Half of British workers want their own online business

If they had their way, half of Britain's office workers would down tools, leave their job and run their own business, found a survey by online payments provider PayPoint.net, of which a third would do business online.

by Helen Leggatt

If it wasn't for the start-up costs and administrative demands, 50% of office workers would jack in their jobs and start their own business. Online businesses were the most popular (34%) followed by service and consultancy (28%), found PayPoint.net's survey of over 1,100 office workers in the U.K.

Traditional "bricks and mortar" businesses such as retail (7%) and construction (2%) weren't so popular.

But what's led to this desire to branch out and be their own boss? Apparently the "same old" routine is getting office workers down and many (64%) believe running their own business would be far more fulfilling than days spent in meetings, photocopying, printing and waiting for computers to boot up and shut down.

I suspect many who already run their own businesses might feel office workers are a little naïve if they believe that all those chores would not be a daily part of running their own show.

The research comes hot on the heels of the launch of PayPoint.net Fast Track - a service which provides new online businesses with all the capabilities they need to start trading online in just 24 hours.

"Considering the tough economic climate of the past two years, it's fantastic to see such a strong sense of entrepreneurialism in the UK. What is more sobering is the fact that many would-be entrepreneurs view online payments as an afterthought," said Michael Norton, managing director of PayPoint.net.

"We speak to many people who have to wait for weeks on end before they can start trading, while their Internet Merchant Account is arranged. Such a delay can be disastrous for businesses that may have made substantial investments in their websites. Our 24-hour service enables us to throw these businesses a life-line - as well as giving a fast start to businesses working to a tight schedule."