Middle-aged Brits keener to start their own business

The amount of middle-aged Brits starting their own business has almost doubled in the last year, according to new research.

A study by freelance recruitment website PeoplePerHour has estimated an 88 per cent rise in 50 to 60-year-olds choosing to become self-employed.

The majority appear to be happy with their decision as well. More than two thirds of those questioned in the study said they would never want to work for someone else again.

According to smallbusiness.co.uk, 64 per cent of those questioned in the study were starting their own business for the very first time.

That’s despite entrepreneurship has traditionally been as a risky move in the past. Many of those looking for safer forms of running a business choose to start a franchise instead of dreaming up their own idea.

In an interview with onrec.com, PeoplePerHour founder Xenios Thrasyvoulou claimed that there has never been a better time to take up either of these options.

He said: “The barriers to starting a business have never been lower, and this could be one of the main reasons we’re seeing such a big rise in the baby boomer generation choosing to take the self employment route later in life.

“The key to this growing trend of new small business owners, not just amongst the baby boomers, but across generations, is how easy and cheap it is now to set up a business and build a client base from scratch.”

The figures were gained by measuring new registrations to the PeoplePerHour website.