Based on the analysis of the relevant literature, this study amplifies the debate about the concept of small business and identifies the possible space for it in the industrial structure. The concept of small business has been evidenced as "small capital", whose position and performance are closely linked to the process of oligopolization. Along these lines, four possible insertion trajectories for the segment have been sought to be highlighted: struggle for space in markets still not so oligopolized and with emphasized price competition; exploration of new market niches; network organization, with predominance of small business and without the explicit leadership of big companies; and insertion into sub-contracting networks controlled by big companies. Before this group of trajectories, it is evident that it is inadequate to consider small businesses as a homogeneous block (or like a "general matter"), both in terms of the conditions that explain its survival and its growth, and the economic policy measures focused on its promotion. What matters is no longer the size, but rather the potential to contribute to the achievement of planned development results.
Small business; Industrial structure; Insertion trajectories