One of the leading concerns among small business owners is how they will be able to afford employee benefits for their workers. However, they're not allowing this worry of theirs to get themselves down, a new survey suggests.
According to a recent poll performed by online marketing firm Yodle, the top three concerns for small business owners are healthcare, saving for retirement and providing an adequate lifestyle for their loved ones. As for their main professional worries, finding new customers, affording healthcare and other employee benefits and maintaining their current crop of customers were the most stressful issues.
Despite this, though, the overwhelming majority of small business people are happy. More than 90 percent said that they were pleased that they became a small business owner, with more than half describing themselves as overjoyed or "extremely happy." Additionally, if given the option to sell their business in the next three years, nearly 60 percent said that they'd pass on the opportunity.
One of the bones of contention that many business owners have with healthcare – specifically the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – relate to the HR compliance components of the law. For example, even though the mandate doesn't go into effect until 2015, business owners are still required to inform their workers of the health insurance exchanges opening on Oct. 1. FoxBusiness.com recently reported that many company executives weren't aware of this.
Sentiment with the federal government among small business owners is one of dissatisfaction. The Yodle Small Business Sentiment Survey found that close to three in every four respondents – 73 percent – considered the government to be a barrier to entrepreneurialism.
