Small Business Entrepreneurs Go Mobile for Business Success

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwired - Jul 21, 2015) - The key to a small business's success may fit into the palm of your hand. According to Manta's SMB Wellness Index, approximately 80 percent of small business owners use their mobile phone for business at least once a day, nearly a ten percent increase since 2012. In fact, 25 percent of small businesses use their mobile device for business at least every hour, and not just when they're on the road; 78 percent of small business owners use their mobile device while in front of their computer (a ten percent increase since 2012) for reasons ranging from checking personal texts or email (48 percent) to speedier email access (25 percent).

Small businesses now rely on mobile phones for once-traditional pen-and-paper tasks such as appointment scheduling or communicating with customers (56 percent), creating notes or to-do lists (30 percent) and banking (24 percent).

No Time to Unplug and Unwind

App-enabled smartphones allow small business owners to mix work and pleasure like never before, with 78 percent reporting that they check work email or other documents while on vacation. It's a controversial development though; while 64 percent of respondents believe mobile access allows them to enjoy their vacations more, 36 percent believe it takes away from their ability to enjoy the break.

Unfortunately, this only applies to the 43 percent lucky enough to take vacations. Many small business owners don't have anyone to cover their responsibilities while they're gone (29 percent). Others aren't able to afford a vacation (24 percent) or can't afford the loss of income (21 percent) that would result from time off. For others, letting go may be the hardest part, as 12 percent of respondents indicate they simply don't trust anyone else to run their business in their absence.

Politics and Tech -- Big Impact on Small Business?

Mobile technology isn't the only thing rocking the small business world this summer. With a flurry of high-profile Supreme Court decisions in the news and deadlines for new payment technology adoption looming, Manta asked small business owners for their take on a few of the biggest issues dominating today's headlines. Findings include:

• Marriage for All = Business as Usual -- Nearly 90 percent of small business owners expect it will be business as usual after the legalization of same-sex marriage; of this number 13 percent believe they will get a business boost from the ruling. Only 11 percent of those polled feel same-sex marriage will have a negative impact on their business.
• A Healthy Lift in Benefits -- Following the Supreme Court's upholding of the Affordable Care Act, of those small business owners with eligible employees, 13 percent of respondents plan to start offering health benefits to their employees, joining the 55 percent who already offer health care benefits to employees and plan to continue to do so. Thirty-eight percent do not plan to offer health care benefits.
• Surprising Reasons Small Business Will Say No to EMV Adoption -- Faced with a looming credit card fraud liability shift on October 1, lack of information may be a major hurdle for small business owners. Of those who hesitate to adopt EMV technology, 28 percent don't know what EMV technology is or how it impacts their business, while 16 percent don't see enough EMV chip-enabled cards in their business to make the transition worthwhile. Twelve percent disagree with the liability shift itself, while the remaining small business owners (two percent) believe the new card readers are too expensive.

Time-Strapped but Optimistic for the Months to Come

Despite the impact of these changing regulations, the majority of small business owners (71 percent) report that 2015 has been a successful year so far, up three percent since last summer. Even more small businesses (82 percent) are optimistic about the remainder of the year, although fewer (30 percent) are planning to hire new employees than the 35 percent with hiring plans during the same time period in 2014.

"Mobile technology is clearly changing the nature of small business ownership," said John Swanciger, CEO of Manta. "It's encouraging to see that small business owners are adapting and taking these seismic shifts in stride. At Manta, we're constantly evolving to support our community, developing mobile-optimized tools to help them succeed and offering resources to demystify the latest trends and technology to insure small businesses keep their competitive edge."

For more information on Manta's Semi-Annual SMB Wellness Index, please contact manta (at) highwirepr (dot) com. To view the full 2015 Wellness Index data, please visit Manta's small business research center.

About Manta
Manta empowers small business owners to succeed on their own terms by helping them stand out, connect with customers and grow their companies. Our solutions include a small business directory with millions of unique monthly visitors, proven tools to drive lead generation and a suite of products to manage critical business needs. We strive to inform and inspire through learning opportunities, proprietary research, and a robust online community for dialogue and collaboration. Thousands of business owners join Manta each month. Visit manta.com to learn why.