Library

Home > Library > The happy story of small business finance

The happy story of small business finance

Author Andy Yeh Alpha

This research article empirically tests the financial contentment hypothesis for small business owners in both America and Britain.

Description:

We empirically examine the American and British survey datasets for about 16,000 privately held small businesses. The financial behavior of private firms demonstrates substantial financial contentment. We find fewer than 10% of the British firms seek rapid firm expansion while only 1.32% of American private firms view a lack of capital other than working capital as a major financial problem. Financial performance indicators such as sales growth, return-on-assets, and net profit margin are insignificant determinants of small business finance. This evidence contradicts the conventional financial lifecycle paradigm of Berger and Udell (1995, 1998, 2002). Younger and less educated private-firm owners more actively use external finance even though more education reduces the fear of bank loan denial, whereas, older and wiser small business owners with better education are less likely to tap into external finance.

 

Our financial contentment hypothesis for privately held firms also extends to small businesses that seek rapid firm expansion. These high-growth firms participate more in the bank loan markets than low-growth firms. In stark contrast to the financing-gap hypothesis of Berger and Udell (1995, 1997, 2002), our financial contentment hypothesis observes the importance of both social networks and connections for small business finance and in turn confirms the empirical nexus between private owner involvement and sustainable growth. In this light, small private firms serve as a robust investment vehicle for long-term sustainable development.

 

Overall, our empirical evidence sheds skeptical light on the theoretical plausibility of the agency lifecycle prediction that the vast majority of private firms suffer from severe financial constraints or financing gaps (Jensen and Meckling, 1976; Jensen, 1986; Stulz, 1990; Lang, Stulz, and Walking, 1991; Berger and Udell, 1995, 1998, 2002; Ang, Cole, and Lin, 2000; Bitler, Moskowitz, and Vissing-Jorgensen, 2005). The preponderance of our empirical results proposes a case for an alternative theory of corporate finance for privately held firms that differ from publicly traded corporations in many fundamental ways. This proposal calls for a paradigm shift in rethinking about the conventional wisdom that private firms cannot grow as fast as their public counterparts due to a lack of reasonable access to external capital.

 

Blog+More

Peter Schuck analyzes U.S. government failures and structural problems in light of both institutions and incentives.

Dan Rochefort

2023-04-28 16:38:00 Friday ET

Peter Schuck analyzes U.S. government failures and structural problems in light of both institutions and incentives.

Peter Schuck analyzes U.S. government failures and structural problems in light of both institutions and incentives. Peter Schuck (2015)   Why

+See More

Climate change and ESG woke capitalism

Dan Rochefort

2022-11-30 09:26:00 Wednesday ET

Climate change and ESG woke capitalism

Climate change and ESG woke capitalism In recent times, the Biden administration has signed into law a $375 billion program to better balance the economi

+See More

President Trump supports a bipartisan bill or the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act.

Charlene Vos

2018-07-21 13:35:00 Saturday ET

President Trump supports a bipartisan bill or the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act.

President Trump supports a bipartisan bill or the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA), which effectively broadens the jurisdiction of

+See More

Warren Buffett points out that many people misunderstand his stock investment method in several ways.

Jonah Whanau

2017-06-21 05:36:00 Wednesday ET

Warren Buffett points out that many people misunderstand his stock investment method in several ways.

In his latest Berkshire Hathaway annual letter to shareholders, Warren Buffett points out that many people misunderstand his stock investment method in seve

+See More

Apple revises down its global sales revenue estimate to $83 billion due to subpar smartphone sales in China.

James Campbell

2019-01-09 07:33:00 Wednesday ET

Apple revises down its global sales revenue estimate to $83 billion due to subpar smartphone sales in China.

Apple revises down its global sales revenue estimate to $83 billion due to subpar smartphone sales in China. Apple CEO Tim Cook points out the fact that he

+See More

Carol Dweck describes, discusses, and delves into the scientific reasons why the growth mindset often helps motivate individuals, teams, and managers to accomplish more with greater grit, focus, and resilience.

Dan Rochefort

2025-05-21 04:27:10 Wednesday ET

Carol Dweck describes, discusses, and delves into the scientific reasons why the growth mindset often helps motivate individuals, teams, and managers to accomplish more with greater grit, focus, and resilience.

Carol Dweck describes, discusses, and delves into the scientific reasons why the growth mindset often helps motivate individuals, teams, and managers to acc

+See More