38 percent of Australian small business (SMB or SME) owners and managers report their business is currently struggling or worse, when compared to this time last year. Of those, nine in 10 say the health of their business is having a negative impact on their personal lives, according to a small business ‘stress survey’ commissioned by Microsoft Australia.

Despite the survey findings, the survey revealed that nearly 60 percent of small businesses described themselves as healthy, with one in five expecting to continue investing in their people and replacing staff as necessary and only 6% are considering laying off employees.
 
“It appears that many small businesses have clearly been hit by the reality of the global economic downturn as many of Australia’s small businesses are feeling the pinch and experiencing increased stress in this climate of uncertainty,” said Ms. Inese Kingsmill, director of small and mid-market business, Microsoft Australia.

iTWire recorded an interview with Ms. Kingsmill. Please see the last page for details of this podcast, which is well worth listening to by anyone involved in managing and running a small business.
 

For almost half, (42 percent), the primary focus at the moment is simply retaining and growing their customer base.

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