60% of women in the UK now want to start a business

Nearly two thirds (60%) of women in the UK would like to start a business to improve their work/ life balance, according to a survey of 2,000 women conducted by Avon.

Of the women that had looked into starting their own business, 45% admitted that they never followed through with their business idea either because fear had held them back or it seemed too complicated.

When it came to existing work/life balance, the majority of women surveyed said they spent 85% of their waking hours working or thinking about work – leaving little time to relax.

Just 28% of women reported enjoying their work at all times, while a third said they were constantly unhappy in their working life.

On the findings, Emma Jones MBE, founder of Enterprise Nation, said: “Business is all about taking lots of little steps towards your goal. The first, which is the decision to become your own boss, is the most important. Base a business on doing what you love and it will never really feel like work.”

Maxine Benson MBE, co-founder of everywoman, continued:

“Too often we don’t have that little bit of confidence needed to take the leap into business. It’s important to remember that confidence grows as we learn to trust ourselves and our ability.”