Small business owners' characteristics and business performance: a case study of State Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) Sarawak / Petrus Veno

Past research had found out that during the infancy stage of small business Industry during the first year, an average of one third of the firms were not successful in this crucial period of business cycle. This research is designed to investigate the characteristics of small business owners’ (managerial expertise, educational qualification, motivational and psychological) and the firm’s financial performance that influence the business performance in small business industry. Specifically, this study is to explore the possible answers to this phenomenon based on demographic factors such as gender, age, academic qualification, number of years of business and type of business. The findings did show some significant differences on business performance based on respondent’s demographic factors. The findings provide a very strong correlation between small business owners’ characteristics (managerial experience and education).