Greater Burlington, Vermont, ANE Event on July 15 2021 | eWomenNetwork I t's often said that more than half of new businesses fail during the first year . According to the Small Business Association (SBA), this isn't necessarily true. The SBA states that only 30% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 50% during the first five years and 66% during the first 10. But there is also the ‘not discussed’ statistic that most businesses may not have failed yet, but that they are hanging on by a mere thread .