Small business concept

Small business includes activities carried out by business entities that are defined by the state as small business enterprises in accordance with the conditions established by current legislation.

Federal Law No. 209-FZ dated July 24, 2007 “On the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation” (as amended on July 26, 2017) contains conditions, the fulfillment of which means classifying an enterprise as a small business. According to Article 4 of this law, criteria are established for the average number of personnel, the amount of income and special requirements.

From the point of view of the content and specifics of small business, this form of economic relations means working in conditions of complete independence, property responsibility, risk, and the entrepreneur is the sole owner of his enterprise. Small businesses are often characterized by full involvement in the business of both the entrepreneur himself and his family members, the so-called “family business.”

Small enterprises are simultaneously employers, producers of products, services, works, catalysts of scientific and technological progress, taxpayers, and economic agents. Which together determines their role in the economy.

Criteria for small businesses

Federal Law of July 24, 2007 No. 209-FZ “On the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation” (as amended on July 26, 2017) in Art. 4 contains the following criteria for classifying enterprises as small businesses.

The role of small business in the economy

The role of small business is manifested at the macro and micro levels of the economy, as well as socially.

Small business in Russia

From the point of view of the meaningful role of small business in the economy of the Russian Federation, changing economic conditions require that this sector of the national economic system enter a path of sustainable growth. Small businesses are receiving increased attention from the state: in recent years, the registration procedure for new enterprises and individual entrepreneurs has been significantly simplified, including the possibility of electronic business registration, programs to support small businesses in targeted and priority industries and areas of activity are being implemented, administrative barriers, inspections, etc. have been reduced. d.

In recent years, bureaucratic operations in government agencies for small businesses have become shorter than in financial institutions.

At the same time, small businesses should occupy more serious positions in the structure of the Russian economy, improving macroeconomic indicators. Accordingly, in this area, continued implementation of state policy to stimulate the development of small businesses is required. Today the state is faced with the task of developing production and supporting small businesses. Small businesses should not be concentrated in only large cities of the country.

Problems and prospects of small business in Russia

Small businesses currently require a transition to a qualitatively new state and a search for new growth points, which is due to the rapid development of information technology, the policy of import substitution, and the government’s policy towards building a digital economy.

The existing prerequisites at the moment have a positive impact on small businesses in the main production areas, this applies, first of all, to enterprises engaged in the production of Russian goods for the population, as well as the provision of services and performance of work.

At the same time, it would be naive to believe that small business can become the basis of the country’s economy: that’s why it is small so that its contribution to the economy is small enough. For large enterprises, small businesses can serve as a connecting link, and for the population - as a function of expanding the range of goods, services, and works. The industries and areas of activity in which small businesses can play a key role are determined by traditional areas for this sector: production of consumer goods, services, trade, public catering, food industry.

Problems of small business in Russia determined by factors that complicate its development:

• the presence of inconsistencies in the regulatory and legal support for the activities of small businesses;
• difficulties in accessing financial, property and information resources;
• the weak role of entrepreneurs' associations in the development of small businesses in general;
• low degree of socio-economic and organizational differentiation among small enterprises (creation of standard enterprises producing standard products and services);
• lack of a comprehensive system for training entrepreneurs in educational institutions, in particular, in certain areas of management, finance, legal support, production organization, business ethics, pricing, marketing, etc.
• as a result, novice entrepreneurs have a low level of financial and legal literacy, difficulties in organizing management and production, which leads to big problems in business, a slowdown in the development of a small enterprise, even to ruin.

The solution to these problems is facilitated by the state policy of supporting small businesses and stimulating their development. The state policy for supporting small businesses includes the following areas: regulatory, financial and credit, information and technical, organizational, personnel and consulting support; foreign economic activity is highlighted as a separate area.

Prospects for small business in Russia related to the following areas:

1. Organization of new projects and small enterprises for the production of industrial and agricultural products in the context of the implementation of the import substitution policy in Russia.
2. Creation of innovative small enterprises focused on IT technologies, implementation of information technologies and developments.
3. Continued implementation of plans to support small businesses from the state.
4. Implementation of the target principle of promoting small businesses, focused on the export of products, innovation, the social sphere, and high-tech products.
5. Tax benefits for newly created small businesses.
6. Elimination of administrative barriers, reduction in the number of inspections by regulatory authorities, facilitating the work of small enterprises in organizational and managerial terms.

Specific directions for realizing the prospects of small business in modern conditions in Russia:

• combining several areas and types of activities within one small enterprise;
• use of the innovative potential of the enterprise, owner and employees, use of the high professional level, education and qualifications of managers of small enterprises;
• adaptation of small enterprises to a difficult economic situation in a short time in the absence of complete and reliable information about the dynamics of market conditions;
• development of cooperation with large enterprises, various options for performing individual work to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of large industry;
• development of cooperation with other small and medium-sized enterprises.

conclusions

The advantages of small business in Russia are determined by the mobility of small enterprises, deepening specialization, and cooperation of business entities. This helps to increase the efficiency of small businesses, since they are able not only to quickly fill niches emerging in the consumer sphere, but also to pay for themselves relatively quickly.

Small enterprises have a fairly prominent position in providing employment, producing certain categories of goods, carrying out research, scientific, production and applied developments, as well as their implementation in economic practice.

For Russia, it remains relevant to continue the implementation of state policy aimed at expanding and developing enterprises in the field of small business in the economy of our country.

Socially, small business, being an integral part of the country’s socio-economic system, draws a significant part of citizens into the sphere of small business by opening their own business, ensuring sufficient production efficiency through specialization and cooperation of production. Accordingly, the development of small business is one of the main objectives of the economic policy of the Russian Federation.

Literature

1. Federal Law of July 24, 2007 No. 209-FZ “On the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation” (as amended on July 26, 2017)
2. Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 04.04.2016 N 265 "On the maximum values ​​of income received from business activities for each category of small and medium-sized businesses."

Small businesses - small companies and private entrepreneurs - face a number of problems that are typical only for this segment of the economy.

Since the small business sector is involved in creating new jobs, creating a healthy competitive environment, generating income for the state budget and fulfilling the needs of the regional market.

Current problems of small business

In 2017, the share of small businesses in Russia's GDP was less than 20%. While in the USA this figure is 53%, in Canada - 43%, in the UK - 40%. It follows from this that Russia does not have the most favorable conditions for individual entrepreneurs and companies where the number of employees does not exceed 100 people.

This situation is due to a number of problems:

• imperfection of the legislative framework (unprotected position of individual entrepreneurs, constant changes in economic and tax legislation);
• shortage of start-up and working capital (complicated subsidizing process, low percentage of approval of applications for small business loans by commercial banks);
• shortage of commercial premises (small number of proposals for renting production space coupled with its high cost);
• lack of access to federal and municipal orders (small businesses are unable to compete with large businesses);
• monopolization of certain segments of the domestic market;
• low level of income of the population (the target audience of small businesses - the population of the lower and middle class - is not able to pay for goods/services at a cost that covers the costs of the entrepreneur).

Despite the fact that federal programs for small business development are updated annually, entrepreneurs are skeptical about them. Most problems never find their solution.

Hidden problems

In addition to the obvious difficulties in the small business segment, there are several hidden problems that hinder its development. They can be classified as social. The most acute ones include the incompetence of entrepreneurs and the negative image of small businesses among the population.

In domestic universities, specialties in the basics of entrepreneurship appeared only in the early 2000s. Before this, novice businessmen, when organizing their business, were guided only by their entrepreneurial instinct. But even without talent, you can learn anything. Therefore, with the development of the educational base and the assistance of the authorities in solving key problems of entrepreneurship, we can count on an increase in the share of small businesses in the country’s GDP.

Due to the fact that during the Soviet era, entrepreneurial activity was called “speculation” and was subject to criminal liability, it acquired a bad reputation. Small business was strictly limited by the authorities, who dictated working conditions. And, despite the fact that the situation has changed in the post-Soviet period, there is still a stereotype among the older generation that entrepreneurs steal or profit from “ordinary people.” It is quite problematic to fight existing stereotypes, which necessitates the formation of a new positive image among the younger generation.

Rabtsevich Andrey Alexandrovich

Assistant, Department of Sociology of Labor and Economics of Entrepreneurship, Bashkir State University, Ufa, Russian Federation

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of the problems of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation. A definition of entrepreneurship is given, its essence and value as an economic phenomenon are considered. The main part is devoted to the problems existing in small and medium-sized businesses, and some recommendations for solving them are also given.

Key words: small and medium businesses, taxes, corruption, administrative barriers

The problems of small and medium-sized businesses in Russia

Pestova Regina Georgievna

Institute of Economics, Finance and Business, Bashkir State University Ufa, Russia

Rabtsevich Andrey Aleksandrovich

Assistant of the Department of Sociology of Labor and Business Economics Bashkir State University, Ufa , Russian Federation

Abstract: The article investigates the problems of small and medium business in the Russian Federation. The essence and value of entrepreneurship as an economic phenomenon considered. The main part of the article focuses on the issues of the small and medium business, some recommendations for their solution also described.

Keywords: small and medium businesses, taxes, corruption, administrative barriers

According to the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, entrepreneurship is defined as “independent activity carried out at one’s own risk, aimed at systematically obtaining profit from the use of property, sale of goods, performance of work or provision of services by persons registered in this capacity in the manner prescribed by law.” In this definition we see specific features that characterize an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is aimed at making a profit, but this activity is associated with certain risks. Entrepreneurs are mostly innovators, proactive and active people. This is a kind of innovation in social production. “Innovations are included in the process of social production through the labor activity of workers with a qualitatively new use value of labor power.” Entrepreneurship is capable of solving many problems: production of goods, services, introduction of new technologies, “production” of jobs, social activity.

Entrepreneurship is usually divided into large, medium and small businesses. The criteria for classification as a particular species are determined by Federal Law No. 209 dated July 24, 2007 and Government Decree of the Russian Federation dated February 9, 2013 No. 101.

The criteria also include the share of participation of other persons in the authorized capital of the organization.

“According to statistical observations in Russia, the overwhelming majority of the market is occupied by micro-enterprises (85.9%). The revenue of micro-enterprises accounts for 43% of the entire SME sector."

In this article we will look at small and medium-sized businesses, because... The contribution of small and medium-sized businesses to the economy of most countries is about 20-40% of GDP, and now it is the most actively developing, progressive part of the market economy. Also, entrepreneurship is now actively supported by the state, providing benefits, subsidies and other types of support. Despite all this, small and medium-sized businesses have accumulated enough problems that need to be solved.

Today, entrepreneurship is largely assessed by quantitative indicators, leaving out qualitative indicators. But it is a qualitative assessment that allows us to identify the connection between entrepreneurship and society. For example, entrepreneurship introduces new technologies, creates new products, resulting in:

Labor productivity increases;

Cheap high quality products are sold on the market

For a qualitative assessment, it is necessary to study such indicators as capital productivity, fixed assets renewal rates, the ratio of the cost of enterprise equipment, etc. It is also necessary to rely on labor productivity. To draw up a qualitative definition of a small enterprise, it is necessary to identify the main characteristic features of its activities and development. This approach is of great interest, since it considers a small enterprise not as a reduced model of a large enterprise, but as an enterprise that carries out its activities with the following specific features: a high degree of uncertainty; constant development and adaptation to new conditions; higher need for innovation.

The next problem: most small and medium-sized enterprises are enterprises engaged in trading and catering activities. It is necessary to increase the share of enterprises serving science and engaged in science. They are the ones who are able to bring a large amount of investment to the budget and this is the most promising area of ​​entrepreneurial activity in the age of information, computer technologies and scientific and technological progress.

The next problem of small and medium-sized businesses is already inherent in the definition of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship always involves risks that cannot always be predicted. Due to the risk, enterprises cannot survive in the market and many of them cease to exist. But the more initial capital invested in an enterprise, the higher its chances of surviving the competition. The next big problem arises: lack of investment resources, unavailability of loans. When issuing loans, banks must be sure that the enterprise will be solvent; they need a well-thought-out business plan, which will largely depend on what knowledge the future entrepreneur has, how realistically he assesses his capabilities, etc. An entrepreneur must have a good credit history and “quality” collateral. Therefore, banks rarely lend to start-up businesses.

The next problem for small businesses: high taxes and fees. Depending on the type of taxation (traditional taxation system, simplified system), an entrepreneur pays from 6 to 15% of taxes. But there are also mandatory payments to various funds, for example, insurance premiums and business expenses. Therefore, entrepreneurs suffer large financial losses and it becomes unprofitable for them to do business. Let us take as an example a survey presented by Rosstat, where respondents consider high taxation to be the main problem (Fig. 1).

We see that the majority of respondents believe that taxes, corruption, administrative barriers, as well as the inaccessibility of loans are the main problems in the development of entrepreneurship in Russia.

Administrative barriers and corruption are one of the biggest problems hindering the development of small businesses. Administrative barriers should be understood as the presence of numerous by-laws, contradictions between different levels of legislation (federal and regional), a large volume of reporting, a large number of regulatory authorities, etc. We believe that it is necessary to make legislation more “transparent” and open; it is necessary to eliminate contradictions between the federal and regional levels of legislation; inspections carried out by various bodies need to be reduced and made more consistent; It is also necessary to provide entrepreneurs with all the necessary information regarding the requirements of regulatory authorities.

The face of any small enterprise is its leader. It is quite difficult to create a small business, and it is also difficult to manage it, because... it is necessary to solve problems at various levels. Therefore, many enterprises are faced with the problem of incompetent management. Incompetence can be expressed in a lack of knowledge in the field of marketing, finance, management, production, supply, lack of management experience or inability to solve non-standard problems. "Serious investments are needed in the development of human capital in Russia". Therefore, society needs to create a favorable environment for the “education” of a new type of people - people with an “entrepreneurial mindset”, creative, proactive, having the necessary knowledge and skills, adapting to changing conditions, leaders by nature, capable of accepting tasks of a different nature.

Thus, we can highlight the following problems that currently exist in small and medium-sized businesses:

Lack of quality business assessment indicators;

A small proportion of enterprises engaged in science or serving science;

Unavailability of loans;

High taxes;

Administrative barriers and corruption;

Lack of competent personnel.

Solving these problems will help small businesses develop more actively, which means that new goods (works, services) will be created, new jobs will be created, and the country’s economy will develop.

Bibliography:

1. Federal Law “On the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Russian Federation” No. 209-FZ of July 24, 2007

2. Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation “On the maximum values ​​of revenue from the sale of goods (works, services) for each category of small and medium-sized businesses” No. 101 dated February 9, 2013.

3. Vysotskaya O.A. On the criteria for classifying business entities as small and medium-sized businesses // Bulletin of the Samara Humanitarian Academy. Series "Law". - 2012. - No. 2(12). - p.94-96.

4. Rabtsevich A.A.. Innovative orientation of the labor market in the economic development of the region // News of the Irkutsk State Economic Academy. - 2014. - No. 4. - p.262-265.

5. Khasanova G.A., Rabtsevich A.A. Problems of human capital development in Russia // International scientific research journal. - 2013. - No. 5-2(12). - p.70-71.

6. Continuous federal statistical observation of the activities of small and medium-sized businesses in 2011 [Electronic resource] // Website of the Federal State Statistics Service. URL: gks.ru (accessed 10/12/2014)

7. Dunaeva A.I., Udachin N.O.. – 2014. – No. 3(03-2014) / [Electronic resource] – Access mode. – URL: http://site/3/1277/

2014 Pestova R.G., Rabtsevich A.A.

In Russia in recent years, one of the most pressing problems is the activation of small businesses, which attracts the attention of both academic analysts and ordinary citizens. Small business is the leading sector of the economy, which determines the structure of GNP, as well as the rate of economic growth. A large number of business organizations operating in the economic environment is a necessary factor for the effective operation of the market. Creating favorable conditions for creating small businesses and its development gives the population the opportunity to receive income and the state - taxes.

In the economic economy of each country, entrepreneurship is given special importance. This type of activity affects both overall economic growth and, to some extent, helps the state solve certain social problems.

Compared to large-scale production, the development of small business has a number of positive features: it structurally restructures the economy; provides additional jobs; quickly responds to changes in consumer demand; fairly quick return on costs; freedom of choice in the market. Small business helps to avoid territorial monopoly, increase competition and increase market saturation with goods and services. This type of business has great opportunities in the field of employment of the population, and also has the opportunity to involve “work reserves” that cannot be used by large types of business due to its characteristics. These are disabled people, students, schoolchildren, pensioners who can work after their main occupations to earn additional income.

All this makes small business an important component in the development of the economy of any state. In Russia, this sector of the economy still experiences quite a lot of difficulties and problems. As the President of the Russian Federation noted at the Meeting of the State Council for the Development of Small and Medium Business on April 7, 2015, small and medium-sized businesses are still developing slowly. Its contribution to the country's GDP does not exceed 21 percent, while in other countries with developed economies the share is 50 percent or more.

Small business is highly dependent on the external environment and has a number of factors of a general economic and organizational nature that hinder its development.

Firstly, to open your own business you need start-up capital, so one of the pressing problems is the problem of financing and lending. If we evaluate expert data, then only 30% of entrepreneurs who need a loan received it, and if we consider microloans, which are given in the amount of up to 300 thousand rubles, then only 10% are approved. However, even if the loan was obtained, the entrepreneur constantly feels indebted to the bank due to high interest rates. But today we can talk about the advantages that occur as the small business lending sector develops. Banks, accumulating experience in this area, are already more accurately assessing the degree of risks and are trying to soften lending procedures, reducing interest rates and loan repayment terms.

Secondly, another problem that entrepreneurs still face is constant supervision by state regulatory authorities: trade inspection, labor inspection, tax inspection, police, standardization, certification and metrology bodies, licensing authorities, sanitary supervision and many others.

Table 1

Small business loan portfolio volume

Moreover, some of the fines that are imposed by these government bodies are so large that they are unaffordable for the entrepreneur and have numerous negative consequences, including the closure of the enterprise itself. After all, it is almost impossible to avoid all the violations prescribed in the rules and regulations in real life. For now, the only way out of this situation can only be for the entrepreneur to know all his responsibilities and standards for conducting inspections by each of the government bodies.

Thirdly, the next problem, which also greatly limits the opportunities of entrepreneurs, is the high tax burden. Despite the fact that a simplified taxation system was introduced not so long ago, this did not make things any easier for entrepreneurs. Although the organization is exempt from a number of taxes, such as VAT, on profits and property, restrictions are also imposed: a ban on engaging in certain types of activities; restrictions on the number of employees; ban on opening branches. All this greatly reduces the opportunities for business expansion. Therefore, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are abandoning this type of activity.

Another obstacle standing in the way of providing assistance to small businesses is the lack of a unified infrastructure that would ensure the activities of these enterprises. At the moment, large enterprises have the opportunity to create their own infrastructure (centers, legal departments, etc.), but small enterprises cannot. Therefore, in order for them to compete with larger organizations and not get into difficult situations, the manager of a small business should have the opportunity to consult with a qualified lawyer, carry out various studies in the field of economics and business, and also sell their goods through a general distribution network. For this purpose, there is a support infrastructure that helps entrepreneurs on various issues of interest on accessible terms. However, the activities of this organization practically do not generate profit, therefore, in order to provide competent, qualified assistance, it needs state support, as well as the support of regional and local authorities. Therefore, another task can be identified - the creation of a unified infrastructure to support small businesses in the region and locally. A feature of this type of entrepreneurship is that it requires an infrastructure aimed at supporting it (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Scheme of the functioning of the small business support system.

Another problem facing small businesses is the lack of qualified personnel. In competitive conditions, specialists with a high level of knowledge are acquired by large companies that can offer more favorable conditions in the form of higher salaries and social packages. Since all organizations operate in a dynamic environment in which information changes quite often, the entrepreneur himself needs to monitor changes in his work area and be able to competently organize the work process. To do this, it is necessary to improve the skills of not only employees, but also your own. Therefore, this problem is relevant for all organizations. You can also increase the level of knowledge of your specialists by conducting trainings, consulting services, as well as distance learning.

The state, taking into account all aspects related to running a small business, has taken a number of measures to develop this type of entrepreneurship:

• in the field of control over the conduct of small businesses, a restriction has been established in terms of inspections for a period of 3 years, which is one of the most promising prospects. Those. a Unified Register of Inspections has been introduced, which will be carried out once every 3 years, and the plan will be posted on the Internet website;
• Reliefs have been introduced in the field of taxes. Starting from 2015-2020 “tax holidays” may be introduced for individual entrepreneurs, and in the period 2015-2018, by government decision, tax collection and accounting measures should not change;
• fines have also been reduced, which has a beneficial effect on entrepreneurs;
• creation on the basis of the MFC since 2016 of a unified consulting base for small and medium-sized enterprises.

For business development, in addition to government programs and services, there are other approaches in the form of seminars, forums, methodological programs, etc.

Even in the current conditions with reduced purchasing power and sanctions bans, there are opportunities to develop your business and realize your plans for the enterprise. It is necessary to implement export and import substitution programs, which will allow us to make forecasts for future business development.

However, despite the current conditions with Western countries, Russia has still improved its position in creating favorable conditions for doing business (Fig. 2), (Table 2).

table 2

Indicators of the degree of favorable conditions for doing business

In many ways, it is government policy that influences the activities of small and medium-sized enterprises. An important step by the state in the field of supporting small businesses is the adoption of the “Long-term strategy for the development of small and medium-sized businesses in Russia until 2030.” This program is aimed at ensuring transparency of market relations, including the conduct of business itself, reducing the barriers facing entrepreneurs, and ensuring stable rules of the “market game”.

According to the plan, the implementation of this strategy will take place in three stages. The Federal Corporation was also created to support small and medium-sized businesses. The activities of this organization will be aimed at supporting this type of business, including in the field of investment. Another step forward is the introduction of bans on increasing taxes and contribution rates until 2018. Work is underway to create a unified infrastructure to help entrepreneurs.

Although the Russian economy is now in a difficult situation, there are great prospects for overcoming this situation. And only time will tell us how effective government measures to support small and medium-sized businesses will be in ensuring both quantitative and qualitative growth of this type of business for implementation in the economic space.

Bibliography:

1. Volkova I. A., Popova A. Yu. Modern problems of small and medium-sized businesses in Russia // Concept. – 2016. – Special issue No. 04. – ART76051. –0.6p. l.–URL: http://e-koncept.ru/2016/76051.htm. –ISSN2304-120X (accessed 12/4/16)
2. Korolyuk E.V. Rating analysis of business conditions in Russia // Scientific and methodological electronic journal “Concept”. – 2016. – T. 15. – P. 1451–1455. – URL: http://e-koncept.ru/2016/96208.htm. (date of access 4.12.16)
3. Official website of the President of Russia. Meeting of the State Council on the development of small and medium-sized businesses. April 7, 2015 -URL: http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/49214. (date of access 4.12.16)
4. Rating agency RAEX (Expert RA): Official website [Electronic resource]. Access mode: http://static2.banki.ru/ugc/ad/ad/0e/0e/Kreditovanie_malogo_i_srednego_biznesa_v_Rossii.pdf. (date of access 4.12.16)

Small business is an integral part of large production. It makes it possible to more efficiently use local resources and waste from large enterprises, create new additional jobs, redistribute production costs in a significantly short investment cycle, and has become a reliable source of funds for state extra-budgetary funds and budgets of all levels. It contributes to the formation of a middle class, which acts as a guarantor of political stability in modern society.

At the same time, its development in the country lags far behind the capabilities and needs of our economy. This process is difficult and slow, so small business development indicators still remain low.

The vast majority of small businesses operate today in the field of trade and public catering services. The number of small businesses in the real sector of the economy is minimal, and in the sphere of high-tech industries it is extremely insignificant. The development of small businesses in Russia is hampered by the presence of many unresolved problems related to the instability of general economic and legal conditions, difficulties in attracting investments and credit resources, the lack of coordination and unsystematic nature of the mechanism of state and municipal support, etc. This gives relevance to the scientific analysis of this issue.

Many small businesses lack external financing, with the main obstacle to obtaining a loan being the conditions imposed by banks. One of the problems hindering the development of small businesses, managers of many enterprises and individual entrepreneurs call the lack of credit and financial resources. The banking sector today is more interested in large projects with a quick payback, and the refinancing rate, despite the fact that it has decreased since 2006, remains unattractive for small businesses.

Many banks are overflowing with money and declare the possibility of lending to small businesses, but in practice this does not happen. Making available funds work to establish a small business is extremely difficult for the following reasons:

• - This is the lack of decent loan security for small businesses. It is known that small businesses were created as a result of the private initiative of citizens;
• - high cost of credit resources. In conditions when the real inflation rate is measured at a double-digit figure, production cannot withstand 25 - 30% per annum on credit resources. This interest rate is high even for established businesses (10 times higher than the European mortgage rate, which fluctuates around 2-3% per year);
• - collateral for a loan, which is currently quite difficult to return in accordance with the current legislative framework and the conditions for passing cases in arbitration courts.

However, despite the risks, small businesses should eventually become and are already becoming desirable clients for banks. They are one of the most disciplined borrowers.

Another thing is alarming: Russian entrepreneurs are in no hurry to apply for borrowed money. Many of them complain not only about high interest rates, even for small amounts, plus difficulties with collateral. Entrepreneurs do not risk pledging personal property - cars and apartments - explaining this by the unpredictability of life.

Individual entrepreneurs who periodically take out loans also complain about difficulties. Their arguments are simple: a businessman in Russia can earn on average from 5 to 15% per annum in foreign currency, and interest rates on loans in foreign currency are not lower than 14 - 15% plus taxes and rent. In addition, loans from Russian banks are issued for a short period of time, during which it is difficult to do anything, and you have to refinance.

Most entrepreneurs often get by with their own funds; it is profitable to take out a loan when there are many investment plans and opportunities. In addition, banks give money to enterprises that have a constant stable turnover, and this must be demonstrated. The bank needs good indicators, and small businesses are often forced to hide income, and for this reason the bank is in no hurry to provide a loan. Numerous taxes and duties often leave entrepreneurs with 5-10% of profits. As a result, small enterprises are on the brink of bankruptcy, regardless of their national economic significance.

The next problem is the imperfection of the regulatory framework, and as a result, “paperwork” associated with both the registration of a new enterprise and the provision of reporting. Numerous checks and problems of coordination with all government authorities require a lot of money and time from entrepreneurs. As a result, the resulting product is “golden” at cost. For comparison, if in 2006 “non-production costs” of businessmen amounted to 8.8% among other expenses, now it is 9.6%, and 70% of this amount is bribes.

The greatest negative impact on small businesses in Russia in the coming year was the increase in insurance premiums to 34% (for some categories of enterprises - up to 26%). An increase in insurance premiums can lead to a several-fold increase in the load on the wage fund at enterprises with a higher share of wages in the cost structure, primarily at enterprises in more “advanced” technological industries - and, as a consequence, to the departure of many enterprises from the market. In addition, the proposed tax reform implies the emergence of additional control bodies - extra-budgetary funds. These bodies will be vested with the powers of tax authorities: carrying out inspections, suspending transactions on bank accounts, extrajudicial collection of payments and a number of others. In addition to tax inspectorates, the right to inspect enterprises will be given to the bodies of the Russian Pension Fund, the Social Insurance Fund and federal and territorial health insurance funds, which looks extremely contradictory in the context of repeated statements about the need to limit interference in business activities. Against the backdrop of statements about the need to reduce the number of regulatory agencies, a reform is proposed to increase their number several times.

The next problem is administrative barriers, the number of which is gradually decreasing, but their system remains unstable and therefore takes a lot of effort and time (a third of entrepreneurs still assess the level of administrative barriers as quite high). Example: it takes up to 1.5 months to organize a visit by a representative of the SES to obtain approval for the creation of production in the Moscow region. Moreover, this is provided that you yourself have already prepared all the necessary draft documents, and there are dozens of similar regulatory organizations.

A lot of dissatisfaction is expressed when assessing customs procedures. The negative assessment of tax authorities is decreasing. A third of entrepreneurs still suffer from inspections by sanitary and fire services. It is interesting that business in the regions more often suffers from law enforcement agencies than from criminal structures.

The costs of overcoming administrative barriers often exceed many of the costs associated with the company's activities. As an example, we can cite one small Moscow enterprise that has been operating for ten years. In order to store all accounting archives, an area of ​​at least twenty square meters is required, and since the minimum rent is at least 200-300 dollars per square meter of office space per year, the costs will range from 4 to 6 thousand dollars, respectively. . in year. It is not possible to store this data in electronic form.

On the other hand, entrepreneurs admit that the share of bribes in company revenue has now decreased significantly and does not exceed 5%, this is a significant reduction: in 2007 the figure was 9.6%. Most often, you have to pay bribes to gain access to government orders, during inspections, allocation of land, obtaining government support, connecting to infrastructure and obtaining certificates and licenses.

Also one of the problems is insufficient training of managers. A significant part of new small enterprises are created by people who have no experience in running their own business or who have changed its direction, for example, from trade to production. Often this reason leads enterprises to ruin due to the lack of even a general, at the level of popular science publications, understanding of accounting and management accounting. In addition, the labor market is not able to satisfy companies' needs for either qualified engineers or skilled workers. More than half of executives say finding technical talent is either difficult or nearly impossible. And the number of companies experiencing difficulties recruiting staff is increasing.

Often an obstacle to the development of MPs is the lack of necessary infrastructure, for example in cities and urban areas with block development in the 60-80s. There are very few acceptable premises for catering or small production outside the buildings of former supermarkets and shopping centers. MPs are unable, even partially, to master the thousand-meter workshops of closed factories, and there are no small industrial warehouses. At the same time, in 2008, 37% of companies experienced difficulties in selecting production premises, now 33% - the situation, despite the efforts of the authorities, remains almost unchanged. The same applies to land plots. Previously, 40% of entrepreneurs negatively assessed the possibility of obtaining land; now it is 39%.

Also, very often small enterprises are created on the basis of old state enterprises. For example, in Moscow, 60% of cooperative cafes have been transformed into state-owned catering enterprises. As a result, the number of cafes did not increase, and prices rose quite high. This form of cooperation does not lead to a weakening of the state monopoly, but to new forms of its manifestation. State research and design institutions are monopolists in their field. Employees of these organizations, having united into enterprises, decide for themselves which orders to place as a state enterprise, and which as a company, at higher prices.

Investing in a small business is always difficult. Local authorities are not at all concerned about reducing the level of contributions from small businesses to local budgets. The authorities do not want to link the prospects for the development of their own region with small businesses. They are not always interested in the development of knowledge-intensive industries, since they do not bring direct benefits to the regions. Local authorities are more willing to register enterprises that contribute to the improvement of the area. No matter how much the state supports its development, no matter what programs are adopted, structures that have funds are more likely to invest them in market leaders. By the way, the criminalization of small businesses is partly due to the lack of interest in small businesses on the part of serious investors.

For a small enterprise to prosper, it needs to enter the national market, which is very difficult in our country. These difficulties are often associated with the fact that companies with small working capital are often unable to sell products with deferred payment, which, with growing competition, is almost a mandatory requirement for a newcomer to the market.

In cases where rent of retail space and payment for display are required (in a large store the supplier pays for the quality of the place where the goods are displayed), the funds of small businesses usually do not last long.

The distribution of small enterprises across regions of the country remains unsatisfactory. More than half is concentrated in 8 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, in particular Moscow and St. Petersburg account for one third of all registered small enterprises. They are mainly engaged in trade and catering. Hence, the problem of raising small businesses is very important for small and medium-sized cities in Russia, which objectively need government support for their revival and development.

State subsidies to large, especially unprofitable enterprises, not only do not improve their financial condition, but are also a prerequisite for the manifestation of dependency, the curtailment of initiatives, and reflect the lack of professionalism of managers. As a result, with an increase in government investment in large enterprises, the volume of real gross product falls, which indicates the ineffectiveness of the approach to economic management, and the share of small enterprises’ products in the volume of gross domestic product increases mainly due to their own investments.

Next, it is important to note the problem of limited sales of products due to the existence in Russia of low effective demand of the population. Almost all production of domestic enterprises is narrowly focused, the demand for products is low, and competition from imports is becoming increasingly fierce every year. In the meantime, the Russian consumer goods market satisfies the needs of customers largely through imports. Therefore, the key problem of import substitution is to update technological processes, that is, to implement innovations that improve the quality of products while ensuring resource conservation.

Another problem is the difficulty of obtaining information about the business environment. Most often, obtaining information about a potential competitor or business partner is very difficult or often impossible. In Russia, there are no special publications that would annually or quarterly publish the financial statements of small and medium-sized businesses.

The rate of innovation activity of small enterprises is extremely low. This is largely due to the inertia of a number of large and medium-sized enterprises in implementing innovations, which also leaves its mark on the innovative activities of small enterprises themselves.

Small businesses are extremely mobile, and therefore are constantly interested in accumulating advanced technologies, but, unfortunately, they do not have a solid laboratory and research base and scientific personnel for this, and the costs of purchasing new technologies are often prohibitive. In this case, innovative firms or associations uniting small businesses could become intermediaries in their transfer. To a certain extent, small businesses can provide investment support for research and development aimed at creating new technologies that will help increase the production of import-substituting products.

An acute problem remains the limitation of the ability to connect to utilities, primarily to sources of electricity. This applies primarily to the high cost of obtaining permission to connect or use additional capacity. Reducing the cost of connecting to networks for small business enterprises has eased the financial burden on small entrepreneurs. However, the problem of obtaining approval of technical conditions for connecting to networks remains.

As we see, there are a huge number of problems and obstacles to the development of small businesses in our country, and this is obvious. But let’s try to figure out further how to solve the above problems, whether small businesses in Russia have development prospects and what they are.