Entrepreneurs find dating and maintaining social lives hardest things to keep up

Maintaining a social life, taking time off for holidays and dating are among the hardest things about starting your own business, a poll has found.

Establishing your business in the marketplace, working weekends and believing in yourself also appeared among the challenges when finally making the decision to "go out on your own".

The fear of failing, not having as much disposable income, managing finances and being able to drive the recruitment for their business also proved difficult for many of the 500 entrepreneurs surveyed.

“From start-up, to scaling up and then staying ahead, there’s nothing easy about running your own business," said Hugh Chater, chief commercial officer at Virgin Money which commissioned the study.

“Balancing the books, the relentless admin, sorting problems that come out of left field and finding balance in everyday life – are just some of the challenges. What really shines through from our research, however, is that the freedom and fulfilment of running and growing your own business outweighs any trials and tribulations faced.

“Ultimately, hard work delivers its own satisfaction, enjoyment and reward and 98 per cent of people who run their own business said they wouldn’t have it any other way.”

One entrepreneur confessed the hardest thing about flying solo was getting your friends to understand why you could not come out for dinner.

Others explained how they risked it all to give up a well-paid, safe job to venture into the unknown.

Nearly one-fifth of those polled said they worked a minimum of 13-hours every day in their first year of setting up their business, with seven per cent slaving away for 16 hours or more every day.

Researchers also found over half funded their businesses themselves, with 46 per cent sourcing their capital through other means in order to get off the ground.

Bank loans, redundancy payments and financial support from family members were the most popular sources for additional funding.

The study also found start-ups need an average of £16,309 in order to begin, with an average loss of £9,420 in the first year for those in the red.

However, over half believe that hard work does pay off, with many seeing profits of nearly £7,000 in their first year of launching.

It’s no surprise a number of business owners are reaping rewards within their first year, with half stating they sought after advice when starting their company.

More than a quarter asked for the expertise from another entrepreneur, with an equal percentage getting insight from the bank or a friend.

And three in 10 wished they always had someone on hand to go to for financial advice when launching their enterprise.

Despite the majority agreeing that starting a business is no easy feat; ninety-eight per cent agreed they enjoy having their own business.

In fact, more than eight in 10 said being your own boss is one of the best things about launching your own company, with 58 per cent stating it is more rewarding.

SWNS