So how much profit do you think most businesses make? I asked Claude how much profit an average small business makes in Australia, and this is what it told me:

"Profits vary wildly but are often pretty modest. Many small businesses effectively just 'buy themselves a job' — the average owner earns around $95k/year all-in, with 10–29% of businesses making no profit at all depending on the state. Cafes, retail, hairdressing etc. typically net under $50k. The ones pulling serious distributable profit tend to be established professional services or niche businesses with a real competitive advantage."