Survey

Business Challenges and Trends of the 21st Century

Thank you for participating! You can be as anonymous or as forthcoming as you want (Name & email NOT required for report findings). As a "thank you", you will be receiving a free report of my findings. You will also be entered into a drawing to receive free access to the Biz Pulse 2008 library (see http://dicksonfields.com/join-the-biz-pulse-library/ for details). If you have any questions, please feel free to email me (carol@managingpersonalresources.com)--Carol Dickson-Carr

Required questions are denoted by (*)

1. Optional-Name (Last Name, First Name):

2. E-mail address (Optional, but it will be the medium to get the report to you when I have analyzed the results and is also the medium used for the drawing):

Understanding the fact that the amount of unwanted spam (is there any other kind?) is at an all-time high, we don't believe in selling or giving away the email addresses of our survey participants and clients. You are assured complete privacy.

3. Age group: *

4. Gender: *

	Female
	Male

5. Race/Ethnicity: *

	Alaskan or American Indian
	Asian/Pacific Islander
	Black /African-American (of primarily African descent)
	Caucasian (of primarily European descent)
	Caucasian (of primarily Hispanic descent)
	Non-Caucasian (of primarily Hispanic descent)
	Other (please indicate below)

If you selected "other", please describe how you would characterize your race/ethnicity

6. Educational Background: *

	Some High School
	High School Grad/GED or equivalent
	Some college/community college
	Associates Degree
	Bachelors Degree
	Some graduate and/or professional (i.e., Law or Medical) School
	Masters degree
	Law degree
	Ph.D.
	Medical Degree
	None of the above
	Other/or some combination of above (Please indicate below).

If you chose "other", what combination of educational background describes you

7. How familiar are you with Six Sigma process improvement?

	I’ve never heard of it.
	I’ve heard of it but don’t really know what it is.
	I know what it is but I don’t quite understand it.
	I’m familiar with it and understand its workings to some extent.
	I’m familiar with it and understand its workings enough to have a conversation with a Six Sigma professional on the subject.
	I’m highly skilled in Six Sigma

8. Are you currently in business or do you have an entrepreneurial spirit and are considering becoming a business owner?

	Aspiring entrepreneur (going forward, please answer questions 14-17, 19 & 20)
	Currently in business (going forward, please answer questions 9-13, 16-20)

9. If applicable, please select the industry that best describes your line of business according to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code:

10. How long have you been in business?

	Less than a year
	1-3 years
	4-6 years
	7-10 years
	11-15 years
	16-20 years
	Over 20 years

10. How many employees do you have?

	I'm a one (wo)man show.
	I'm a one (wo)man show who delegates via independent contractors (no payroll).
	1-5
	6-10
	10-25
	26-50
	51-100
	101-150
	Over 150

11. My entity structure is…

	A sole proprietorship
	A partnership
	A limited partnership
	An LLC
	A corporation
	An S-corporation
	Huh?

12. Your US. Location

(if outside the US, please type country and province/territory, if applicable in the space below)

13. Challenges: (Please check ONLY the top five that apply)

	Building a team
	Conflict among team members
	Customer Service
	High turnover
	Getting and staying organized
	Keeping costs down
	Keeping good records
	Keeping up with the latest technology (Web 2.0, audio, video)
	Leading and inspiring my team
	Marketing
	Process improvement
	Productivity issues
	Raising capital
	Retaining “A” players
	Selling
	Strategic Planning
	Succession Planning
	Time management
	Trust & accountability
	I’m not facing any challenges in my business

Other challenges not listed:

14. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, what do you perceive your biggest obstacle is to getting started (pick your top five, but no more than five)?

	Believing I don’t have enough expertise
	Developing a business plan feels daunting
	Dreaming is easier than doing
	Fear of failure
	Fear of success
	I’m all about ideas, but implementation is another thing entirely
	I'm not sure how to develop a compelling vision
	Lack of moral support from my family and/or friends
	Not knowing where to start
	Not sure I have the leadership qualities to pull it off
	Part of me feels a steady paycheck is more secure than making the entrepreneurial leap
	Start-up capital
	Too many ideas and too little focus

Other obstacles not listed above:

15. What one resource or piece of knowledge would be the key to your moving forward and ultimately taking that entrepreneurial leap?

16. How did you find out about this survey?

17. Are there any questions you wished I’d asked but didn’t? If so, please address it in the space below.

18. What was your motivation for going into business?

19. What do you believe are the trend possibilities for businesses in the coming years?

20. Are there any other comments you'd like to share with respect to your business (or business start-up aspirations)?