From the Sunday Times (UK), work from home strategies aren’t designed to create empires, but lifestyles. Call them “Minipreneurs”…70,000 new ones in Ireland alone.
Darina Loakman, who runs online businesses advising work-at-home-mums, estimates there are about 70,000 new home-based small businesses in Ireland. “The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor found that about 250,000 new businesses were started or in planning in Ireland in 2005,� she said. “About 28% of those were set up by people who said the business would not employ anybody other than the founder in five years’ time.�
Of the work-at-home-mums she encounters, Loakman said those wanting to make a fortune are in the minority. Many just want to make enough to get by and plenty are happy if the business just brings in “pin money�.
The choice of entrepreneurship as a lifestyle option rather than a path to riches is often a distinguishing feature of the new breed of minipreneur. “In the past two years, we have really started seeing this,� said John Cranfield, the chief executive of First Step, which provides microfinance or loans of less than €25,000 to start-up businesses. “Being an entrepreneur is the sexy thing to do and most people will at least go through the pre-start-up phase while still in employment.�
Minipreneurs might hope to scale up and develop full-time ventures eventually or they might just want to keep their business part-time, but all share the plan of starting small, keeping things simple, minimising costs and making the best possible use of the internet.
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