07/11/07 Enterprising women in control!

The number one reason for women starting their own business is freedom, and greater control over their lives, claims a recent study.

The findings of one of the largest surveys ever carried out in the UK on women entrepreneurs has found that work-life balance is rated as the biggest motivation for women who want to be successful on their own terms.

The findings of the Enterprising Women’s Research Report are unlikely to be a surprise to most women, who often juggle home life, childcare and a career on a daily basis. It does show that the traditional economic measurements of success are not fully appropriate in the case of women business owners. Money isn’t the be-all and end-all for a lot of entrepreneurial women – although making a profit is one of the factors that attracts women to go into business – being their own boss and getting control over their life are much higher motivators.

Enterprising Women provides training, business advice, networking and an environment where women can grow their businesses without fear of being patronised. Not being taken seriously, by trainers and professional advisors, is a huge issue for many women who want to start their own business. Many of the women who took part in the survey said that they would not have felt able to do so without Enterprising Women’s intervention.

The research report shows many other interesting findings, including the increasing involvement of older and BME women in starting business, and the lack of correlation between education and success in enterprise. Enterprising Women members who run businesses in Science Engineering and Technology are also making their voices heard in a series of podcasts broadcast from the website, in which they discuss the challenges and successes of being a woman setting up a business.

Over 2000 women are now members of this entrepreneurial community – it’s free to join, and provides the latest news and information, guides and resources, plus lots of promotional and networking opportunities, peer support, and of course, a wealth of first class training courses and seminars.

Ends.

Enterprising Women: We’re helping women fulfil their potential, whether pre-start, post-start or well established companies focused on growth, and helping create strong, sustainable businesses and jobs in East Anglia. The turnover of our community now exceeds £53million.

A series of case-studies on Enterprising Women members are available on the Enterprising Women website: www.enterprising-women.org/casestudies

Download the executive summary of the report (PDF 1.2M)

To learn more about the highlights of the report, which look at the background and opinions of a cohort of 1586 women across the region, please email Kate Naylor at kate.naylor@ytko.com or call 01223 421474 to request a full copy of the report.