But they generally haven t a clue about who we really are. Big business likes things neatly defined. But small business in 21st century America defies attempts to slice and dice it into little cubes. But averages don t count for much. A man with one arm in an ice bucket and the other in a toaster is on average at a comfortable temperature.
Truth is, there s no such thing as a typical small business.
Rather, the secret of small business strength in America today is its diversity. Small biz is more vital and diverse than ever before a rich stew of assorted shapes, sizes and styles. This stew of diversity along with a revolution in technology, communications, markets and values is producing new breeds of small companies that are blurring the very definition of a business. Our hunger to work for ourselves, combined with fast- changing technology, has sparked an entrepreneurial explosion. Self-employment as a primary occupation has zoomed 50 percent since the 60s.