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More than two thirds of UK employees say that they find the idea of working from home and running their own business from home appealing, according to new research from AXA. But despite the apparent attraction, it seems that fear and uncertainty are holding back many would-be entrepreneurs when it comes to realising their dreams.
The top six things that put people off setting up on their own are:
* Lack of regular income (67%)
* Fear of the unknown (66%)
* Lack of business sense (58%)
* Cannot secure funding/investment (57%)
* No holiday, maternity/paternity cover, sick pay/cover (42%)
* Lack of government support (28%)
Working from home is appealing because there is a perception that greater levels of control can be gained. Better work/life balance is the most important reason for wanting to work from home - 92% of all those surveyed said this.
Overall, less travelling was the second biggest benefit to working from home with 80% of people saying this. Some 76% thought that they would gain more independence. And the more senior a person is the more they seem to find the idea of working from home appealing – owner/managers (76%), CEOs and MDs (68%), senior managers (57%) and other types of managers (56%).
When asked about the most important factors to consider when setting up a business, first came the business plan, which almost half (44%) of all respondents rated as very important, followed by investment (38%) and marketing (33%). Surprisingly, risk management and insurance doesn’t appear to be a key consideration when setting up and operating a business from home. Less than a fifth (17%) of employees cited it as important.
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