Towards Sustainability of Single-Owner Entities: An Examination of Financial Factors That Influence Growth of Sole Proprietorship

There has been a consistent failure of businesses that are run by a single person. Most of these collapse at infancy prematurely and those that survive continue to operate at minimal capacity. The study thus sought to enhance growth of sole proprietors from being small entities to large corporates. Financial determinants of business growth were earmarked for research as they were amongst the grey areas of business growth research. Research design, data and methodology: The target population of the study was made up of groceries retail sole proprietors operating in Epworth, Zimbabwe. Questionnaires were used in a once-off cross-sectional survey using stratified random sampling. Through a deductive research approach, four financial determinants of business growth were established namely financial availability, financial management, financial evaluation and financial investment (AMEI). These constructs formulated the basis for the development of the model which linked financial factors to business growth. Results: The study found out that all four financial determinants were statistically significant (P < 0.05) in predicting business growth. Conclusions: The study concludes that the model tested was useful in explaining sole proprietor’s business growth. Sole proprietors should have access to funding, manage received funds in an appropriate manner, invest into the business and evaluate their business processes.