Frontier -- In Box

Initial Public Optimism

From the don't believe the Hype Dept.: Consider Sage Software's recent random survey of 200 small-business owners. Fifteen percent said they expect their company to go public in 2000. Oooo-kay. During the '90s, an average of 465 companies went public each year, according to CommScan EquiDesk. Compare that to the number of business entities--an average of 23 million through the '90s, says the Internal Revenue Service. That means only some 0.002% businesses--1 in every 49,000--actually offered shares each year. Take heart: Those odds are still far better than your chances of winning the Lotto. Back to work, bucko!Edited by Dennis BermanReturn to top

TABLE

Chances of a U.S. Business Going Public

Chances of ...

A U.S. Business Going Public

1 in 49,000

Life being wiped out by a cosmic collision before 2097*

1 in 10,000

Scoring a hole-in-one

1 in 15,000

Being born a genius

1 in 250

Becoming a pro athlete

1 in 10,000

* BRITISH ODDSMAKER WILLIAM HILL

DATA: BW, INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, WHAT ARE THE CHANCES BY BERNARD

SISKIN

Return to top