The Anatomy of the Australian Entrepreneur: Understanding Micro, Small and Medium Business Entrepreneurs in Australia

This report is the result of research into how Indigenous and non-Indigenous owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) perform.1 It takes as a starting point the potential role small business could play in improving Indigenous people’s participation in the economy, recognising that this has a direct impact on Indigenous people’s wellbeing.

After reviewing the literature to reach an acceptable definition of small business, the report makes a case for a comparative study of Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses. It presents an overview of enterprises participating in the study: their location, size, type of activity and status (Indigenous or non-Indigenous), number of years in operation and structure.

It profiles business owner managers and managers, examining formal and informal business training, previous experience in business and membership of associations or networks. The report then moves into a study of motivations for starting up a business, revealing the priorities of Indigenous and non- Indigenous entrepreneurs and analysing how businesses were originally financed.