Whether you are a more mature women changing your career because of redundancy or through choice, or a young mum starting a business with an eye on work/life balance, you may be considering the entrepreneurial career route. But is it right for you? Success stories are plentiful, but some women find it much more difficult to embark on that career path than they imagined.
Women account for under a third of those in self-employment, but over half of the increase in self-employment since 2008. During the turbulent economic times, between 2008 and 2011 when it was difficult to get into a more traditional career path, women accounted for an unprecedented 80% of the newly self-employed.
There are now almost 1.5 million self-employed women in the UK, which represents an increase of around 300,000. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) states that female entrepreneurs are leading high street growth with more than half of small firms established in the past two years in retail, hotels, catering and leisure owned principally by womens a higher proportion than at any other time.
So, have you considered changing career to one in which you are your own boss? And what circumstances will accelerate your change of career?