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Small Business Owners Survey
Part 1: Quick Background (3 Questions)
1.
What industry is your small business in?
Retail
Hospitality/Restaurant
Trades/Construction
Professional Services
Health/Wellness
2.
How many employees do you currently have?
Just me (Solopreneur)
1–5
6–20
21–50+
3.
How many hours a week do you personally spend on administrative tasks (billing, scheduling, marketing, inventory) rather than your core craft?
0–5 hours
6–15 hours
16–30 hours
30+ hours
4.
Which administrative task do you find the most frustrating or time-consuming?
Managing cash flow/invoicing
Staff scheduling/payroll
Social media/finding customers
Tracking inventory/suppliers
Legal/compliance/taxes
5.
How much would you estimate that your biggest operational headache costs you per month in lost time or mistakes?
Under $100
$100–$500
$500–$2,000
Over $2,000
6.
Have you tried using a third-party software or hiring an external service to solve this specific headache in the past 12 months?
Yes and it worked
Yes but I cancelled it
No I handle it manually
No I didn't know options existed
7.
What is a comfortable monthly software budget for a tool that completely solves a major operational issue for you?
Under $30/mo
$30–$99/mo
$100–$250/mo
$250+/mo
8.
When your business experiences an operational "roadblock" or emergency, what is usually the root cause?
A scheduling or staffing gap (e.g., someone called in sick, or you are short-staffed and have to do the manual labor yourself).
A cash flow delay (e.g., a client is late paying an invoice, leaving you short on cash for upcoming expenses).
A system or tech breakdown (e.g., your booking system, internet, or payment terminal went down during business hours).
An inventory or supplier delay (e.g., key materials or ingredients didn't arrive, forcing you to delay jobs or turn customers away).
A communication mix-up (e.g., a double-booked appointment, a forgotten client request, or a miscommunicated price).
9.
If you could wave a magic wand and fully automate one daily or weekly task in your business, what would it be?
Invoicing and following up on late payments (getting paid faster without having to awkward-chase clients).
Staff scheduling and tracking hours (no more back-and-forth texts trying to fill shifts).
(Social media posting and customer inquiries (getting consistent marketing done without sitting on your phone all evening).
Booking clients and managing appointments (allowing clients to book themselves online without you needing to answer calls).
Tracking inventory, ordering supplies, and managing vendors (knowing what you have in stock without manual counts).
Sorting receipts and preparing bookkeeping for tax time (getting rid of the "shoebox of receipts" stress).