Small business constraints: The influence of time

Abstract

The objective of this article was to determine whether the number of years in business influences the constraints experienced by small businesses in the City of Tshwane. A total of 270 questionnaires were distributed and 249 were returned. Data were collected and analyzed using the mean and standard deviation for the descriptive statistics and Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the reliability of the questions. The findings showed that a lack of financial support is the highest-rated constraint faced by small businesses, followed by high transport costs, high input costs, a lack of business information sources, and intensive competition. Furthermore, there is an inverse relationship between the number of years in business and operational costs; and on the contrary, a positive correlation exists between the number of years and operational costs.