better are small fish than an empty dish.

J Ray, English Proverbs, 1678

Before we can look at the individuals who make up small businesses and the different tribes they fall into, we need to understand some basic facts. How big is the small business sector? What contribution does it make to the broader economy, both nationally and globally? What sort of industries are small businesses typically found in?

Let’s have a look at the small business phenomenon. In this chapter, we examine some of the “big picture” statistics about SMEs, and in the next we look at how people work and manage in a small firm. These are an essential starting point. After all, you can only really understand the individual ...