Sales growth is top challenge for business leaders in 2011

3/31/2011

With the economy on the mend, consumers are loosening their purse strings and spending more money. Taking advantage of this trend and boosting sales will be one of small business owners' greatest challenges in 2011, according to a new survey conducted by Hatsize.

Nearly half of respondents (42 percent) said that sales growth will be the biggest obstacle they need to overcome to achieve success. Other challenges include differentiating themselves from competitors and cutting costs while remaining competitive.

To address these concerns, many business leaders plan to turn to the cloud.

"Hatsize conducted this anonymous survey to provide more concrete information about business users' plans and budgets for cloud automation," said Sue Miller, Hatsize CEO. "The high percentage of respondents that indicated they have budgets in 2011 for cloud-enabled demos, proofs of concept, training and product launches is a very strong indicator of the immediate potential of this vibrant, emerging business."

If sales are an issue, entrepreneurs should consider investing more of their budget into marketing. Small business owners can generate additional funds from commercial loans to cover the extra expenses.