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This article aims to determine the disparities between SMEs in management and risk management depending on the type of management, age, and size of SMEs in the business environment of Slovakia. The case study was conducted in 2019/2020 on a sample of 362 owners and top managers of SMEs. The hypotheses were verified using statistical methods—the Pearson chi-squared test and the Z-test. The results show that SMEs are more involved in risk management than microenterprises. Process-driven SMEs largely perceive market risk. Medium-sized enterprises perceive personnel risk more intensely than microenterprises and small enterprises. Not even one out of every five owners or top managers can manage risks, and more than 15% of SMEs do not conduct any risk management activities. Financial reserves and insurance are the most used risk reduction measures in SMEs. The purpose of the survey is to strengthen the resilience of SMEs and to find out the causes of the weakening of resilience concerning the investigated risk factors. The creation of integrated management systems presupposes the inclusion of the risk management system among other management systems. By implementing risk management, it is possible to increase the efficiency of management systems.

From the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2021, a nationwide survey was conducted to examine business interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the impact of the pandemic on SMEs in the Slovak Republic. It also focused on identifying areas such as risk management with BCM, and crisis management within individual enterprises. The survey was carried out using a questionnaire distributed to SMEs operating in the country. Based on the questions from the questionnaire, four research hypotheses were developed. Based on the results of our investigation, we found that enterprises cannot correctly assess their capability level and manage risks effectively, potentially exposing themselves to further threats arising from such a relationship. There is a correlation between the business sector and the extent to which an enterprise has been affected by a pandemic. Enterprises with implemented risk management areas had operations halted for shorter periods than enterprises without implementation. There is a relationship between business sectors and the extent to which they were affected by the pandemic. The discussion concludes that the pandemic posed a type of threat for which several SMEs were unprepared. At the same time, no established risk minimization procedures would address this issue. Effective implementation of risk management as prevention or crisis management as response and application of BCM principles is one of how enterprises could prepare for risks and crises and increase their resilience.