University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 1272
Survey Title Survey on Business Start-ups, 2018
Depositor Japan Finance Corporation Research Institute
Restriction of Use For detailed information, please refer to 'For Data Users' at SSJDA website.

- Apply to SSJDA. Depositor's approval required.
Educational Purpose Only available for research.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
Access to Datasets Download
Nesstar Not available
Summary The “Survey on the State of New Business Start-ups” has been conducted continuously since 1969 for the purpose of apprehending the state of new business. Since 1991, it has been conducted annually, resulting in the accumulation of data such as age at the start of new business and start-up costs, which can be used for time series comparisons, as well as the carrying out of analyses from a variety of viewpoints.

As of 2000, the survey excluded the real estate investment industry. Further, in line with the inauguration of the Japan Finance Corporation in October 2008, the Japan Finance Corporation Research Institute took over the operation of the survey from its predecessor, the National Life Finance Corporation Research Institute.

This survey was conducted in 2018 and included survey items on attributes and careers of managers of new business start-ups, start-up funding, procuring funding, etc., targeting companies that had received financing from the Japan Finance Corporation Micro Business and Individual Unit between April and September 2017 and had been trading for one year or less at the point of funding.

As a related survey, the “Survey on State of New Business Start-ups (special surveys), 2018” (SSJDA Survey Number 1273) was conducted in the same year on companies that had been trading for four years or less at the point of funding.
Data Type quantitative research
quantitative research: micro data
Universe Companies within one year of startup at the time of financing (including companies yet to start trading)
Unit of Observation Organization
Sample Size Sample size: 8,332, number of responses: 1,746 (response rate: 21.0%)
Date of Collection 2018-07 ~ 2018-07
Time Period 2018 ~ 2018
Spatial Unit Japan
Japan
Sampling Procedure Non-probability: Availability
8,332 companies within one year of startup (including companies yet to start trading) at the time of financing were surveyed from among the companies financed by the Japan Finance Corporation Micro Business and Individual Unit between April and September 2017.
Mode of Data Collection Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
Mail survey (anonymous questionnaire)
Investigator Japan Finance Corporation Research Institute
DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.1272
Sponsors (Funds)
Related Publications (by the Investigator) Please refer to the abstract in Japanese.
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation Questionnaire
Major Survey Items (1) Business overview
Management type (at startup, current), content of business (whether there are new points when compared with other companies in the same industry), price range of major products and services, whether the startup business is a venture or new business, franchise affiliation, main business locations, commuting time to business office, main sales destinations and customers, whether they are regular sales destinations and customers, relationship with regular customers, scope of business area

(2) Attributes and career of manager
Gender, highest level of educational attainment, whether the respondent is the head of the household, time spent on childrearing and nursing care, source of income other than the current business, work experience (work experience up until this startup, experience in current industry, regular employee experience, managerial work experience, experience of managing a company), work immediately before startup (mode of work, size of company by number of employees, reason for leaving the job, timing of leaving the job)

(3) Preparation for startup
Startup year, viability at the time of startup (number of customers, number of suppliers, number of employees, employees’ skills, amount prepared from own funds and amount of funding procured from financial institutions), motivation for opening a business, reason for deciding on the current business, acquisition of relevant technology and know-how, startup costs and source of funds for these expenses, actions taken to save for startup costs, whether or not a business plan was prepared, advice on management (whether any advice has been received to date, whether the respondent wishes to receive advice within the next five years)

(4) State of company management after startup
Number of employees during each period (manager him or herself, family employees, full-time executive officers, regular employees, part-timers and casual part-timers (arubaito), contract workers and dispatched workers (haken shain)), first meeting with full-time executive officers and regular employees who have been with the company since the time of opening, total of manager’s current weekly working hours, current sales and profitability, current business conditions compared to other companies in the same industry, monthly sales (pre-opening forecast, pre-opening target, current, five-year target), important aspects of running a business, worries and obstacles at pre-opening/at the time of opening/at present, discretion regarding how to proceed with work, manager’s occupations other than the current business and length of employment, whether the current business was started as a side business, increase or decrease in the manager’s income compared to before startup, business manager's current income (ratio to personal income and ratio to household income), thoughts on future business scale (sales, size of business area, future stock listing), thoughts on continuing the business, satisfaction (income, whether the business is worthwhile, working hours, work–life balance, overall), anxiety about the future, positive aspects of starting a new business, problems in operating the current business

(5) Typical behaviors and thought process
Date of Release 2020/01/23
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Working conditions
Topics in SSJDA Economy/Industry/Management
Version 1 : 2020-01-23
Notes for Users The survey title has changed since 2018.
・2018~「Survey on Business Start-ups」
・~2017「Survey on State of New Business Start-ups」