We are certainly spoilt for choice when it comes to TV shows these days. There are shows for when you want to relax and recharge, documentaries to learn something new and even shows to inspire you to start a business. Who said TV was only for entertainment value!
This is according to our new research with OnePoll that shows a quarter of small business owners were inspired to start something of their own by watching a TV show.
Shows like Dragon’s Den and The Great British Bake Off were found to be some of the most inspirational for self-starters. With over 9 million people watching The Great British Bake Off final last year (according to the BBC), it’s no wonder so many people found it a source of inspiration.
The study of 1,000 small business owners showed that passion and inspiration can come from far and wide. With the pandemic making people re-evaluate what’s important to them, many self-starters (54%) took the leap and started something that they were passionate about.
Almost half of the small business owners agreed that starting a business in something you are passionate about made it easier. Of that 75% said that their side hustle has become their full-time job!
Not only were people pursuing their own business dreams in areas that they were passionate about, but more than almost half of the business owners were happy that they took the leap to turn their passion into a full-time job.
But the growth of small businesses is nothing new to the UK economy. According to the FSB, at the start of 2021, there were 5.5 million small businesses. SMEs account for three-fifths of UK employment.
Of course, starting a business doesn’t come without its own concerns. The research found that even though 37% said they were excited they took the leap to start their own business, their top concerns were around making a profit (25%), keeping customers happy (25%) and tax (24%).
Inspiration for starting your own business can come from any area of life. Especially with lockdown and the likes of programmes such as The Great British Bake Off, many Brits have made time for passion projects and started selling their own creations on the side of their full-time job or taken the leap fully and started their own small business.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from OnePoll. Total sample size was 1,000 adults, who were small business owners (in businesses up to 49 employees) or self-employed. Fieldwork was undertaken between 5 November 2021 to 11 November 2021. The survey was carried out online.
