The realities of subgroups of regional small businesses (regional-SBs) are essential for proper policy process but are under-researched. This study explores and seeks to reduce the aforementioned gap. Firm-and-manager-specific attributes of regional-SBs (drawn from a sample of 500 Australian regional-SBs) are evaluated to determine if they differ from common perceptions of small businesses (SBs) and have predictive power in terms of regional-SBs. It was found that regional-SBs: Differ significantly from urban-SBs; Contribute significantly to regional socio-economic stability; Are far more robust and credit-worthy than generally perceived; and are influenced by the gender of their entrepreneurs. These findings can greatly serve the national interests of Australia and other countries. Specifically, as globalisation and technological change compel primary and secondary sectors to shed labour, regional-SBs sustain the socio-political stability of their regions by providing a means to soak-up redundant labour.