How Big Are Most Businesses? Smaller Than You Think!

Are you intrigued by the subject of just how big most businesses are?

American Business Information, an infoUSA company, has a breakdown that is quite revealing. Following is a randomly selected list of different types of businesses and the percentage of the total number in the U.S. that have less than $500,000 in annual sales.

Type of business % of the total number with sales less than $500,000
Advertising Agencies 58%
Apparel & Garments (retail) 67%
Art Galleries 78%
Art Supplies 53%
Auto Lube 77%
Auto Exhaust System Repair 56%
Auto Parts & Supply 27%
Auto Body Repair 66%
Bagels 58%
Beauty Salons 96%
Bicycle Shops 54%
Book Dealers (stores) 48%
Check Cashing Agencies 58%
Coffee Shops 79%
Coin-Op Laundries 96%
Convenience Stores 19%
Delicatessens 77%
Doughnut Shops 69%
Florists 82%
Hotels & Motels 57%
Ice Cream Parlors 74%
Lawn & Grounds Maintenance 82%
Liquors –Retail 42%
Paint – Retail 16%
Pet Shops 58%
Restaurants 59%
Sporting Goods – Retail 46%
Tanning Salons 94%

Auto dealers, manufacturers and many other companies that would have certainly lowered the percentages are not included, but the above create a cross-section of main street type businesses. These businesses make up almost 90 percent of the total number of businesses in the U.S. Looking at the above selection and not counting the numbers of each, but just the percentages - over 60 percent, on average, have annual sales of less than $500,000. That's what small business is all about. Being your own boss, running your own show, making your own decisions, answering (most of the time) to no one, living your own life, and making a living - that's small business. It would appear from the data that small business is alive and well!