Section 05 · Research
The verified evidence base
Every statistic used in Hummingbird materials, audited against primary sources. Use exact numbers only where the original report is sourced. This is the canonical reference – if a claim isn't here as verified, it doesn't go in the pitch.
10
claims verified and safe to use · 8 need rewording ·
5 cut until a primary source is found · 2 secondary-only.
Verified – safe to use as sourced
| Claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 64% of Australian businesses are non-employing / self-employed (another 25% employ 1–4) | ASBFEO Small Business Data Portal | Verified |
| 60% of small business owners sacrifice personal time or weekends to stay on top of finances | AMP 2026 research | Verified |
| 2 in 5 small businesses say admin time gets in the way of running the business | AMP 2025 financial admin research | Verified |
| 20% global employee engagement in 2025 – lowest since 2020 | Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2026 | Verified |
| US$10T lost to low engagement globally (2025) | Gallup 2026 | Verified |
| 52% of US employees report job-related burnout | NAMI 2024 Workplace Mental Health Poll | Verified |
| 83% of US workers suffer work-related stress; 120,000 reported deaths/year | OSHA workplace stress overview | Verified |
| Workers switch between 10 apps 25 times/day; toggle apps ~1,200 times/day | Asana Anatomy of Work; HBR 2022 | Verified |
| 10+ hours/week on administration and payroll (small business leaders) | Reckon; AMP admin research | Verified |
Verified if reframed
| Claim | Reframe to | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5B independent professionals globally | "1.5B self-employed workers globally" (ILO WESO 2023) – avoid "professionals" | Reframe |
| 2.1M AU/NZ self-employed | "~2.4M Australian self-employed / micro businesses (0–4 employees)" (ABS 2024–25) | Update |
| 40% productivity lost to context switching | Keep with APA caveat, or lead with HBR app-toggling evidence | Caution |
Cut – no primary source found
| Claim | Replace with | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 58% plan to earn independently within five years | No Deloitte/Gallup source found – remove | Cut |
| 75% of solopreneurs report burnout | Use NAMI 52% employee burnout instead | Cut |
| $446B lost globally to admin burden | Use Gallup US$10T low-engagement figure instead | Cut |
| 6–8 fragmented tools per founder | Use Asana "10 apps 25 times/day" instead | Cut |
| 10 weeks/year on financial admin | Label as calculation, or use "6+ hrs/week" (AMP) | Reword |
The rule
Exact numbers only where the original report is sourced.
Source hierarchy: primary research and official statistics first (ILO, ABS, Gallup, OSHA, AMP, ASBFEO), then reputable secondary. Derived calculations are always labelled as estimates. The full audit register lives in the Library – this page is the working summary every document checks against.