Success, Satisfaction and Growth

• 1Over the next few years, do you intend to grow your business, to make it smaller, or to keep it about the same size as it is now?Top 100 question
• 1aIn terms of annual sales, how large would you eventually like your firm to be? A broad estimate is fine.
• 1bWhy do you want to see your business grow to that size? Does it have to be that size to:?
• 1cWould you eventually like to have your firm “go public,” i.e., have its stock traded on one of the public exchanges?
• 1eWhy do you want to keep your business about the same size? Is it because:?
• 2Do you intend to get out of your business within the next few years?
• 2aDo you intend to get out by:?
• 2bDo you plan to start another business after you leave this one?
• 3On a scale of 1-to-10 where “10” means extreme success and “1” means total failure, how successful is your business?
• 3aWhat are the TWO most important factors influencing the rating you just made of your firm’s success?
• 4On a scale of 1-to-10 where “10” means extreme satisfaction and “1” means extreme dissatisfaction, how much personal satisfaction have you received from owning this business?
• 5During a typical day, in what area of the business do you spend most of your time?Top 100 question
• 5aIn what area of the business do you LEAST like to spend your time?
• 5bIn what area of the business do you MOST like to spend your time?
• 6Several terms are used to describe people who own and operate smaller businesses. As one of those people, which of the following terms do you prefer?
• 6Aa(term) A small-business owner.
• 6Ba(term) A business owner.
• 6Ca(term) An entrepreneur.

Volume 1, Issue 6, 2001
ISSN 1534-8326

William J. Dennis, Jr.
NFIB Research Foundation