WA****NGTON, D.C.--New research released today from the National
Federation of Independent Business, sponsored by Wells Fargo (NYSE:
WFC), shows the top concerns among small business owners are business
costs, particularly those that are difficult to control such as health
insurance costs, energy costs and inflation. The survey results are
from the seventh edition of Small Business Problems and Priorities
survey, based on 3,530 small business owner responses to a mail survey
circulated in the first three months of this year.
The study is conducted every four years. Respondents rated each of 75
possible business problems on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 indicating a
"critical" problem and 7 indicating "not a problem." Problems are
ranked according to the average rating received. The 75 business
problems evaluated are organized into 10 problem clusters with each
cluster containing all of the problems relating to a single topic.
Half of the top 10 problems worrying small business owners appear in
the "costs" cluster, with the cost of health insurance continuing its
20-year reign as the number one problem for small business owners.
More than 56 percent say it is a "critical problem." Other cost issues
in the top 10 include the cost of fuels and electricity, supplies,
inventories and worker's compensation insurance.
Read more at this link:http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_37649.html


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