New research from leading business management platform, MYOB, has revealed more than three in four Australians (76 per cent) have had at least one business idea, however, only 35 per cent have started one.
The 2023 MYOB Belief Barometer provides a snapshot on the current state of the entrepreneurial spirit and self-belief in business and comes as MYOB draws sharp focus to MYOB’s strategic and technological transformation to a business management platform.
The survey of 1,000 Australians revealed that fear of failure was a barrier, with almost half (42 per cent) of those surveyed having had a business idea that they never brought to life.
Emma Fawcett, General Manager for SME at MYOB said the survey highlighted that finance is still the biggest challenge when it comes to starting a business, but that self-belief was a vital component to getting a business idea off the ground.
“It is exhilarating to think of the untapped potential sitting amongst Australian's right now, many of whom are actively thinking about new business ideas and how they might turn this into reality. We want to provide the support for every business owner starting out on their business journey or looking for new ways to evolve for the future.
“We want more of these amazing ideas to move from concept stage to become fully-fledged, successful businesses.”
Encouragingly, seven in 10 Australians believe they can start a business and more than eight in 10 (83 per cent) believe they could learn with the right help, but only 21 per cent agree starting a business is easy.
Of those that did start a business, 48 per cent said their number one believer in their first business was themselves followed by their partner at 37 per cent.
“There’s no denying that starting a business is a big commitment and it takes an incredible amount of self-belief, particularly as we navigate current economic headwinds,” Emma adds.
“For many, a business idea is an opportunity to pursue a passion project or the creation of something to help others, but it comes with many other responsibilities such as keeping the books, managing inventory, or tracking sales leads, which is where doubt can creep in.”
Over three decades, MYOB has been a trusted advocate of business across Australia and New Zealand, and now, underpinned by a next-generation technology platform, MYOB’s experience and expertise out to help the next generations of business owners approach their vision with confidence.
In recent years MYOB’s transformation has been significant, undergoing a substantial evolution from accounting software to a business management platform, with a focus on bringing together key workflows through one, flexible platform.
This has been accompanied by the creation a next-generation technology platform offering access to integrated business management solutions, proven to be the most critical for new and growing businesses.
“Our experience with businesses in Australia and New Zealand over many years has allowed us a deep understanding of what matters most. We have built our new business management platform around the critical workflows that support businesses owners as they start up a new enterprise, and anticipate the capabilities they’ll need in the future as they look to grow,“ said Fawcett.
The last 18 months has seen MYOB double-down on this strategy, rapidly expanding the business management platform’s capabilities via several key acquisitions, including onboarding and benefits platform Flare, CRM software Tall Emu, and workforce management solution Nimbus.
Notably, MYOB’s businesses management platform also affords MYOB customers the additional support needed to manage cashflow, one of the fundamental issues impacting businesses at all stages of life. Deep integration with business loan finance provider Valiant, and digital invoice finance solution Butn, provide access instant finance solutions for MYOB customers.
“Great ideas need great support. MYOB’s business management platform brings all key business workflows, from finance and inventory management, to employee onboarding and payroll, into one place, saving time and providing unparalleled visibility so business owners can feel confident about making decisions that will help them unleash their business potential,” said Fawcett.
To find out more about how MYOB is unleashing the potential of Australian business visit: https://www.myob.com/business-management-platform
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For further information please contact:
Jacob Schnackenberg
Alt/Shift•Senior Account Manager
Email: jacob@altshift.com.au
Collette Betts
Corporate Affairs Manager
Email: collette.betts@myob.com
About the MYOB Belief Barometer
The 2023 MYOB Belief Barometer was conducted via online survey by Empirica Research on behalf of MYOB. The survey sampled 1,000 nationally representative Australians from 16 January 2023 to 20 January 2023. Quotas were maintained on region, gender, and age to ensure a robust and diverse cross-section of opinions were obtained. The research has a maximum margin of error of 3%.
About MYOB
MYOB is a leading business platform with a core purpose of helping more businesses in Australia and New Zealand start, survive and succeed. MYOB delivers end-to-end business, financial and accounting solutions direct to businesses employing between 0 and 1000 employees, alongside a network of accountants, bookkeepers and consultants. For more information visit myob.com or follow MYOB on LinkedIn.