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Entrepreneur South Africa
Boost your Business
By Carol Tice
July 26, 2012
A study conducted by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute polled owners of both thriving and floundering SMEs about their management habits. Here are the study’s six steps to better performance.
The Huffington Post Small Business
Six Guideposts to Follow in Starting, Running and Growing a Small Business
By Gene Lanzoni
August 13, 2012
The paths that business owners take to start, grow and successfully sustain a business are as varied as there are types of small businesses. While there may not be a singular blueprint for success in this regard, 1,200 business owners surveyed by The Guardian Life Small Business Research institute identified six guideposts that they believe can help chart a path to success and avoid the pitfalls that many start-ups and young companies typically face.
Milwaukee Business News
The keys to a successful retirement
By Karen Ellenbecker
July 9, 2012
Two-thirds of small business owners do not have a written retirement plan, according to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. You may be too busy managing the business, not planning on retiring or have complex family dynamics. As a small business owner myself, I understand the importance of committing to a plan and thought about these same questions.
Forbes.com
Entrepreneurship Is The New Women’s Movement
By Natalie MacNeil
June 8, 2012
Many women view corporations today as being fundamentally flawed and limiting in their value structures. The Guardian Life Index, an initiative to understand America’s small business owners, cites “office politics” as a driving factor for women leaving Corporate America to start businesses.
TheSelfEmployed
The 7 Most Important Things a Sole Proprietor Needs to Know
By John Krubski
June 2, 2012
As part of the team that created The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, I have had a chance to converse with and study the values, attitudes, behaviors and aspirations of thousands of small businesses, including sole proprietorships. Here are seven things I have learned from nearly forty years’ experience in working for myself and in taking a comprehensive look at sole proprietorship in America…
The Globe and Mail
You Go, Girl: The Lure of Your Own Business
By Leah Eichler
May 25, 2012
In the U.S., women-owned businesses increased by over 50 percent between 1997 and 2012, one-and-half times the national average according to a U.S. study published earlier this year. By 2018, women-owned businesses in the U.S. will generate a third of new jobs, according to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute survey.
Advisor Today
Six Steps for Enhancing Small-Business Revenue
By Ayo Mseka
May/June 2012 Issue
“Growing revenues during the recession was no small feat,” says John Krubski, research advisor to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. “However, insights from The Institute’s most recent Index provide a fresh understanding of how higher-growth small business owners achieved their success.”
FOX Business
6 Steps to Protecting – and Growing – Revenues
By Liza Porteus Viana
April 12, 2012
A typical small business owner has a lot of things on his or her mind - not least of which is how to protect their revenue, particularly in a flailing economy. But there are six steps small business owners can take to not only protect their revenue, but grow it, even in tough economic times, according to a new report by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.
BenefitsPro
Small-Business Owners Need Management Skills for Growth
By Amanda McGrory
April 6, 2012
As small-business owners are looking to grow their businesses, it is important they strengthen their people management skills in order to successfully lead their companies. Often, small-business owners start their businesses based on their technical strengths, but they sometimes lack people management skills that it takes to develop a strong work force, says John Krubski, research advisor to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute in New York City.
The Associated Press (appearing on The Washington Post)
Get Started: Proposed Tax Bills to Help Small Business; Floridians Grow More Bullish
By Joyce Rosenberg
April 2, 2012
Entrepreneurs looking for ways to boost revenue might want to follow the lead of their successful peers. A survey of nearly 1,100 small business owners by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found that owners of the companies that had the highest revenue increases tended to take a similar and forward-looking approach to business.

* Also posted on Yahoo! Small Business, The Washington Examiner and The Orange County Register
New York Times: You’re the Boss
This Week in Small Business: Captain America Returns
By Gene Marks
March 26, 2012
LifeHealthPro
Guardian: Higher Growth Firms More Likely to Rely on Cash Reserves, Borrowed Capital
By Warren S. Hersch
March 23, 2012
Small business owners who increased their revenues over the past two years are more likely than SBOs that had high negative growth during the same period to rely on cash reserves and to borrow capital to get through tough economic times, a study reveals.

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, published this finding in a March 2012 report, “Small Business America: Six Steps to Better Performance in the Coming Year." The report, based on data from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute polled 1,070 small business owners.
Entrepreneur.com
Six Keys to Boost Your Business in 2012
By Carol Tice
March 21, 2012
A recently released study from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute polled owners of both thriving and floundering small businesses about their management habits. The results paint an interesting picture of what owners of high-growth businesses are doing to thrive in this downturn.

*Also posted on MSNBC.com, Reuters and CEO.com
Yahoo! Small Business
Six Habits of Higher-growth Companies
By Adrienne Burke
March 20, 2012
Businesses that are seeing increased revenues during tough economic times have six things in common, according to a survey of nearly 1,100 business owners conducted by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.
PBS Nightly Business Report
Small Business Hiring
By Erika Miller
March 13, 2012
John Krubski is an adviser to small businesses, and he thinks the fact that it’s a presidential election year is increasing anxieties. But he also says many firms simply don’t want to grow in size.
About.com
How to Run a Successful Business With a Spouse
By Mindy Lilyquist
February 29, 2012
According to the article, "Business Partners, Till Death Do Us Part", by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, there are approximately 4 million family-owned business in the U.S., with more than 1.4 million of those being run by a husband and wife team.
The Orange County Register
Six Business Trends and How to Cope
By Jan Norman
January 11, 2012
Six trends will mark the small-business market in 2012, according to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. The institute extrapolated the six trends from surveys of 1,100 owners of businesses of various sizes. The bottom line is that small-business owners need to focus on improving productivity and differentiating their businesses to overcome continuing economic challenges and to compete with larger companies.
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Overcome Five Obstacles to Growth in 2012
By Karen E. Klein
January 3, 2012
In this Smart Answers column, Karl Schamotta, a senior market strategist for Western Union Business Solutions (WU) in Calgary, and John Krubski, a futurist and research adviser for The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, pinpoint five challenges they foresee facing entrepreneurs in 2012 and offer advice to business owners on how to meet these obstacles to growth, head-on.
CNBC.com
Opinion: Higher Highs and Lower Lows in 2012
By John Krubski
December 19, 2011
By any account, 2012 is going to be an interesting year and a time for as many opportunities as challenges — particularly for the most nimble and resilient of America’s small business owners. That old adage “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” still rings true — and now is the time to get a move on, as you prepare your business for 2012.
Entrepreneur.com
Top 10 Small Business Predictions for 2012
By Carol Tice
December 12, 2011
With Europe now teetering, economic uncertainty will remain the big issue for every small business owner, with 44 percent of owners naming it the "one thing that stands between where you are today and growing your company," a Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute study found. Winners will have flexible long- and short-term plans so they can shift gears quickly.
• Also posted on Business Insider and MSNBC.com
Forbes.com
Do the Presidential Candidates’ Platforms Address the Real Needs for Small Businesses?
By Evangeline Gomez
December 12, 2011
But does a recession really mean “the end” for your small business? Not so, says John Krubski, research advisor of The Guardian Life Small Business Research, which released its list of trends for small businesses in 2012. “We have had forty-seven recessions over the last two hundred years, that amounts to one in [about] every five years. Everything is good [for small businesses] if you have a [short term and long term business plan] in place,” says Krubski. Knowing this, [small business owners] should plan for the cyclical nature of the economy and “not continue to spend on something that doesn’t generate value.”
The New York Times: You’re the Boss Blog
This Week in Small Business: The Clock is Ticking
By Gene Marks
December 12, 2011
The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute identifies the top trends for small-business owners in 2012.
The Globe and Mail
Small Business Briefing
By The Globe and Mail’s Small Business Team
December 6, 2011
What will small businesses be up against next year? The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute has identified six trends for 2012, with suggestions for actions to deal with them.
LifeHealthPro
Guardian Survey: Small Business Owners Must Improve Productivity in 2012
By Warren S. Hersch
December 5, 2011
Small business owners must improve productivity and differentiate their businesses to overcome continuing economic challenges and compete with larger companies, according to a new survey. This is a key conclusion of The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, New York, which has identified six trends that small business owners are likely to face in 2012. The Institute extrapolated many of the trends from research the organization fielded in October 2011, which surveyed nearly 1,100 business owners of various sizes.
Examiner.com
Guardian Life Researchers Release List of 2012 Trends and Advice for Small Biz
By Sharon Woodhouse
December 5, 2011
The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute of New York City released this week a list of six trends small businesses are likely to encounter in 2012 along with suggestions on how to deal with them. Most of the institute’s assessments were derived from field work in October 2011, in which researchers surveyed almost 1,100 business owners.
BusinessNewsDaily
Small Business Trends for 2012: Rough Forecast
By BND Staff
December 5, 2011
The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute identified stressed small businesses being forced to the brink as one of the top trends that small business owners are likely to face in 2012. Institute researchers surveyed 1,100 business owners in October to gain deeper knowledge and insights about today's small business trends.
NAWBO National Blog
Give Thanks for Progress and Opportunity
By Diane Tomb, NAWBO president & CEO
November 21, 2011
Last year, a report from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute indicated women-owned businesses are poised to become the economic job-creator for this decade—estimated to generate more than half of the 9.72 million new small business jobs expected to be created between now and 2018, as well as nearly one-third of the projected 15.3 million total new jobs.
NASDAQ.com
Top Five Retirement Strategies to Start Right Now
By Alan Earls
November 15, 2011
According to a recent poll conducted by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute of 1,433 small business owners, views on retirement are a little grim. The study found that one in three small business owners see themselves working to age 70 or never formally retiring at all. Although those findings are focused on small business owners they are probably representative of much of the population. And that should be a call to action!
News-Press
Apex Award Nominees Down to Five
By Laura Ruane
November 14, 2011
Research by Guardian Life Small Business Institute shows that by 2018 women entrepreneurs will be responsible for creating between 5 million and 5.5 million new jobs nationwide. That's more than half of the 9.7 million new jobs the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects small businesses to create in that time frame.
Las Vegas Review-Journal
How Moms Can Find Opportunities to Chase Business Dreams
October 25, 2011
This trend doesn't seem to be a blip on the radar; in fact, women entrepreneurs are poised for continued growth over the next few years. Women entrepreneurs in the United States will create more than 5 million new jobs by 2018, which is more than half of the new jobs the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to be created over that time, according to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.
Forbes.com
2011 Women Small Business Owners: Their Triumphs and Challenges
By Evangeline Gomez
October 21, 2011
October is Women’s Small Business Month. There are more than 27 million small businesses in the United States, and over 7.7 million of these businesses are owned by women. This is a 20.1% increase from 2002. Women–owned businesses, where women own 51% percent or more of the stock or equity, generated $1.2 trillion in receipts. Women-owned businesses will account for one-third of the new jobs created by 2018, according to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.

   • Also posted on Yahoo! Finance
FOX Business
Aging Small Business Owners Put Off Retirement Amid Money Fears
By Liza Porteus Viana
October 6, 2011
For small business owners specifically, The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found that although many expect to live 20 years into retirement, less than half feel “very” or “fairly” well prepared for life after work. Plus, 4 in 10 small business owners never plan to retire entirely: For them, “retirement” will mean going back and forth between full and part-time work, starting a new business or working full or part-time in another area.
Reuters
Small Business, America and the “Disenfranchised Diligent Optimist” Gene
By John Krubski, Research Advisor to The Institute
October 4, 2011
America’s small business owners create nearly 70 percent of new jobs, account for half our GDP, generate more than seven times as many patents as big business, account for 30 percent of export value overall (and they don’t sell millions of cars to do it) and 63 percent of wholesale export value. This is the sector of America that appears to “get it right” most of the time. Even “failed” entrepreneurs frequently have another go at independence until they end up creating something that works. According to research and insights from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute they also effectively leverage technology, manage fiscally responsible and balanced organizations, and generally “walk the walk” when it comes to balancing energy use and the environment.
Reuters
Why the Debt Ceiling Debate Won’t Stop America’s Small Businesses
By John Krubski, Research Advisor to The Institute
September 9, 2011
Women entrepreneurs are more likely to self-fund their enterprises, less likely to look for loans and more likely to anticipate being rejected if they do apply for credit. That bodes well for our future because, according to the Guardian Life Research Institute, women-owned small businesses will generate more than half of the 9.7 million new small business jobs expected to be created, and roughly one-third of the 15.3 million total new jobs anticipated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics by 2018.
SCORE Small Business Success Blog
Can Small Business Owners Ever Retire?
By Rieva Lesonsky
August 23, 2011
These are scary figures. If you’re going to keep working because you love it, that’s great—but if you’re doing it because the alternative is poverty, that’s not so wonderful. In reporting the findings, Mark D. Wolf, Director of the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, says many entrepreneurs plan to keep working in their businesses full- or part-time after traditional retirement age to make up for the recession’s effects on their incomes and assets.
Advertising Age
Meet Men’s New Role Models
By Ricardo Poupada
August 9, 2011
Not only do they look to entrepreneurs as role models, but, increasingly, they're starting their own companies, often while still in school. A recent study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found that, compared with other generations, millennials were 120% more likely start businesses without previous workplace experience. For men the entrepreneurial impulse is particularly keen.
Baltimore Business Journal
Enterprising Women: Female Job Creators Take Control
By Crystal Jarvis
August 5, 2011
A recent Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute study projects U.S. women business owners will create more than 5 million new jobs by 2018. Women are starting companies at a faster rate than men.
Business On Main
Will Today’s Entrepreneurs Ever Retire?
By Carol Tice
July 19, 2011
Fewer than half of U.S. small-business owners feel "very or fairly well prepared for retirement," according to a new survey of 1,433 small-business owners with more than $500,000 in sales from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.
*Also posted on Entrepreneur.com
Inc.
Small Business Owners Fear Being Unable to Retire
By Courtney Rubin
July 19, 2011
Nearly two-thirds of small business owners fear outliving the money they need to retire, according to a poll from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. Many of the 1,433 small business owners surveyed expect to live well into their retirement years, with one in three saying they plan to retire older than 70. Less than half (45 percent) felt very or fairly well prepared for retirement. Nearly one in seven plan to work part-time in retirement while 10 percent expect to work full-time.
AMEX Open Forum
Why Retirement Isn’t In The Cards for Many SBOs
By Anita Campbell
July 14, 2011
The survey, Small Business Owners Perspectives on Retirement, conducted in December 2010, polled 1,433 small business owners of companies with two to 99 employees. While most expect to live well into their retirement years, one in three say they will wait until after age 70 to retire. Four in 10 plan never to retire to at all. And fewer than 10 percent envision a traditional “retirement” in which they stop working altogether in their mid-60s.
Newsday
Small Business: Planning for Retirement
By Jamie Herzlich
July 11, 2011
In fact, less than half of small business owners feel very or fairly well prepared for retirement, according to a recent report by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.
CNN Money
10 Generation Next Entrepreneurs to Watch
By Sarah Stankorb
July 7, 2011
People of this generation are 120% more likely to be business owners without previous workplace experience, according to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. And 21% of 1,000 college students and recent grads in a Young Entrepreneur Council survey started businesses as a result of unemployment.
Entrepreneur
Will Today’s Entrepreneurs Ever Retire?
By Carol Tice
July 6, 2011
Fewer than half of U.S. small-business owners feel "very or fairly well prepared for retirement," according to a new survey of 1,433 small-business owners with more than $500,000 in sales from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.
The New York Times
This Week in Small Business: How to Sell Out
By Gene Marks
June 20, 2011
A new study from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute reports those born after 1982 are 100 percent more likely to sell their businesses than older entrepreneurs.
The Orange County Register
Poll: Are You Prepared for Retirement?
By Jan Norman
June 17, 2011
A majority (55%) of small-business owners are ill prepared to retire, according to a survey of more than 1,400 people by Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Small Business Owners are Unprepared for Retirement
By Henry Unger
June 17, 2011
The retirement views of the nation's small business owners are "radically shifting," said a news release about the study conducted by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. The Institute, part of Guardian Life Insurance Co., polled 1,433 small business owners who operate companies with two to 99 employees.
Business Daily News
Small-Business Owners Fear Golden Years May Be Only Brass
By Staff Writer
June 16, 2011
The retirement views of the nation's small-business owners are radically shifting, with many seeing themselves working 20 years or longer past so-called retirement age— or never retiring at all, according to a new study by The Guardian Life Insurance Business Research Institute. Less than half of them (45 percent) feel very or even fairly prepared for retirement. And two-thirds of them fear they will eventually outlive their money.
The Wall Street Journal
Retirement a Long Way Off
By Sarah Needleman
June 15, 2011
Nearly 40% of respondents said they will never fully retire, and 39% expect to go back and forth between periods of work and leisure once they hit the traditional retirement age of 65. Fourteen percent anticipate working part time after becoming so-called retirees. The findings come from a survey released Wednesday by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute division of insurer Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.
Entrepreneur
Are Younger Entrepreneurs Sellouts?
By Carol Tice
June 13, 2011
A new study from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute reports Millennials (the generation born after 1982) are 100 percent more likely to sell their business than older entrepreneurs. In other words, they're sellouts: Owners who aren't so emotionally attached to their business that they wouldn't sell it to a big company or another entrepreneur if the right offer came along.
InformationWeek SMB
Top 4 Traits of Successful Business Owners
By Michelle P. Warren
June 8, 2011
In a webinar, Guardian research advisor John Krubski and Guardian special academic advisor Patricia Greene shared insights uncovered by the research. According to them, the most successful entrepreneurs/business owners have these four traits in common.
Austin Business Journal
Are You Ready for a Business Coach?
By Brad Massey
June 3, 2011
According to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, growth-oriented business owners seem to share six key qualities. They tend to be self-fulfilled, future-focused, curious, tech-savvy, action-oriented and the descriptor I’ll focus on here — collaborative.
The Christian Science Monitor
How Millennials Entrepreneurs are Different
By Jeff Cornwall
May 31, 2011
A recent study from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute looks at something near and dear to my heart -- Millennial Generation small business owners as compared to other generations.
Business Insider
Millennial Entrepreneurs
By Jeff Cornwall
May 31, 2011
A recent study from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute looks at something near and dear to my heart – – Millennial Generation small business owners as compared to other generations.
Portfolio.com
Millennials Selling Out
By Editorial Staff
May 27, 2011
A new study from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute reveals that Millennials—the generation born in or after 1982—are 100 percent more likely to sell their business than their parents and grandparents.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego’s Unrecognized Women Leaders
By Kirsten Osolind
April 22, 2011
The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute forecasts that women entrepreneurs will be responsible for creating 5 million new jobs nationwide by 2018. That’s more than half of the 9.7 million new jobs the Bureau of Labor expects small businesses to create.
The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
Why Women Are Better Entrepreneurs
By Mark Wolf
April 19, 2011
Women small business owners will create 5 to 5.5 million new jobs across the U.S. by 2018, according to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. Below are additional insights from The Guardian Life Index about women's management style and practical advice for every small business owner.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Business Workshop: What Makes Entrepreneurs Succeed?
By Ann Dugan
April 11, 2011
Now there's new insight on what makes the most successful entrepreneurs tick from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. Its recent study uncovered six critical characteristics that the owners of small businesses growing by more than 10 percent a year seem to have in common, and seem to have more of than other business owners.
The Small Business Advocate Show
Success factors demonstrated by break-out entrepreneurs
By Jim Blasingame
April 5, 2011
What separates successful entrepreneurs from the also-rans? Dr. Patricia Greene joins Jim Blasingame to reveal success factors demonstrated by break out entrepreneurs, including being collaborative and tech savvy, plus a discussion on gender.
* Also posted on Forbes.com
The Huffington Post
What the White House Report on Women Didn’t Say
By Nell Merlino, Count Me In President and CEO
March 21, 2011
A December 2009 report by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found that women-owned small businesses will generate more than half of the 9.72 million new small -- business jobs expected to be created -- and roughly one-third of the 15.3 million total new jobs anticipated -- by the Bureau of Labor Statistics by 2018.
SmartBusiness
Numbers Game: Why Women are Pacing the Economic Recovery
By Dustin S. Klein
March 10, 2011
Last year around this time, a report from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute noted that women-owned businesses were poised to become the economic job-creator for this decade – estimated to generate more than half of the 9.72 million new small business jobs expected to be created between now and 2018, as well as nearly one-third of the projected 15.3 million total new jobs.
The New York Enterprise Report
Women Entrepreneurs More Likely to Embrace Social Media
By Lindsay Tigar
March 1, 2011
According to a recent survey conducted by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute (smallbizdom.com) there are specific demographics of the small business community that see the value in social media’s opportunities. Female entrepreneurs are three times more likely to engage in social networking than their male counterparts.
TheStreet.com
Looking For Love in The Right Places
By Laurie Kulikowski
February 14, 2011
"For companies that have between 10 to 24 employees, the focus moves more from the owner to the business," says Mark Wolf, director of The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. Wolf cited findings from an April study gauging the mindset of small-business owners depending on the firm's size.
*Also posted on MainStreet.com
VentureBeat
Why Entrepreneurs Don’t Care About the Small Business Lending Act
By John Krubski
February 1, 2011
In a nutshell, our research (part of The Guardian Life Index: What Matters Most to America’s Small Business Owners) reveals that “small is not big.”  The reality and expectations of small business owners are very different from those of big business executives and, in many cases, government policymakers who create programs intended to help small businesses.
*Also posted on Bloomberg BusinessWeek and USA Today
PCWorld
New Year’s Tech Resolutions For Small Businesses
By Christopher Null
December 28, 2010
Joshua Bixby of Web acceleration firm Strangeloop predicts that next year, 15 percent of all sales will come via social media and mobile apps. Even so, The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found in a new study that, for small businesses, their Websites were more important as sales-generation tools than any social media strategy.
*Also posted on Entrepreneur.com
WomenEntrepreneur.com
Study: Women Faster to Embrace Social Media
By Eve Gumpel
December 16, 2010
*Article no longer available online
Women entrepreneurs are quick to embrace new online tools and they value social media three times as much as their male counterparts, according to the latest study by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, which measures small business's relationship with technology.
*Also posted on Jacksonville Small Business Advantage
Business Journal of Central New York
Report Examines Small Business Use of Software, Social Media
By Eric Reinhardt
December 7, 2010
The nation's small business owners still value business software and their company websites more than social media sites.  However, specific segments within the small business community are starting to embrace social media as a communications and business building resource.  Those findings are part of new research from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. The Institute is part of the New York City-based Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America.
InformationWeek SMB
Social Media For Small Biz: A Girl Thang?
By Michele Pepe-Warren
December 7, 2010
Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, right? On Venus, there's allegedly a lot more touchy-feely, emotional stuff going on…you know, talking, crying, connecting. Well, according to a study by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, there's a lot more of something else going on too: social networking.
Forbes.com
Size Matters When It Comes To Small Business
By Mark D. Wolf
November 11, 2010
Most available research on small business in America compounds the problem, viewing these companies as a monolithic sector of the economy, often through the lens of their big-business counterparts. However, a recent study by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute of 1,100 small-business owners segmented companies into four categories by size: two to nine employees; 10 to 24 employees; 25 to 49 employees; and 50 to 99 employees--and examined the challenges small-business owners face as their organizations evolve from tiny entities to sizable enterprises.
Best’s Review
What Women Want
By Staff Writer
November 1, 2010
*Article no longer available online
"Women-owned businesses have a faster growth rate than male-owned businesses, there are more female college graduates over the past 15 years, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that industry sectors projected to grow the most over the next decade typically have more women owners than men," said Mark D. Wolf, director of The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. The Institute, an intellectual resource devoted to better understanding America's small-business owners, resides within the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.
Gulf Coast Business Review
Small Business Owners More Optimistic this Year
By Staff Writer
October 29, 2010
The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute recently released new research showing that 49% of small business owners statewide anticipate higher revenues in 2010, compared to only 31% the year before. This is significant, the institute says, since its study was conducted in June based on only the first half of this year.
Crain’s New York Business
Saying 'Basta!' to bad clients
By Elaine Pofeldt
October 29, 2010
Many entrepreneurs spend a lot of their time winning clients and pulling out all the stops to please them. A survey called The Guardian Life Index: What Matters Most to America's Small Business Owners, conducted in late 2009, found that customers are the No. 1 priority for small business owners—above their employees and themselves. They also care a lot about having clients appreciate their work.
KUHF Business News
Life Insurance Company Finds that Small Business Owner in Texas are a Little More Optimistic, but Lag Behind the Rest of the Nation in Plans to Expand
By Ed Mayberry
October 14, 2010
More small businesses in Texas plan to maintain business as usual in the coming months, compared to the rest of the nation. That's according to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, which surveyed 1,200 small business owners with fewer than 100 employees across 12 key industry sectors. Mark Wolf is director of The Institute.
New York Times: You’re The Boss
This Week in Small Business: Taxes, Bankers, the Windows Phone
By: Gene Marks
October 18, 2010
WE’RE BACK TO NORMAL! Guess what? Business owners will be thrilled to learn that a popular index out last week says that United States financial conditions are “back to normal.” National retailers are adjusting to the “new normal” … at the expense of mom-and-pop stores. Feeling the effects? Guardian Life Insurance issued a report finding that 51 percent of small-business owners anticipated their revenues in 2010 would exceed those in 2009.
Entrepreneur.com
The Best Economic Indicator For Small Business Owners
By: Carol Tice
October 18, 2010
Over at The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, recent data shows owners are considerably more optimistic than they were a year ago. The National Federation of Independent Business Owners, however, finds the level of owner optimism more or less flat. More owners reported to NFIB that they plan to cut staff.
The Orange County Register
Business Owners Mired in Recession Mindset
By: Jan Norman
October 12, 2010
51% of small-business owners anticipate higher revenues in 2010, says The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, the most optimistic of the reports.
WomenEntrepreneur.com
Small Business Sees Better Profits Ahead
By: Eve Gumpel
October 4, 2010
*Article no longer available online
Some rare good news on the economic front: A survey by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute finds that the majority of America's small-business owners are considerably more optimistic about the financial performance of their businesses than they were just one year ago.
The Cross Timbers Gazette
Women-Owned Businesses Strong Right Arm of Floundering Economy
By: Brandi Chambless
October 2, 2010
With all the benefits for the woman herself, women are effective contributors to the economy by successfully owning and operating businesses better than any other time in history.  "Women-owned businesses are more often self-funded than male owned firms and are therefore less reliant on bank financing at a time when many say small business lending practices are more restricted," said Mark Wolf, Director of Market Research at The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.
California Broker
Small Businesses Anticipate Higher Revenues
By: Staff Writer
September 29, 2010
America’s small business owners are considerably more upbeat about the financial performance of their businesses compared to a year ago, according to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. Fifty-one percent of small business owners, surveyed in June, expect 2010 revenues to exceed 2009 sales. A year ago, only 32% expected better financial performance.
National Underwriter
Guardian: Small Business Owners Are Feeling Better
By: Staff Writer
September 27, 2010
U.S. small business owners seemed to be more optimistic about their businesses in June than they were 12 months earlier. The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, an affiliate of Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, has reported that finding in a summary of results from a survey of 1,200 U.S. employers with 2 to 99 employees. Guardian also conducted a similar survey in 2009.
Portfolio.com
Small Business View Brightens
By: Steve Rosenbush
September 27, 2010
That's shouldn't be much of a surprise. The National Bureau of Economic Research, the body that determines when recessions officially begin and end, said this month that the post-financial crisis recession officially ended in June 2009, just as the last Guardian Life survey was being conducted. Given that the recovery still feels more like wishful thinking to many people, it's understandable why they thought that last year that the world was coming to an end. The improvement is welcome, although 51 percent still seems like an alarmingly low level.
NorthJersey.com
There’s Some Good News Out There About Small Businesses
By: Carol Lawrence
September 26, 2010
The owners possess many of the traits associated with success-focused business owners found in The Guardian Life Index, a survey of 1,100 small businesses by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.
Broker World
There is a Link Between Employee Benefits And Employee Satisfaction
By: Staff Writer
August 1, 2010
*Article no longer available online
Recent surveys by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute asked small business owners to rate their goals/beliefs by intensity level (ie, how passionately they felt about them), and the results were intriguing. Employee benefits are just one component of total compensation, the largest being cash compensation. The survey also shows the value and opportunity presented by voluntary (employee-paid) benefits. Insurance carriers recognize the vital role smaller enterprises are playing in the nation's ongoing economic turnaround.
The Small Business Advocate Show
Success Traits of Small Business Owners
By Jim Blasingame
September 2, 2010

What are the key traits of successful small business owners? Patricia Green joins Jim Blasingame to identify the six key characteristics that success-oriented small business owners consistently demonstrate.

Los Angeles Times
Small-Business Advice: Getting More Revenue From Clients
By Karen E. Klein
August 2, 2010

Six attitudinal factors seem to characterize successful entrepreneurs. They are collaborative, self-fulfilled, future focused, tech savvy, curious and action oriented, according to a survey by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. The institute surveyed small-business owners whose companies expanded even during the recession.

AMEX OPEN Forum
How to Put the Life Back Into Your Company
By Anita Campbell
July 29, 2010

It can be scary to realize how much your customers and your employees all rely on your business – it’s a weighty responsibility.  On the other hand, reflecting on that can also renew your sense of purpose.  According to the Guardian Life “What Matters Most Index”, the top three things that matter most to small business owners are: customers who appreciate what we do, keeping customers we have from leaving and my employees.

The Business Insider
The 6 Personality Traits Every Small-Business Owner Should Have
by Ben Popper
July 14, 2010

“Every small business is different. But a large scale study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found that there were certain traits that stood out among the most successful ventures.”

Washington Post
Businesses Owned by Minority, Women Boomed Before Recession, Census Says
by Staff Writer
July 14, 2010
*Article no longer available online

“In an era when such high-profile female business executives as Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman have entered politics, an increasing share of U.S. businesses are run by women. A study published last year by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute projected that small businesses run by women will create one-third of all new jobs.”

Washington Post
Minority-Owned Businesses on the Rise, Data Show
by Staff Writer
July 13, 2010
*Article no longer available online

“A study published earlier this year by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute projected that small businesses run by women will create one third of all new jobs in the upcoming decade.”

Guardian Trinidad and Tobago
Six Signs of a Doomed Entrepreneur
by Staff Writer
July 11, 2010

“The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute in the USA got to the bottom of what makes small-business owners more success-oriented than others. Here, we tick off the inverse: six personality traits to get out of your system if you ever want your small business to leave the ground.”

Entrepreneur.com
The 6 Traits of Successful Small Businesses
by Carol Tice
July 8, 2010

“The study, from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, is The Guardian Life Index: What Matters Most to America's Small Business Owners. The survey of more than 1,000 entrepreneurs with between two and 99 workers first identified 60 critical factors for business success. These were then boiled down to six important skills that were common to successful business owners.”

BusinessFuel
Small Businesses Can’t Focus on Just the Big Wins
by Mitchell Harris
July 7, 2010

“The drive to continually improve is a trait shared by many small business owners. A recent study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found that maintaining a long-term growth strategy is an important characteristic of a successful entrepreneur.”

Business Journal Central New York
Research IDs Six Traits in Successful Small-Business Owners
by Staff Writer
July 6, 2010

“Six characteristics typify small business owners who projected revenue increases and business expansion even as the recession peaked. That’s according to a new research report from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.”

Women Entrepreneur
The 6 Traits You Need to Succeed
by Eve Gumpel
July 5, 2010

“What makes a truly successful entrepreneur? The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute believes it has the answer. The latest study in the research series, ‘The Guardian Life Index: What Matters Most to Small Business Owners,’ identifies six characteristics common to small-business owners who increase their revenue and expand their companies even in recessionary times.”

Inc.
The Six Traits of a Successful Small Business Owner
by Courtney Rubin
July 1, 2010

“The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute report hopes to explain why only 1 in 2 small businesses will survive more than five years, according to Small Business Administration figures. The study - called Six Dimensions That Characterize Success-Oriented Small Business Owners - is based on analysis of a survey of 1,100 small businesses with between 2 and 99 employees. (The Institute is run by the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, and it conducts ongoing research on what it calls ‘the Index of What Matters Most’ to small businesses.)”

The Entrepreneurial Mind
What Makes Success-Oriented Business Owners Tick?
by Jeff Cornwall
June 30, 2010

“Guardian Life has a new index that identifies the characteristics of small business owners who exhibit a strong success orientation. Success orientation is defined by their desire to enjoy longevity in their businesses, expand revenues and grow the size of their companies.”

ForbesWoman
Six Signs of Small-Business Success
by Meghan Casserly
June 30, 2010

“Now a study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, comparing key traits of small-business owners, provides an insider's view of what qualities set the success-oriented ones apart from their less ambitious peers.”

AllBusiness.com
Success: Do You Have What It Takes?
by Tim Devaney and Tom Stein
June 30, 2010

“Do you know what you need to succeed as an entrepreneur? If you answered, “Cheap beer, pork cracklins and a gun behind the counter,” then there’s a business opportunity in our neighborhood you should look into. But if your ambitions are loftier than that, check out this new report from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute. It claims to identify the six personality traits that separate the winners from the rest of the pack. Guardian Life surveyed 1,100 small-business owners and discovered that those who succeed are: collaborative, self-fulfilled, future-focused, curious, tech-savvy and action-oriented.”

Smart Women’s Institute of Entrepreneurial Learning
Why Western Women Will Save the World
by Jessica Eaves Mathews
June 24, 2010
“The Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting that by 2018, 15.3 million new jobs will be created. Do you want to know the best part? According to a new report by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, women will create one-third, or 5.5 million, new jobs! Not only will women create these jobs, but the report predicts that women will also be responsible for transforming the workplace from the male-dominated, hierarchical, exclusive ‘good ole boys’ club of yesterday into a more ‘inclusive, horizontally-managed environment.’”
The New York Enterprise Report
Research Finds Smaller Companies Have More Productive Employees
by Lindsay Tigar
June 1, 2010
“New research conducted by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found that maintaining productivity among employees as the company grows is a common challenge. Businesses with 2 to 9 employees tend to revolve around the owner and typically generate far higher revenues per employee than ones with 50 to 99 employees—between 100 percent and 400 percent higher on average, according to The Guardian Life Index.”
Chicago Tribune
by Kiah Haslett
May 17, 2010
*Article no longer available online
“The changing corporate world has encouraged interest in entrepreneurship, and that could help the economy recover. Women start businesses at twice the rate of men, and these companies will account for 5.5 million new U.S. jobs by 2018, according to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.”
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
The Term 'Small Business' Is Baloney
by Scott Shane
May 14, 2010
“The business challenges that small business owners focus on varies with the number of employees in the company. The Guardian Life study showed that employees become a more important focus of small business owners' attention as companies become larger.”
Employee Benefit Advisor
Valuable Critical Illness Coverage Now Available for Small employers
May 3, 2010
“Recent surveys by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute asked small-business owners to rate their goals/beliefs by intensity level (i.e. how passionately they felt about them). They rated ‘taking care of employees’ to be more critical than ‘being able to make my own decisions,’ ‘setting my business apart from our competitors’ and ‘figuring out ways to take advantage of any economic condition.’”
WomenEntrepreneur.com
Small Businesses: Size Makes a Difference
by Eve Gumpel
April 29, 2010
“Surprise. Being an entrepreneur with 50 to 99 employees is not the same as being an entrepreneur with two to nine employees.”

“That's the conclusion of a study conducted by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, an outgrowth of Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.”
Portfolio.com
Work Life Balance
by Elizabeth Olson
April 14, 2010
“But new research shows that personal freedom and work-life balancing typically get pushed aside when a small business grows. In fact, the bigger a small business, the more likely it is that these ideals fall by the wayside, according to a new report by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.”
NAWBO.com
Access to Capital
March 29, 2010
“Although women-owned small businesses currently account for less than a fifth of employment, The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute projects that women-owned business will by account for one-third of the new jobs created by 2018.”
Denver Business Journal
Women Have Just as Rough a Time as Men in Recession
by Ed Sealover
February 26, 2010
“A study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute in New York predicted women who leave the corporate work force and start their own businesses are expected to create more than 5 million new jobs by 2018.”
Entrepreneur
Girl Power: Why Women in Business Have Suffered Fewer Casualties Than Men
by Jennifer Wang
February 23, 2010
“According to a recent study by Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, women-led companies will account for as many as 5.5 million new U.S. jobs by 2018. Good jobs, too. Women business owners care more about creating opportunities for the people who work for them, says Mark Wolf, institute director.”
FOX Business
Study: Women Rock as Small Business Owners
by Liza Porteus Viana
February 19, 2010
“That research, recently released by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, also shows that characteristics such as being more customer-focused, more likely to incorporate community into their business plans, and more adept at creating opportunities for others are helping women excel in 1) running a business 2) keeping employees driven and productive and 3) building a loyal customer base.”
AllBusiness.com
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Texas, Walt Nett Column: Nett: Calculated Optimism May Help Small Businesses to Succeed
by Walt Nett
February 7, 2010
“In one way, Texans in small business have a little more ambitious outlook than the rest of the nation. Only 51 percent of the owners surveyed in Texas believe they'll maintain "business as usual" over the next 12 to 24 months, compared with 54 percent nationally according to ‘The Guardian Life Index.’”
Work blog (The Orange County Register)
Cool, Dude. State’s Small Business Owners Are Chill
by Peggy Lowe
February 1, 2010
“Confirming those perceptions about the state’s surfer-dude persona, a new survey suggests that California small business owners are more laid back than others in the U.S.”

“The report by the Guardian Life Insurance Co., called “What Matters Most to America’s Small Business Owners,” shows that California small business owners are more relaxed when it comes to operating their companies compared to those in other states.”
Fresnobee.com
New Valley Jobs Will Feature More Women in Charge by 2018
by Bethany Clough
January 23, 2010
“The chances that the boss could be a woman are rising.”

“The New York-based Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute report called its projection ‘striking,’ since jobs at businesses owned by women currently make up 16% of the total.”

“The institute looked at the 15 million new jobs that the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics anticipates will be created by 2018. It also predicted that of jobs created by small businesses, more than half are expected to be created by businesses owned by women.”
NFIB SmartBrief
Report: Women Business Owners Will Create Up to 5.5 Million Jobs
January 22, 2010
“Rieva Lesonsky, founder of GrowBiz Media, is not surprised by last week's report from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, which predicted that women-owned small businesses will lead job creation. ‘While women business owners still face some obstacles, overall the absence of a glass ceiling makes entrepreneurship more appealing than climbing the ever-shrinking corporate ladder,’ she writes.”
The New York Enterprise Report
Women-Owned SMBs Projected to Lead Job Creation
by Sarah Hashim-Waris
January 22, 2010
“Women small business owners will generate more than five million new jobs in the next eight years, meaning that more than half of the 9,720,000 new small business jobs expected to be formed by 2018 (predicted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) will be from women-owned small businesses. John Krubski, a research advisor to The Guardian Life Small Business Institute, which released this projection, says, ‘Women small business owners will ultimately create more opportunities for employees to grow in their jobs and inspire others to start their own small business—all while providing customers superior service.’”
SmallBizTrends.com
Women Business Owners to Lead the Nation in Job Creation
By Rieva Lesonsky
January 19, 2010
“Well, according to new data projections from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, future job growth will be created primarily by women-owned small businesses. Guardian’s research shows that by 2018 women entrepreneurs will be responsible for creating between 5 million and 5.5 million new jobs nationwide.”
SmallBizLabs.com
Guardian Life’s Small Business Research Center
January 13, 2010
“Anyway, yesterday I stumbled across a new, or at least new to me, small business research institute. It is from Guardian Life, who describe their Small Business Institute as "an intellectual resource devoted to better understanding America’s small business owners."
ForbesWoman.com
Women-Owned Businesses: America’s New Job Creation Engine
By Mark D. Wolf
January 12, 2010
“A newly published report by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute projects that female-owned small businesses, & now just 16% of total U.S. employment, will be responsible for creating one-third of the 15.3 million new jobs anticipated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics by 2018.”
American Express OPEN
Top 10 Trends in 2010
By Steve Strauss
January 8, 2010
“The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects small business to create almost 10 million new jobs by 2018. And according to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, just about half of those will be created by women-owned businesses (striking, since they make up only 16% of U.S. employment.)”
Examiner.com
We’re Just Getting Started! Women-Owned Businesses to Generate 5+ Million New Jobs by 2018
By Marissa Levin
January 1, 2010
“Further research conducted by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute projects that women-owned businesses will create an additional 5+ million jobs by 2018. This prediction has far-reaching effects for both of our economy and for organizational culture.”
American Express OPEN
What Matters Most to Business Owners? You May Be Surprised
By Anita Campbell
December 23, 2009
“The number one factor that matters most to business owners is “customers who appreciate what we do.” This insight comes from The Guardian Life “Index of What Matter Most.” It is an ongoing research initiative that says it “provides a better way to understand how America’s small business owners think and act, based on a new, proprietary research methodology.”
TheWomenAblerBlog.com
Women-Owned Firms to Create 1/3 of New Jobs By 2018? Not So Fast…
December 22, 2009
“Guardian’s Small Business Research Institute made this announcement in a news release just the other day, saying that these projections are based on a “rigorous analysis of converging factors.” The release goes on to say that these firms will transform the workplace due to women business owners being less hierarchical and more customer-focused.”
ESCAPEFromCorporateAmerica.com
Women Business Owners Know How To Create and Be Creative
By Laurel Delaney
December 21, 2009
“Based on the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute’s projections, women-owned small businesses will generate more than half of the 9.72 million new small business jobs expected to be created, and roughly one-third of the 15.3 million total new jobs anticipated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics by 2018. This projection is striking, given that women-owned businesses currently account for just 16 percent of total U.S. employment.”
WomenEntrepreneur.com
Study Calls Women Entrepreneurs Key to Job Growth
By Eve Gumpel
December 18, 2009
“It's hardly news that women are a potent force in the U.S. economy, starting new businesses at twice the rate of their male counterparts. But a new study by Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute indicates that women-owned companies will account for as many as 5.5 million new U.S. jobs by the year 2018.”
American Express’ Small Business Open Forum
Marketing and Baking Through the Recession
by Joseph Friedrichs
November 13, 2009
“According to a recent study commissioned by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, during the next 12 to 24 months small business owners will emerge from the recession strong and well positioned for growth during the next decade, leading the U.S. to economic recovery. There are three specific reasons why small businesses will succeed: their customers, their employees and their own self dependence, according to the report.”
ACA International
Small Business Owners Say Their Companies will Emerge Strong from Recession
November 10, 2009
“Even in the face of the significant challenges of the economic downturn, the fundamental optimism demonstrated by small business owners is the result of their passionate, confident focus on three core pillars of business success—their customers, their employees and their own self-dependence, according to the study, which was commissioned by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute and fielded in May 2009.”
NFIB Magazine
Small Business Owners Are Hopeful and Confident, Survey Says
by Emily McMackin
November 9, 2009
“Who says small business owners are feeling down and out? According to a recent poll conducted by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute and posted by Reuters, the majority of owners surveyed say they will emerge from the recession stronger than ever and well-positioned for growth. In the survey, 92 percent of small business owners expressed optimism about their enterprises, with 54 percent expecting to maintain business as usual and 38 percent confidently looking forward to expanding their businesses over the next 12 to 24 months.”
Investor’s Business Daily
Solid Recovery in Two Years?
November 6, 2009
“The study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found that 92% of owners expressed optimism about their enterprises, with 54% expecting to maintain business as usual. Thirty-eight percent were looking forward to expanding their business in the next 12 to 24 months.”
National Underwriter Online News Service
Guardian: Mom and Pop like Their Employees
November 2, 2009
“Typical small business owners feel almost as passionate about their workers as they do about their customers. Market researchers at Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, have reported that finding in a summary of the results from a May Web survey of about 1,100 U.S. small business owners.”