Be a part of research that can make a difference for small business owners across the country.
Earn up to $150 dollars for sharing your perspective as a small business owner. We want to understand the experience of entrepreneurs as it relates to their well-being and psychological resilience.
Small Business
Growth and
Well-being Study
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstone of our communities.”
—BARACK OBAMA
Our goal is to recruit 250 small business owners representing diverse industries, business sizes, and demographic backgrounds to participate in this study.
Your perspective as a small business owner will make a valuable contribution to research that can have an impact on the support and resources available to small businesses.
Eligible Participants
Currently running a small business with less than 500 employees
Available to take a 10 minute quarterly survey
18+ years old
Compensation
Participants will be compensated with a Visa gift card for each survey they complete
The compensation amount will increase after each survey completed over the course of two years (ex. first survey = $10, second survey = $15, etc.)
Early access to reports and insights about entrepreneurs and small business support created by the research team
Privacy and Data Security
All data collected will be anonymized and stored on secure, private servers
About
To strengthen the sustainability and success of small business borrowers who have received loans from community banks by developing and implementing a framework of post-loan support and resources grounded in borrower resilience, informed by predictive analytics, and delivered through the relationship-based banking model.
This project is inspired by discussions around the need to move beyond traditional financial metrics in assessing borrower strength and to leverage the unique advantages
Beyond the Loan: A Data Informed Model to Strengthen Small Business Borrower Resilience Through Community Bank Post-Loan Support and Resources
Our Partners
Our Research Team
Driehaus College of Business
Department of Management and Entrepreneurship
Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
School of Computing
of community banks in serving small businesses. Drawing inspiration from Aon’s Human Sustainability Index (HSI), this initiative aims to identify key indicators of small business borrower resilience that contribute to successful business outcomes, particularly in the post-loan period. Recognizing that community banks excel at relationship-based banking, this project seeks to integrate data-driven insights with personalized support to foster borrower success and strengthen the bank-borrower relationship.
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Sociology, Critical Ethnic Studies
Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
School of Design
News + Links
Underdog Entrepreneurs Need More Than Capital to Grow
New insights from James Bort (DePaul University), Marianne Markowitz (First Women's Bank), and Justin Corey (Aon NFP) explore how community banks can become true ecosystem partners by providing critical resources alongside capital.
If you have questions or would like to learn more about this study, please contact James Bort, Assistant Professor in the Management & Entrepreneurship Department at DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business