Business owners turn to websites for advice, says research

Over 10 per cent of business owners turn to business websites for advice, according to research from small business support company Informi.

The research, which surveyed over 500 business owners, found that business websites are the third main source of information for small businesses, with the main source being accountants at 22 per cent, followed by Google at 19 per cent.

Popular

Banks and brokers were found to be the least popular sources that business owners turn to for information, cited by 4 per cent and 2 per cent of respondents respectively.

Business owners were also asked what their main source of information was when they set up their business. Accountants were again found to be the main source of information at 22 per cent, followed by family and friends at 15 per cent and search engines at 11 per cent.

Business websites were found to be the eighth most popular source of information when setting up a business, cited by 5 per cent of respondents, whilst business magazines were the least popular at 2 per cent.

Daunting

Commenting on the study, Informi Product Manager, Darren Nicholls, said: “Our research goes on to show that it took 13% of small businesses owners over two years before they felt fully confident in running their business, and indeed 4% tell us they are still not fully confident in doing so.”

He added: “It’s essential that you don’t try and go it alone, but get as much advice as you can from multiple sources – such as business experts, online tools and resources, and those around you.”