Powered by fear: 43 per cent of SMBs prioritise managing risk over winning customers

Running any business can be tough, but small and growing companies face particular challenges. Kaspersky Lab research¹ shows that, in a world of rapidly evolving IT security threats and market volatility, companies with fewer than 100 employees are prioritising the management of risk (43 per cent), ahead of creation and innovation (39 per cent), gaining new customers (37 per cent) and becoming a digital business (35 per cent).

To help such businesses address their concerns, some of Kaspersky Lab’s top managers, including the CEO, Eugene Kaspersky, have joined forces to share their personal thoughts on the key challenges facing smaller companies. The result, ‘Take 10 minutes: insight on big decisions for small businesses’ is a collection of comments, quotes, advice, lists and more, illustrated with examples of Kaspersky Lab’s own experiences.

Published to mark Kaspersky Lab’s 20th birthday, the guide offers personal perspectives on leadership, finance, risk, recruitment, innovation, competition and IT – as well as favourite business quotes and recommended books.

The insight includes:

• How to convince financial backers you’re worth investing in, and what to spend your money on;
• Why you should approach success with caution, especially in the early days;
• Why you should always listen to customers, but not become over-dependent on them;
• Why some employees will never be ready to grow with the business;
• How to overcome the fear of failure;
• How to recognise when competitors are allies;
• Why you should never recruit someone who’s perfect at the job; and more.

Eugene Kaspersky, chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, said: “When you run a business, every day brings new challenges and opportunities – and they all have something of value to teach you. Over 20 years, we’ve learned so much! Now we’d like to share some of that insight and experience with you. The journey from startup to global enterprise is a tough one – but also an exhilarating and rewarding one.”

Copies of Take 10 minutes: insight on big decisions for small businesses can be downloaded from: http://media.kaspersky.com/en/business-security/take-10-minutes-insight-on-big-decisions-for-small-businesses.PDF

_{1 State of Industrial Cybersecurity, prepared for Kaspersky Lab by Business Advantage, June 2017}