Cox Business today announced results of its inaugural small business survey - #SBWsurvey - a national research survey among 605 small business owners and managers in Cox's footprint on business and communication thoughts and behaviors. Results found that email is still the most critical communication tool, social media lags, while Steve Jobs tops the list as entrepreneurial idol. 

More results of the Cox Business small business #SBWsurvey revealed:

• While email is often noted as declining, 40 percent of respondents said email is the tool most critical to the success of their daily communication over cellphones, social media and personnel. In fact, social media accounted for only five percent of business owners and managers daily communication success.
• Social media lags as part of the marketing mix, as 33 percent of survey respondents said social media is a non-existent part of their marketing mix.
• While it's no surprise that the late Steve Jobs was picked as the entrepreneurial idol with 21 percent of the vote, the late Ben Franklin came in a close second with 17 percent and Walt Disney came in third at 15 percent. Looks like the world needs a new living role model.
• Most participants in the survey want to pave their own path - almost two/thirds of the respondents are motivated to own or manage their own business in order to be their own boss and build something of their own. 
• Surprisingly, only eight percent of the survey respondents are motivated to manage or own their own business just to make big money.
• An encouraging twist in today's economy, 43 percent of the small businesses surveyed have never considered closing shop.
• The digital world often develops at lightning speed. Keeping up with this technology is what author Brian Solis calls, "Digital Darwinism."  Of the small business managers and owners surveyed 37 percent thought they were evolving just fine, while 32 percent said they were attempting but didn't think they could really keep up.
• Over half of the owners and managers of small businesses agreed that emerging technology enhances their business as opposed to being disruptive to it.

More details on Cox Business' #SBWsurvey can be found on CoxBLUE.com, the company's social destination for business.  Follow @Coxbusiness on Twitter and join the conversation using #SBWsurvey on Twitter to share the results with your network.