National Survey Reveals that Two-thirds of Americans Dream of
Starting a Business and Prefer Oprah as their "Fantasy" Business
Partner
Findings Also Indicate that Access to Financing is the Primary
Deterrent to Pursuing Business Ownership
MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 23, 2007--In advance of
National Small Business Week (April 23 - April 27), a new national
survey confirms the spirit of entrepreneurship is strong among
Americans, as is faith in Oprah Winfrey's business savvy. According to
a study commissioned by the Small Business division at Capital One
Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF), of 66% of respondents who dreamed of
owning their own business, Oprah Winfrey was found to be the most
desirable partner, followed by Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, then U2's
Bono.
The survey also revealed that while "being your own boss" and
"making more money" are very appealing aspects of small-business
ownership, "lack of financing" and "fear of the unknown" prove to be
paralyzing obstacles. Additionally, as indicated by the recent
momentum of the "mompreneur" movement, women are more inclined to
start a business for the benefits afforded by being the boss rather
than simply the financial upside.
"Entrepreneurship is inherently as much an American tradition as
baseball and apple pie. In fact, despite the seemingly large number of
public corporations, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau
statistics, 95% of all businesses in the U.S. are small businesses
with less than ten employees," said David Wasik, Senior Vice
President, Capital One Small Business Solutions. "While being in
business with Oprah is unlikely for most, numerous resources are
available to help convert dreams of business ownership into a reality.
Capital One Small Business Solutions understands the unique needs of
small business owners and offers a full range of products designed to
bring ease and excitement back into an often intimidating start-up
process."
Wasik provides the following suggestions for those individuals
making their first foray into business ownership:
-- Consult a credible financial lender
-- Familiarize yourself with both your personal and business
credit history, since lenders typically underwrite based on
both. If you see errors, contact the credit bureaus to make
sure your credit history is accurate
-- Ensure that you have sufficient capital to both cover
operating expenses for at least six months and build your
business to a sustainable level
-- Contract with reputable vendors and partners. Deals that are
"too good to be true" usually are and may cost you more in the
long run
Additional small business tips, including guidance on creating a
business plan and information on business start-up costs, are
available for free online at www.bbb.org/tips (use the site's keyword
search function to find specific topics). For more insight into
building and establishing a business, visit the Capital One Small
Business Resource Center at www.capitalone.com.
About the Survey
The study was conducted for Capital One using ICR's EXCEL
telephone omnibus survey with a nationally representative sample of
1015 US adults age 18 and over between March 15-19th, 2007. The margin
of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence
level. ICR is one of the nation's leading market and opinion research
firms and is headquartered in Media, PA. For more information on this
methodology and ICR please go to: http://www.icrsurvey.com.
About Capital One
Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One Financial
Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company with
more than 720 locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas
and Louisiana, that offers a broad spectrum of financial products and
services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Its
principal subsidiaries, Capital One Bank, Capital One, F.S.B., Capital
One Auto Finance, Inc., Capital One, N.A., and North Fork Bank
collectively had $87.7 billion in deposits and $142.0 billion in
managed loans outstanding as of March 31, 2007. Capital One, a Fortune
500 company, trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol
"COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.
Capital One offers a range of products to meet small business
needs, including small business credit cards, small business loans and
lines of credit, and small business savings accounts. As the largest
issuer of small business Visa credit cards, and the third largest
lender of SBA loans, Capital One provides specialized support designed
to make it easier for small business customers to manage their
finances so that they can focus on what's important to them. Capital
One small business products are available via direct mail,
capitalone.com, phone (800.926.1000) and fax.
CONTACT:
Capital One Financial Corporation, McLean
Stephen Schooff, 972-378-8105
stephen.schooff@capitalone.com
SOURCE:
Capital One Financial Corporation