An overwhelming majority of the entrepreneurs on our list (57%) told us they’d set up their company to realise an idea. The satisfaction involved in conceiving an idea, then seeing it through to fruition is undoubtedly what gets the Startups 100 up in the morning.
Miles behind, but still in second place, was the idea of being your own boss – 15% of our entrepreneurs claimed not having to answer to anyone else was the most appealing thing about starting a company.
It may be a contributing factor, but 93% of our entrepreneurs thought there were more important reasons to set up a business than to make money. However, according to Lucy Cohen of Mazuma (number 57 on our list) entrepreneurs that say they’re not in it for the money are just plain lying! “I wouldn’t get up in the morning if it weren’t for the money,” she boldly declared.
Only 6% of the Startups 100 set up their businesses for a better work/life balance, suggesting our entrepreneurs were under no illusions about how much work goes into getting a start-up off the ground.
Other chief entrepreneurial motivations included: ‘
to survive in this world’, to ‘provide a template for sustainable business’ and our personal favourite, ‘because the business just had to be!’.
