81 Percent Of Small Business Owners Say Entrepreneurship Makes Them Happy

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you are probably happy to be one, a new study indicates.

Are Entrepreneurs Happy?

According to the 2017 American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor, the answer is, “Yes”. In fact, 81 percent of business owners say their happiness is due somewhat or entirely to being an entrepreneur. What’s more, 94 percent of entrepreneurs say they are happy with their lives.

Optimism High Among Business Owners

It’s probably because of their optimism that business owners are feeling more secure about their future. The study shows fewer entrepreneurs are worried about their ability to save for retirement (45 percent, down from 53 percent in 2016).

On average, entrepreneurs believe they will need 1,182,000, up slightly from the $1,170,000 they thought they needed last year.

Small Businesses Have Big Plans

“In this economy, there’s a clear correlation between business owner optimism and plans for growth,” says Susan Sobbott, President, Global Commercial Payments, American Express (NYSE:AXP).

Data supports her assertion as it’s revealed entrepreneurs are planning to increase capital investments, hire staff and increase usage of low cost methods like social media to attract new customers.

Hiring is High on Agenda, But Remains a Challenge

In specific numbers, 74 percent say they need to hire to handle their growing business or to help increase business volume (72 percent).

To meet their staffing needs, the greatest number of small businesses (17 percent) will hire a combination of full and part time employees. Sixteen percent say they will hire only part timers while 12 percent will hire only full timers.

Finding the right people, however, continues to be the biggest challenge (26 percent, up from 19 percent last year) for businesses.

The American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor, conducted since 2002, is based on a nationally representative sample of 700 U.S. small business owners/managers of companies with fewer than 100 employees. The anonymous survey was conducted via telephone by Ebiquity between March 29 and April 21, 2017.

Happy Business People Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "81 Percent Of Small Business Owners Say Entrepreneurship Makes Them Happy" was first published on Small Business Trends