by The Green Fairy

Created on: October 02, 2010   Last Updated: October 03, 2010

A small business is many things. To define them purely by numbers is to miss their rich diversity and abundance.

You can recognize a small business when you see it. A self-employed plumber or builder, that independent store run by a hard-working couple, or those kids cooking up a new internet service from their garage or bedrooms.

Some small businesses will never grow into anything else, because their owners don't want them to. A self-employed architect or carpenter may well have chosen that path for the independence it offers and they don't aspire to establishing a commercial empire.

The small business is a haven for the specialist who loves what they do and want to remain hands-on, without the pressure of moving into management.

A small business can represent innovation. Many entrepreneurs start with a small business, as they convert their exciting ideas for a new product or service into a saleable commodity. A true entrepreneur doesn't want to stay small, just as they don't want to stay in the same business for too long. For them the excitement is the in start-up phase, turning a concept into a reality and then moving on.

Many small businesses are an escape route from corporate life. Droves of professionals yearn to be self-employed, free of the office cubicle, with its burdens of management expectation, bureaucracy and internal politics. Of course, working for yourself requires adherence to a new set of rules and ways of working, but it has the benefit of feeling much freer.

Many who've made the break to work for themselves would never want to go back.

A small business represents risk. Failure rates are high, with the majority lasting less then five years. Behind the doors of every closed up business are individuals who've invested months, perhaps years of their life, and often a substantial chunk of cash.

But while pulling down the shutters might score another commercial failure, it can be a step forward on the individual's path to self-fulfillment. They can learn what does and doesn't work, and perhaps build long-term success, founded on past experience.

Finally - small businesses are everywhere. Every village, town and city across the globe is packed with them. Individuals from every race and culture aspire earn a living from establishing a commercial enterprise. They're encouraged and supported at all levels by governments, who know that at least some of today's small firms will be tomorrow's giants.

And even those that never achieve recognition, that close when their own owner ceases to work, are still to be prized. They represent a spirit of self-reliance and independence that's to be treasured, and they set a great example for the next generation.

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