Nevada Small Business Development Center Launches 2025 Small Business Challenges Survey

Strategic Insights -

The University of Nevada, Reno's Nevada Small Business Development Center (Nevada SBDC) has opened the 2025 Small Business Challenges Survey, inviting entrepreneurs and small business owners across the state to share their pressing challenges. The survey aims to gather anonymous input from business owners, startups, and solo entrepreneurs, representing over 98% of all Nevada businesses. The insights gathered will help inform local, regional, and statewide business support programs, including technical assistance, access to capital, and entrepreneurial training. The survey is the fourth iteration of the annual survey, which has provided valuable data to partners and policymakers since 2022.

Key Takeaways:

  • The 2025 Small Business Challenges Survey will gather anonymous input from over 98% of Nevada businesses, representing a significant cross-section of the state's business community.
  • The survey will help inform local, regional, and statewide business support programs, including technical assistance, access to capital, and entrepreneurial training.
  • In the 2024 survey, existing business owners faced growing concerns around finding new customers (47%), adapting to inflation (35%), managing growth (31%), and access to funding (25%).
  • For startup entrepreneurs, funding remained the top challenge (70%), followed by regulatory compliance (28%), marketing strategy (27%), navigating licensing requirements (23%), and business feasibility (22%).
  • The survey data continues to support statewide initiatives, such as the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), a technical assistance program designed to help small businesses access capital.
  • In September 2024, Nevada was one of only 12 states awarded $4.2 million through the Small Business Opportunity (SBOP) grant, further strengthening the state's SSBCI Technical Assistance services.
  • The survey is the fourth iteration of the annual survey, which has provided valuable data to partners and policymakers since 2022.
  • Winnie Dowling, state director of the Nevada SBDC, noted that last year's data showed a shift in concern toward customer acquisition, even as inflation remained a core issue.
  • Greg Mosier, dean of the College of Business, stated that understanding challenges in Nevada's business community helps the SBDC refine its programs and support economic growth and vitality.

Statistics:

  • The survey will be open from July 14 through August 31, 2025.
  • The survey represents over 98% of all Nevada businesses.
  • The survey will gather input from business owners, startups, and solo entrepreneurs.
  • Existing business owners in the 2024 survey cited finding new customers (47%) as their top challenge.
  • 70% of startup entrepreneurs in the 2024 survey cited funding as their top challenge.
  • Nevada was one of only 12 states awarded $4.2 million through the Small Business Opportunity (SBOP) grant in September 2024.
  • The survey is the fourth iteration of the annual survey, which has provided valuable data to partners and policymakers since 2022.

Sources:

  • "Nevada Small Business Development Center Launches 2025 Small Business Challenges Survey" (University of Nevada, Reno, 2025)
  • "2024 Small Business Challenges Survey" (Nevada SBDC, 2024)
  • "Nevada State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)" (Governor's Office of Economic Development, 2024)
  • "Small Business Opportunity (SBOP) Grant" (Governor's Office of Economic Development, 2024)
  • "Nevada SBDC: 2023 Survey Results" (Nevada SBDC, 2023)