Cash, not courage, is stopping Britain's startup revolution

Britain's side hustle boom is ready for take-off

Cash, not courage, is stopping Britain's startup revolution

Britain is itching to start a business. Two in three adults are now considering launching a startup or side hustle, and almost a third plan to take the plunge within the next year. It's not because they've suddenly fallen in love with entrepreneurship. It's because they want more money, more control and a more secure future than savings accounts or the stock market seem able to offer.

The ambition is there, but the cash isn't. New research shows the biggest obstacle isn't fear of failure – it's a lack of startup capital. With thousands of would-be entrepreneurs stuck on the starting line, business groups say grants, tax breaks and easier access to finance could unlock a new wave of enterprise that would benefit families, communities and the wider economy.

ITCHING TO STARTUP

Two‑thirds of adults in the UK are considering a side hustle, nearly a third plan to launch in the next year, and the biggest barrier is cash

Entrepreneurship is suddenly looking a whole lot more attractive to UK adults. A new QuickBooks survey shows 66% of us are considering starting a business or side hustle; up from 52% last year. Almost a third of those are intent on giving it a go in the next 12 months and that’s double the previous figure.

Almost half of adults earned money from a side hustle in the past year, and of those 45% want to turn it into a full‑time business and 49% prefer to keep it as extra income.

The UK’s entrepreneurial talent is already doing its own thing.

Entrepreneurship now beats savings, stocks and crypto

When asked where they expect to get the best return on investment over the next year, people say:

• Starting a business or a side hustle: 26%

• Cash/savings: 21%

• Stock market: 11%

• Crypto: 8%

Only 13% think entrepreneurship is the riskiest option.

We’re not witnessing a bout of entrepreneurial zeal. People don’t trust the stock market, savings rates are falling and crypto is chaos, so entrepreneurship feels like the best route left that offers control. However, as a priority people also want to improve their lives with more money. Contenting with the rising cost of living is focussing people’s minds on building on their enterprising ideas.

More money.

Two‑thirds of aspiring founders want to a business alongside their existing job, but when they were asked what was stopping them, 30% said lack of savings/startup capital and 26% said fear of failure. The shortage of money is the biggest brake on ambition. Six in ten say they’d be more likely to start a business if it were easier to find the right financial information and guidance.

When asked what would help them feel ready to fund a business money came up again with 32% saying a small grant would make the difference and 12% saying a clearer funding plan would help. People aren’t asking for handouts, but they do need help with a starting point.

Easier access to finance

The Entrepreneurs Network’s Cool Britannia survey found 68% of founders say tax levels and breaks are the strongest signal a country is serious about entrepreneurship. 60% say access to capital is the next biggest factor. There’s a clear message here for the Government which claims to be pro-business: the budget gives you a great opportunity to prove that and help more people startup and thrive.

A real entrepreneurial boom?

This ambition isn’t about a wave of tech‑bro optimism, a sudden cultural shift or a post‑pandemic reinvention story. This is about people needing more income and losing faith in traditional investments. People want more control over their financial futures, and they see entrepreneurship as lower risk than the alternatives. That however, doesn’t make the ambition any less important or those entrepreneurs any less likely to succeed.

Two‑thirds of adults are considering entrepreneurship. Half already have side hustles. A third plan to launch something in the next year. These people are contributing more in tax to the Treasury by being enterprising and the Government needs to support that entrepreneurial spirit in return. It’s time to drop the mindset that says side hustles and startups that aren’t aiming to be the next unicorn, aren’t where the Government wants to put it support.

Support

This is the biggest surge in entrepreneurial intent in a generation and it’s being driven by economic pressure, not romantic ambition. That doesn’t mean it can’t succeed and we need to support it. Lack of capital is putting the brake on a boom that could be beneficial to individuals, families, communities, society and the economy.

People in the UK want more money, control and stability and they believe entrepreneurship is the only route left that offers all three. If the UK wants an entrepreneurial boom, it needs grants, tax breaks and easier access to finance. The ambition is already there; it’s time to put the money behind it.  

Entrepreneurship is suddenly looking a lot more attractive to British adults. According to a survey by QuickBooks, 66% of UK adults are considering starting a business or side hustle, an increase from 52% the year before. More interestingly, the share who actually intend to start one in the next 12 months has doubled to 30%. Almost half of adults surveyed say they earned money from a side hustle in the past year, and 45% of those people hope to turn it into a full-time business, though slightly more, 49%, are content to keep it as side income.

Are you considering starting a new business or side hustle in the next 12 months? (Source: Entrepreneurship in 2026)

Is this a sudden surge in entrepreneurial zeal? Not quite. Respondents put starting a small business or side hustle top for potential returns next year on 26%, ahead of cash and savings (21%) and the stock market (11%). Only 13% think it is the riskiest of the options they were shown, below both crypto (32%) and shares (20%). Higher return and lower risk than equities is less a claim about entrepreneurship than it is a verdict on the alternatives.

The survey shows that earning more money is the single thing Brits say would most improve their satisfaction with life, outranking better health, relationships or more free time. Of those considering starting a business or side hustle, just over two-thirds would begin it alongside existing work.

Which of the following would make you more satisfied with your life than you are today? (Source: Entrepreneurship in 2026)

You’d expect a lack of ambition to be the biggest obstacle, but Britain may have more entrepreneurial ambition than it is given credit for. What stops people is a lack of money. Asked to name their single biggest obstacle, 30% said a lack of savings or startup capital, ahead of 26% who said fear of failure. Six in ten say they would be more likely to start a business if financial guidance were easier to access. Asked what would most help them feel ready to fund a business, 32% chose a small grant, against 12% for a clearer funding plan.

In The Entrepreneurs Network’s own recent survey of UK founders, Cool Britannia, a similar pattern emerged. According to respondents, the strongest signal that a country is serious about entrepreneurship was tax levels and breaks on 68%, followed by access to capital on 60%. As it turns out, aspiring founders and established ones are asking for the same thing — easier access to finance.