A micro-business is the smallest category of business, typically defined as having fewer than 10 employees and minimal revenue. Micro-businesses represent the vast majority of all businesses but are often invisible to traditional business data sources.
Defining Micro-Business
Common Definitions
US SBA: Fewer than 10 employees
European Union: <10 employees, <€2M turnover
World Bank: 1-9 employees
Practical: Owner-operated, often no employees
Most definitions align on:
- Very small headcount (often just the owner)
- Limited revenue (typically under $1M annually)
- Simple operations
- Often home-based or mobile
Scale in the US
- ~32 million businesses in the US
- ~81% have no employees (owner only)
- ~88% have fewer than 20 employees
- Micro-businesses are the norm, not the exception
The Data Gap Problem
Thin-File Businesses
Traditional business data assumes:
- Corporate filings with the state
- Business credit history
- Commercial banking relationships
- Published financials
Micro-businesses often have:
- No corporate structure (sole proprietors)
- No business credit file (use personal credit)
- Personal bank accounts for business
- No public financial data
Why Micro-Businesses Are Invisible
Secretary of State: No filings if unincorporated
Dun & Bradstreet: No DUNS if never sought credit
Commercial data: Below reporting thresholds
Business registries: Local licenses only
Web presence: May not have website
The Verification Paradox
The businesses that need the least scrutiny (small, simple, local) are often the hardest to verify because they generate the least data.
Micro-Business Characteristics
Structure
Most micro-businesses are:
- Sole proprietorships (no legal entity)
- Single-member LLCs
- Partnerships between family/friends
Complex structures are rare—there's no tax or liability benefit to complexity at this scale.
Operations
Typical patterns:
- Home office or client sites
- Service-based rather than product-based
- Local customer base
- Cash flow-dependent
- Seasonal or variable income
Lifecycle
Micro-businesses have distinctive patterns:
- High formation rate
- High failure rate (especially in first 2 years)
- Often transition to larger structures if successful
- Many are "lifestyle businesses" not growth-oriented
KYB for Micro-Businesses
The Challenge
Standard KYB assumes:
- A legal entity exists
- State records document it
- Business data providers have information
- Ownership can be verified through filings
Micro-businesses often fail all four assumptions.
Alternative Verification Approaches
For micro-businesses, verification pivots to:
Identity-centric verification:
- Verify the owner (since owner = business)
- Check personal credit as proxy for business
- Confirm address and contact information
Activity-based verification:
- Bank statements showing business transactions
- Payment processing history
- Tax returns (Schedule C)
- Invoices and contracts
Presence verification:
- Website and social media
- Google/Yelp business listings
- Local business licenses
- Professional certifications
Proportional Verification
Risk-based KYB for micro-businesses:
Low (small transactions): Owner identity + basic business confirmation
Medium: Add activity verification (bank, payment data)
High (larger volumes): Full documentation, potentially site visit
Over-verifying micro-businesses creates friction that drives them away. Under-verifying creates risk exposure.
Risk Considerations
Why Micro-Businesses Aren't Necessarily High Risk
- Clear ownership (usually one person)
- Limited transaction volumes
- Local reputation matters
- Owner's personal assets at stake
Why They Can Be Higher Risk
- Thin credit history
- Limited financial cushion
- Higher failure rates
- Harder to investigate if problems arise
- May be fronts for cash-intensive illicit activity
Industry-Specific Risk
Risk varies dramatically by micro-business type:
- Low risk: Professional services, established trades
- Medium risk: Retail, food service
- Higher risk: Cash-intensive, high-ticket, cross-border
Micro-Businesses and Compliance
Regulatory Proportionality
Compliance requirements often scale with business size:
- Corporate Transparency Act exempts very small businesses in some cases
- Anti-money laundering thresholds consider transaction volumes
- Industry licensing varies by activity type and scale
The Onboarding Friction Problem
Requiring enterprise-level documentation from micro-businesses:
- Creates abandonment at onboarding
- Discriminates against legitimate small businesses
- Doesn't actually reduce risk proportionally
- Misses the forest for the trees
Effective KYB tailors requirements to the actual risk profile.
Key Takeaways
- Micro-businesses are the majority of all businesses but the most data-sparse
- Traditional business data sources miss them—different approaches needed
- Owner identity often equals business identity—KYB overlaps with KYC
- Activity-based verification supplements identity—bank data, payments, tax records
- Proportional verification matters—over-verification creates friction without reducing risk
- Risk varies by industry and activity—not all micro-businesses are equal
Related: Sole Proprietor | Entity Verification | Data Enrichment | Auto-Verification
