Hispanic Study Lists Top Business Concerns
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Salt River Project and the Arizona State University Hispanic Research Center,
October 2006
Rising fuel costs, deciding how to grow a business, taxes and access to capital are among the most significant challenges facing Hispanic-owned businesses, according to an Arizona State University study. Also, most Hispanic-owned businesses also know about minority- and small-business organizations, but few are members of them.
Those are some of the findings in second annual Arizona Hispanic Business Study, a joint effort by the ASU's Hispanic Research Center and the Salt River Project, which provides water and power in the Phoenix area. The study, conducted this summer by Phoenix-based WestGroup Research, was based on a random sampling of Hispanic-owned businesses through telephone interviews with 544 Hispanic business owners across Arizona, including 116 from Pima County.
Approximately one-third of business owners surveyed experienced some type of discrimination because they were Hispanic or female, according to the study. Discrimination came in the form of having trouble finding a loan, being talked "down to" by a supplier or not having phone calls returned.
Among the smallest concerns of survey respondents were gaining credibility in the community, overcoming negative perceptions of being a Hispanic-owned business and negotiating with suppliers and customers.
Among other findings:
