Thumbtack.com has begun tapping its nationwide network of independent service providers and contractors to build a monthly survey—released for the first time Tuesday—tracking economic outlook sentiments and unique market challenges small business owners face across the 50 states. The survey has been two and a half years in the making and is a unique one given its targeted focus on a business-owning demographic cohort that is often too small and/or too mobile/seasonal (over half of the respondents are sole proprietors) to be represented reliably in more traditional surveys comprised of typically larger businesses. Some of the interesting findings for Kansas were as follows:
- 53.8% of Kansas respondents in April 2015 believed business conditions in the state would be either “a little better” or “much better” in the next three months.
- 77% of respondents expected their employee compensation to remain the same in three months, but a sizable 21.3% expected to offer their employees “a little” or “a lot” in terms of a pay increase.
- In a section on “Top Problems” small business owners in Kansas face, concerns voiced about “uncertain economic conditions” dropped by 5% compared to last year.
- Small business owners in Kansas shared the positive sentiment expressed by the majority of small business owners in each of the rest of the 50 states by reporting feeling “somewhat positive” about the state and local business climates they inhabited. For the business owners in Kansas, this represented a continued, steady improvement in sentiment over the past eighteen months.
You can track the monthly updates directly from Thumbtack.com and we’ll be sure to note any significant findings in this space.
