82 Percent of Business Owners Feel Neglected by the U.S. Government

DALLAS, Nov. 18, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Regus, the global provider of flexible workplace solutions, has surveyed the opinions of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners worldwide in order to take the pulse of the entrepreneurial sector and uncover how entrepreneurs feel about the level of support their national governments and institutions are providing. This bi-annual survey of over 5,000 entrepreneurs in 78 countries revealed that globally 75 percent of business owners feel that the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises are typically overlooked by government, with 82 percent of U.S. business owners responding that their interests are neglected.

74 percent of respondents globally and 56 percent in the U.S. declared that banks should be forced to lend more to entrepreneurial ventures and small businesses. 75 percent of U.S. entrepreneurs also stated that government venture capital funds should be available to support entrepreneurs and their business initiatives, indicating that maintaining cash flow continues to be of concern for businesses. Further, 72 percent of respondents globally and 43 percent in the U.S. declared that legal penalties should be introduced for late payment of invoices.  

Sande Golgart, regional vice president for Regus, comments, "In spite of its massive importance to national economy, the small business segment continues to struggle to get its voice heard. In the aftermath of the global downturn, this key sector of the economy has had difficulties securing capital and maintaining cash flow.

"Although less extensively than in other geographies studied, in the U.S. small and medium enterprises are eager for government intervention to make credit more accessible. Recent reports confirm that 59 percent of small businesses in the U.S. find credit unavailable, with half having actually been declined(1). It is easy to conclude that lack of access to credit is at least one reason entrepreneurs in the U.S. are struggling behind many of their peers globally."

The survey also asked entrepreneurs worldwide about their recent revenue and profit trends, along with their main concerns and causes of stress in the past years. These latter indicators form the basis for the report's Entrepreneurial Environment Index, reflecting entrepreneurs' feelings as to how easy it is to do business in their country.  For the U.S. in particular, the global index revealed a below average rating of 76 points compared to the global average of 100.

About Regus

Regus is the world's largest provider of workplace solutions, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges and the world's largest network of video communication studios. Regus enables people to work their way, whether it's from home, on the road or from an office. Customers such as Google, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nokia join hundreds of thousands of growing small and medium businesses that benefit from outsourcing their office and workplace needs to Regus, allowing them to focus on their core activities.

Over 800,000 customers a day benefit from Regus facilities spread across a global footprint of 1,100 locations in 500 cities and 85 countries, which allow individuals and companies to work wherever, however and whenever they want to. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information please visit: www.regus.com.

To download a copy of the full report please visit www.regus.presscentre.com.

(1)  http://www.marketwatch.com/story/banks-deny-half-of-small-business-credit-requests-2010-10-18?dist=countdown

SOURCE Regus