Survey Says: Americans Would Give Up Sex to Avoid PowerPoint Presentations

Passion, as the old Rod Stewart song goes, is the theme of this week's roundup. Small-business owners are passionate about their businesses -- in fact, passion is the dominating force behind most startups. And social-savvy moms are passionate about spreading the word about your products and services, but they're even more enthusiastic if they get something in return. One thing no one is passionate about? Boring PowerPoint presentations. Here's a closer look at some of the latest small-business surveys.

Breaking Point

Just how boring are PowerPoint presentations? In a new survey released by SlideRocket, nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of people say they'd rather give up sex than sit through yet another PowerPoint. Twenty-one percent would prefer to do their taxes and 20 percent would rather go to the dentist. Ouch!

Those who are forced to sit through a PowerPoint often escape in other ways -- although 30 percent have literally escaped, sneaking out of the room during a PowerPoint presentation. About one-third (32 percent) say they have fallen asleep at least once while viewing a PowerPoint, and almost 20 percent have fallen asleep so often, they've lost count. Interestingly, twice as many men as women admit to having slept through a PowerPoint, which, given the alternative of forgoing sex, is not surprising.

And the feeling's mutual -- slightly more people hate giving PowerPoints (33 percent) than receiving or watching watching them (29 percent).

Mama Said

Most marketers know that moms are a key demographic -- they're power shoppers and exert a lot of influence on others. So what's the best way to get moms to spread the word about your business on social media? Bribe them.

According to a new study by Lucid, just 34 percent of moms regularly act on companies' requests that they "tell a friend" about the business. However, nearly double that number -- 66 percent of moms -- say they would tell others if they were offered an incentive for making the referral. Accepting bribes? Isn't that the kind of thing your mom always told you not to do?

Powered by Passion

What drives entrepreneurs? More than the desire for profits or the necessity to earn a living, it's passion, according to a new survey by Deluxe Corp. and PartnerUp. A full 75 percent of small-business owners surveyed say they were motivated to start their own businesses in order to pursue a personal passion and work for themselves. Getting laid off is not a startup incentive -- only 10 percent started a business after a layoff. In fact, 35 percent started their businesses while still working at their previous jobs.

So passionate are these entrepreneurs that nearly two-thirds (63 percent) would refuse to give up their businesses for a job offer. And if they had more free time, 40 percent of small-business owners say they would spend it working on their current businesses or on launching new ones, not on leisure activities.

Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a content and consulting company that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Follow Rieva at Twitter.com/Rieva and visit SmallBizDaily.com to sign up for her free TrendCast reports.