Changes

*Many other businesses cite that attracting customers to the business is their biggest problem

Numerous reports have cited that small businesses have plans to expand within the next year. An analysis conducted by the Wallstreet Journal in January 2016, highlights fifty-four percent of small businesses surveyed say they expect their employee base to increase. Twenty-seven percent of businesses interviewed for a New York Federal Reserve report, detail plans to increase their full time staff within the next year. A report in February 2016 by the National Federation of Independent businesses however, documents forty-two percent of small business have encountered obstacles in identifying qualified applicants for open positions. Similarly, survey results indicate that numerous businesses have expectations to increase profitability and/or sales revenue, while a complimentary majority cite difficulty in attracting customers and identifying new markets. To summarize the current state of affairs, it appears that small businesses share a desire to expand both financially and physically, but face disparities in realizing that goal. This therefore prompts the question: How should small businesses go about achieving affective and meaningful growth?