<img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1866" title="iStock_000011678232Small" src="http://business-strategic-solutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/iStock_000011678232Small-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />You and other owners of small businesses are crucial to the United States economy. Your success and ability to thrive impacts the stability of the economy, the number of jobs that are available and even international trade. If you ever doubt how important it is to do well in business, consider these incredible facts:
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	<li><strong>Small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.</strong></li>
	<li><strong>Half of all private sector employees are employed by small businesses.</strong></li>
	<li><strong>Guess who pays 44 percent of the total US private payroll?</strong></li>
	<li><strong>Did you know that small businesses generated 65 percent of the new jobs over the past 17 years?</strong></li>
	<li><strong>US small businesses hire 43 percent of high tech workers, such as scientists, engineers and computer programmers.</strong></li>
	<li><strong>More than half of all small businesses, at least 52 percent, are home based. Only 2 percent are franchise businesses.</strong></li>
	<li><strong>Small businesses made up 97.5 percent of all identified exporters and produced 31 percent of export value in 2008.</strong></li>
	<li><strong>Patenting firms cannot compete with the number of patent filings per small business employee. The rage is 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms.</strong></li>
	<li><strong>Small firms accounted for 65 percent of the 15 million net new jobs created between 1993 and 2009. That’s 9.8 million net new jobs.</strong></li>
	<li><strong>What is the survival rate for new firms? Seven out of 10 new employer firms survive at least 2 years, half at least 5 years, a third at least 10 years, and a quarter stay in business 15 years or more.</strong></li>
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Small businesses play a vital role in the everyday lives of all Americans. Let these facts motivate you to continue to thrive.

<address>Figures are from the <a href="http://www.sba.gov/">Small Business Administration</a>.
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