Private Business Barometer

Can growing confidence, grow value?

Private Business Barometer Pulse
We're pleased to announce the launch of the Summer 2011 edition of the PwC Private Business Barometer Pulse. The PwC Private Business Barometer is prepared annually. Six months later a pulse of the market is taken to highlight trends and movements in business sentiment and performance.

The Private Business Barometer provides the market with detailed insights into the private business community and is a source of reference for private business owners, senior executives, analysts, media and government policy makers.

We see in the results of the Private Business Barometer Pulse that once again, private businesses have been bullish in setting high sales and profit targets. Many of these have achieved them with more than half of businesses meeting or exceeding their revenue targets. Despite this, businesses are not confident. This lack of confidence is driven by uncertainty around external factors that are out of their control, including the domestic and global economy and political stability.

Key findings from Private Business Barometer Pulse

  • Growth – Over half of private businesses exceeded or met their revenue targets. Despite this, businesses are not confident. This lack of confidence is driven by uncertainty around external factors that are out of their control, including the domestic and global economy and political stability.

  • People – The number of private businesses intending to hire new staff within the next six months remains consistent with the May 2011 edition of the Private Business Barometer, with 57 per cent stating they intend to hire new staff.

  • Funding – More than half of private businesses reported no major business plans on the horizon.

  • Business Operations – Private businesses reported that growth is the number one challenge followed by business operations, people and funding.
If you would like to find out more about what private businesses are experiencing and their potential impact on your business, please call Gregory Will on 02 8266 3344.

Key findings from Private Business Barometer IX, May 2011

Private Business Barometer
  • People challenges – Private businesses again highlighted their concerns in the area of the attraction and retention of talent.

  • Business planning – Private businesses are reviewing their plans more frequently.

  • Revenue – Three in five private businesses exceeded or met their revenue targets for the past financial year. More than 50 per cent of these businesses attributed commitment to their strategy as the reason for their success.

  • Growth – Private businesses have realised that they cannot rely purely on organic growth as their sole growth strategy. Two in five private businesses are planning to expand into new product markets and 29 per cent indicated they plan to expand into new geographic markets within Australia.

  • Funding – Continues to be a challenge for private businesses. Private businesses are moving away from self-funding their investments and have a renewed appetite for borrowing from banks.

  • Competitive pricing – Behind people, their second greatest challenge was competitive pricing and its effect on margins.
If you would like to find out more about what private businesses are experiencing and their potential impact on your business, please call Gregory Will on 02 8266 3344.

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