ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROWTH OF SELECTED SMALLSCALE BUSINESSES: A CASE STUDY OF SANGERE FUTY

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to examine the Assessment of Factors Affecting the Growth of Selected Small-Scale Businesses: A Case Study of Sangere Futy. This study was employ a mixed-methods research design to comprehensively assess the factors affecting small-scale business growth in Sangere Futy. The research will combine quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to gather both statistical data and in-depth insights. The study had three specific objectives, three research questions as well as research hypothesis. The target population was consist of registered and operational small-scale businesses in Sangere Futy, Adamawa State, Nigeria. Based on records from the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN, 2023), the study population was include approximately 1,200 small businesses across key sectors: retail (40%), agriculture (30%), services (20%), and light manufacturing (10%). The study will focus on businesses with 5-49 employees that have been operational for at least two years to ensure relevance to growth assessment. A sample size of 300 businesses was selected for this study, determined using Krejcie and Morgan's (1970) formula for finite populations at a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. The study was employ stratified random sampling to select participants from the different business sectors in Sangere Futy. Within each stratum (retail, agriculture, services, and manufacturing), businesses were randomly selected from SMEDAN and local trade association registries. Data was collected through multiple approaches to ensure comprehensive coverage. Field surveys was conducted by trained research assistants who will administer questionnaires face-to-face to business owners. The collected data was analyzed using appropriate statistical and qualitative techniques. Quantitative data will be processed using SPSS software, employing descriptive statistics (simple percentages) to summarize business growth constraints and inferential statistics (multiple regression) to test hypotheses about factor relationships. Based on the findings this hypothesis was not supported because the calculated value is less than the 0.005 significance level. Based of findings the study recommended that Government should as a matter of urgency encourage small scale business as so to impact positively to the development of entrepreneurship in Sangere