According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 12.3% of the U.S. population was actively engaged in starting or running a new business in 2011, a staggering 60% increase from 2010.
The annual report defines new businesses as ventures less than three-and-a-half years old.
An increase in start-up activity is a good sign for the overall national economy because it will lead to more employment opportunities in the near future, says Donna Kelley, the report’s lead author and an associate professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. “It’s indicating that we’re seeing a recovery,” she says.
The report, based on a combination of survey results and population data, shows that more than half of U.S. early-stage entrepreneurs—59%—expect to create up to four jobs within the next five years. Another 27% plan to create between five and 19 jobs and 14% plan to create 20 or more jobs during that period.
Full Article Here: WSG.COM
