“New breed of entrepreneurs” turning passions into successful businesses

More than a third (37%) of UK entrepreneurs have launched successful businesses from their hobbies and passion businesses, according to a report on “the new breed of entrepreneurs” carried out by Weebly.

The survey also revealed that Millennials, the generation born between the early 1980s and 2000s, and Generation X, those born between the early 1960s and 1980s, represent the largest entrepreneurial demographic (31% and 38% respectively) – with women now accounting for 45% of the UK’s entrepreneurs.

Baby boomers are increasingly giving up their retirement to launch their own businesses (19%), while even teenagers have caught the entrepreneurial spirit: 11% of 13 to 17 year-olds claim to have started a business site in the UK.

The survey also found a 50/50 split between those who’d chosen to set up online only businesses and those who’d set up an online and offline hybrid, with the “new breed of entrepreneurs” thought to be responsible for boosting the UK’s manufacturing – 85% sell British-made products through e-commerce sites.

Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London and Manchester were identified as the UK’s fastest growing hotspots for entrepreneurial activity.

Dion McKenzie, country manager at Weebly UK, commented: “Now there is a record 5.2 million small businesses in the UK, making a massive contribution to the country’s economic output, and intuitive and user-friendly technologies will only further boost the growth of the UK entrepreneurial community, paving the way for a new UK economy.”