Thousands of UK women are ‘everyday entrepreneurs’

Alison Clarke
WVoN co-editor 

A report commissioned by cosmetics giant, Avon, has found that over two thirds (68 percent) of female business start-ups in the UK are by ‘everyday entrepreneurs’.

It showed that the women are integral to the UK economy, although most hadn’t planned to be self-employed business owners.

Written by Cass Business School Professor of Entrepreneurship, Julie Logan, it found that the women are running thriving enterprises, often from home.

They appear to be motivated by flexibility and a passion more than the idea of money and power. Most do not even connect with the word ‘entrepreneur’.

Professor Logan said: “Contrary to the popular view, our findings show that when it comes to female entrepreneurs, they are not powered by ego but by the promise of flexibility, fulfillment and fun.

“The report explores how young women are more likely to embrace entrepreneurship as a career option and embark on this career trajectory from the outset. As these young women create ventures that grow and employ people this will have a very positive impact on the UK economy.”

The Avon ‘Everyday Entrepreneur’ Report was given its name by Professor Logan because it uncovered a new breed of business innovator which reveals that female entrepreneurs are opting to run their enterprises from home and often require little investment to get up and running.

About a third of respondents cited flexibility as the main reason for starting their own venture, with home-working enabling the ‘everyday entrepreneurs’ to fit their career around family or other commitments and keep overheads down.

Almost half of the women questioned said they were the chief income earner in their household.

Four in ten respondents required no investment to get their enterprise up and running, suggesting that women are looking for self-employment options that insulate their family against financial instability and have low barriers to entry.

Professor Logan said her report shows that the popular view of entrepreneurship – as viewed through programmes like Dragon’s Den, is seen as focused on making money and is synonymous with “men making money”.

Today’s female business leaders want to see more everyday role models in the public eye and for the industry terminology to change to better reflect how businesses are run now.

The research by Ipsos Mori was conducted with 1,000 self-employed women and female business-owners for Avon UK.