The Continuing Search for Relevance in Small Business and Entrepreneurship Research‪.‬

ABSTRACT The relevance of scholarly research has often been questioned both in and outside academia. Some researchers have demonstrated empirically that published entrepreneurship research studies do not correspond with the concerns of business owners. The study described in this paper was initiated by a very public debate regarding the access that small business owners have to capital in one urban community. The investigation examined the reality of capital access versus the perception. One aspect of the study focused on the importance of capital access to the small business sector. Results indicated that a minority of firms had problems obtaining capital and that the respondents ranked other issues as more important, with taxes at the top of the list.