{"id":165815,"date":"2025-04-29T17:28:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T21:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constantcontact.com\/blog\/?p=165815"},"modified":"2025-05-13T10:52:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T14:52:47","slug":"sbn-small-biz-blind-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constantcontact.com\/blog\/sbn-small-biz-blind-spot\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: A Small Business \u201cBlind Spot\u201d\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We know small businesses are essential, and they are everywhere<\/em>. Over 99.9% of businesses in the United States are considered SMBs, and their contributions to our national GDP exceed 40%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the doctors’ offices and therapists that keep us healthy to the tea shops that fuel our mornings and meet-ups, small businesses power our economies, anchor our communities, and show up for us in big and small ways every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why, then, don’t more people realize just how prevalent they are?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That question is at the heart of our latest Small Business Now<\/a> study, which analyzes insights from over 8,000 consumers across the US, UK, Canada and Australia\/New Zealand. We explored reasons why people feel compelled to support small businesses, how much of an impact those SMBs have on their lives, and even their favorite types of local businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings were eye-opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consumers have a “blind spot” for small businesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the fact that small businesses make up the vast majority of enterprises in every country we polled, most people don’t fully realize just how prevalent they are. When asked how many small businesses are currently operating in their country, about 80% of consumers responded incorrectly<\/strong> — and most were off by millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are about 33 million small businesses currently operating in the United States. But, the most popular response from American consumers was either “I don’t know,” (26%) or 5-10 million (17%). That’s a gap of more than 20 million businesses<\/em> — talk about being underappreciated!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not just about the sheer numbers, though — it’s about perception. We instinctively understand that small businesses are important, but most of us struggle to comprehend just how much they contribute to our routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we can’t see the scale of the small business economy, we risk undervaluing their significance and overlooking them altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small businesses may be overlooked, but they’re not unloved<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even though many consumers overlook the scale of small businesses, they value their presence in deeply personal ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n