Small Business Statistics in 2009

Filed in archive General on March 8, 2010

© \/entolin


Remember 2009? Not that long ago right? Many of us are still wincing from the drop in the economy just last year. While 2010 seems to be on the rise, 2009 still tested many small and home-based businesses across the county. Those of us still around feel like we barely got out of the way of a bullet (in some Matrix-esque type move).

Whether we survived by lightning fast reflexes, or just dumb luck, it's important to review what happened to small companies during the hard times. Trends exist even during a recession. Here's what America saw for its businesses in 2009.

The number of incorporated small businesses dropped by 300,000. Though we did see a slight increase in the last quarter of 2009. Unincorporated businesses dropped a similar amount.

Business bankruptcy filing was around 43,500 in 2008. The current numbers for 2009 show bankruptcy filing at 45,500… and that's without the final numbers from the fourth quarter.

The number of venture investment deals, and the amount is lower in 2009 than 2008, but again, the numbers increase in the last quarter.

Despite all these numbers (most taken from the U.S. Small Business Administration's quarterly reviews), hundreds and thousands of people want to start their own companies. Many people are willing to start with less, cutting expenses by working from home or online. A lot of the competition has died out so many people are getting a fresh start. If you're considering starting one, now might be the time!