Business Risks and the Level of Entrepreneurial Optimism among SME in the Czech and Slovak Republic

The aim of this article is to define and compare current trends within business risks among small and medium enterprises in selected regions of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the context of entrepreneurial optimism. In 2013, the research on entrepreneurs' opinions in the Zlin Region (Czech Republic) and Zilina Region (Slovakia) was conducted. These regions have similar economic parameters and are separated by only a few miles. According to our research, it can be stated that during the period of financial crisis, the situation in the SME business deteriorated significantly with declining performance and profitability of Czech and Slovak small and medium enterprises. The most important business risk is still market risk, followed by financial and eventually personal risk. Our research showed that the profitability of Czech and Slovak small and medium enterprises decreased by 15%. Despite these facts, the level of entrepreneurial optimism among SME in the selected regions of the Czech Republic and Slovakia is very high.