Hey bcbrown- I took the averages from the raw data: you can find them already scraped at https://github.com/jlaurito/inc5000 (inc5000data_cleaned.csv has only these industries).
You are right- the range is wider than I mentioned, and the true minimum is lower (the numbers in the post are industry-by-industry averages).
I used log-log graphs because they reduce the visual impact of outliers. You can play with the graphs yourself at http://blog.joshlaurito.com/inc5000.html if you want to see alternatives.
There are definitely biases in the sample: these are only fast-growing, 3yr+ old companies that want publicity badly enough to open their books to Inc.
If you are working in a company in a company with a similar profile or compete with any of the companies here, I think the data is useful for deciding how quickly to hire and benchmarking against any competitors that might be in the sample. Also, if you're writing a business/evaluating a business plan this might be useful data. For the rest of us, it's just fun to play with!
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Hey bcbrown- I took the averages from the raw data: you can find them already scraped at https://github.com/jlaurito/inc5000 (inc5000data_cleaned.csv has only these industries).
You are right- the range is wider than I mentioned, and the true minimum is lower (the numbers in the post are industry-by-industry averages).
I used log-log graphs because they reduce the visual impact of outliers. You can play with the graphs yourself at http://blog.joshlaurito.com/inc5000.html if you want to see alternatives.
There are definitely biases in the sample: these are only fast-growing, 3yr+ old companies that want publicity badly enough to open their books to Inc.
If you are working in a company in a company with a similar profile or compete with any of the companies here, I think the data is useful for deciding how quickly to hire and benchmarking against any competitors that might be in the sample. Also, if you're writing a business/evaluating a business plan this might be useful data. For the rest of us, it's just fun to play with!