Our culture monitoring shows that small business is the new black. We see three key reasons this sector so hot: We still have a corporate and ethics hangover from the 2000s, happiness is “in," and technology has changed the business landscape.

2. 2©2015
AMERICAN INFATUATION
WITH SMALL BUSINESS
11.20.15

3. 3©2015
Agenda
• Setting the Scene: Questioning the American Dream
• Where We Are Now: in Love with Small Business

4. SETTING THE SCENE:
QUESTIONING THE
AMERICAN DREAM

5. 5©2015
• In the last half of the 1900s, the American
Dream was defined and – largely – attainable
• We believed in the system, we believed we
could get there

6. A house in the suburbs, two kids, a pension…

7. 7©2015
• And for boomers, whose
expectations were based
largely on their parents’
experiences, things went
pretty well
• Times were good
http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/09/why-generation-y-yuppies-are-unhappy.html

8. 8©2015
Until our trusted institutions started to fail us.

9. And then it really fell apart.

11. 11©2015
We started asking ourselves:
What does it mean to be
successful?

12. 12©2015
Happiness ranks high among success-oriented consumers
• Happiness has always been important for Millennials
• But now, it’s becoming an increasingly important component of
success for Gen Xers and Boomers too
https://www.iconoculture.com/Media/PDF/pd_TopTrendsAShiftinSuccess_398803_10.pdf

13. 13©2015
This shift is redefining what we want from our
careers and how we talk about them.
http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/09/why-generation-y-yuppies-are-unhappy.html
(Graphs show popularity of phrases)

14. 14©2015
If success is about being
fulfilled and happy,
we’re not finding
success at work.
http://www.liveinthegrey.com/

15. 15©2015
So, we’re making success
happen for ourselves.

16. 16©2015
• The Startup Activity Index is rising in 2015
• Reversing a downward trend that started in
2010*
• Largest year-over-year increase in 20 years
AND
• Only about 20% of new business owners are
coming from unemployment – they’re starting a
new business because they see an opportunity
http://www.kauffman.org/~/media/kauffman_org/research%20reports%20and%20covers/2015/05/kauffman_index_startup_activity_national_trends_2015.pdf
*During the recession, people started their own businesses out of necessity. As the economy started to
recover and people went back to traditional jobs, the rate of new business creation slowed.

17. 17©2015
Technology is enabling small businesses
• The internet makes it easy to start a business – the information
and tools you need are accessible
• It gives small business owners a platform and visibility
– Allows them to create a professional presence in a way that wasn’t possible
before
– Makes it easy for business owners to reach a much broader customer base
• It expands customers’ access to products and services

18. 18©2015
Easier to start a business
• Ease of access to
information has
reduced costs of
entry (don’t need
a lawyer)
• Legal Zoom
provides all the
information and
tools you need to
get started

19. 19©2015
Easier to finance and grow a business
• Players like Square
and PayPal make it
easy to accept card
payments
• Additionally, they
provide low-cost loans
with next-day funds

20. 20©2015
Easier to run and promote a business
• Work any time,
any place
• Help your
customers find
you and learn
about new
products

21. 21©2015
The internet made it easier for us to find other options, which led many to think
more about how and where they choose to spend their dollars. This led to the
development of new business models.

22. 22©2015
“Microbusinesses of one sort or another have
been around since the beginning of commerce,
but the ease of connecting with people is a new
phenomenon.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/05/31/how-to-start-a-business-with-only-100-in-the-bank/

23. WHERE WE ARE NOW:
IN LOVE WITH
SMALL BUSINESS

24. 24©2015
From lawyer to doughnut shop owner
• Anne Rucker, 33, used to be
a lawyer
• She was “raking in a big
shot salary. But now, she
makes a different kind of
dough and says she
couldn’t be happier.”
• “I say I’m a recovering
attorney now.”
• “I think it was just I was
feeling creatively stifled
and feeling unhappy in my
work.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2014/07/22/-inspiration-nation-lawyer-ditches-career/12990581/?
utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories
http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/anne-rucker-of-bogarts-doughnut-co-on-success-new-flavors-and-quitting-her-day-job-6600225

25. 25©2015
She wanted to be passionate about her work
• People are starting to see
their hobbies/passions as
viable sources of income
• “I didn't give myself a chance
to think about [cooking and
baking] as a career – I just
thought of it as a hobby for
so long. I enjoyed law school
and enjoyed practicing, but it
was never something that I
loved doing. It was never
passionate for me. I think
that's why I started looking
for other outlets creatively”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2014/07/22/-inspiration-nation-lawyer-ditches-career/12990581/?
utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories

26. 26©2015
Starting out on their own
“We had been making blue jeans for 20 years,” Ms. Eddmenson said. “So what were
we going to do? Make crepes? We started a mini version of the old company.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/fashion/imogene-willie-jeans-carrie-and-matt-eddmensons-business-of-kentucky-heritage.html

27. 27©2015
“Call it a gut feeling”
“We went to bed one night with no job and woke up the next
morning giving ourselves a job.”
“Back in 2008, there was no evidence to prove that our dream
would work. We had no idea where we would end up. We had no
idea how we would get there. But we knew what we wanted.
We wanted to make something that would last.
We wanted to make things in the USA.
We wanted to create a space to share.
We wanted to build community.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6GmzSzWgUM
https://imogeneandwillie.com/the-beginning

28. 28©2015
Pair our dissatisfaction in “traditional” jobs with an anti-corporate
undercurrent…

29. 29©2015
…and we have a “revolution” on our hands
http://pioneernation.com/

30. 30©2015
America loves small business.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2014/05/28/gallup-finds-americans-love-small-business-and-dislike-big-business/

32. 32©2015
Even big
business
loves small
business.

33. 33©2015
You
might
even
say,
“Entrepreneurs
are
the
new
rock
stars.”
https://iconoculture.com/SMART/Content/View.aspx?ContentID=389084

34. THANK YOU