It’s worth running a business. According to the ZPP Portrait of an Entrepreneur survey, as many as 80% of business owners and entrepreneurs, in spite of difficulties, are satisfied with their career

Warsaw, 23^rd September 2020

It’s worth running a business.
According to the ZPP Portrait of an Entrepreneur survey, as many as 80% of business owners and entrepreneurs, in spite of difficulties, are satisfied with their career

The Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, known in Poland as ZPP, conducted the largest in Poland, comprehensive study of the Polish sector of small and medium-sized enterprises that covered a representative sample of companies employing from 1 to 250 employees. The survey’s objective was to find out about the motivations, attitudes, and moods of Polish entrepreneurs.

The vast majority of respondents (80%), regardless of their reasons and circumstances, positively assessed their decision to start a business (41% assessed it positively, 39% – rather positively). Only 10% of entrepreneurs are not satisfied with their decision to start a business. Statistically speaking, dissatisfied respondents are slightly more often owners of companies from the trade sector, people with lower education (primary or vocational), but also people whose financial situation is not great – they have little to no savings, while at the same time have loans and outstanding credit.

Cezary Kaźmierczak, President of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, comments: “We can be proud of Polish entrepreneurs, because they do really well even in such difficult circumstances, which is also reflected in the recent performance of our economy. Polish companies are moving forward despite the lack of capital and worse conditions for running a business compared to most EU countries. I dare not think how much faster we could be developing if only we managed to untap all the energy and entrepreneurial spirit blocked by thick reams of paper covered in regulations or by the politicians’ obsessive desires to constantly amend the law, control everything and their chronic distrust of business leaders.

Among the most burdensome disadvantages of being an entrepreneur as well as barriers to running a business, the respondents named:

• high labour costs and social security premiums – 53% of respondents;
• irregular salaries – 41% of respondents;
• financial and legal responsibility – 40% of respondents;
• high taxes – 40% of respondents;
• high stress levels – 37% of respondents;
• excessive obligations related to bureaucracy – 23% of respondents;
• legal instability – 22% of respondents.

Passion and escape from a 9-to-5 job, above all else

As many as 37% of respondents admitted that the main reason for starting a company was the desire to fulfil their passions, whereas 25% of entrepreneurs never wanted to work full-time and were looking for an idea for their own business. By way of comparison, for 23% of respondents, the decision to set up a business was impacted by the economic situation, while in the case of 10% of entrepreneurs surveyed, this was an order from their former employers.

Professor Dominika Maison, the author of the study and the report, comments: “Observing the changes taking place among Polish entrepreneurs for years, we can see that their motivations for starting their own business are evolving along with the generational changes. It is no longer just a desire to earn a lot of money or be a great entrepreneur with hundreds of employees. Especially among young people, what prompts them to abandon safe full-time work and start their own business is the desire for self-fulfilment and freedom, and to decide about their own fate, even at the cost of sometimes lower salaries or the uncertainty and risk related to running their own, sometimes small and niche business.”

The ZPP Portrait of an Entrepreneur survey was conducted in February 2020 on a representative sample of Polish entrepreneurs. A total of 678 respondents running a sole proprietorship and business owners employing from 1 to 250 employees shared their views.

Infographics

• Satisfaction with the establishment of a company
• Reasons for starting a business
• The company’s period of operations
• Perceived advantages of running a business
• Perceived disadvantages of running a business
• Perceived barriers to running a business

About the ZPP Portrait of an Entrepreneur survey

ZPP Portrait of an Entrepreneur is the largest in Poland, comprehensive study of the Polish sector of small and medium-sized enterprises. It was conducted in February 2020 on a representative sample of Polish entrepreneurs. It included a total of 678 respondents conducting sole proprietorship and business owners employing from 1 to 250 employees.

The objective of this study was to learn about the motivations, attitudes, and moods of Polish entrepreneurs. As part of the research project initiated by the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, also the first comprehensive segmentation study of companies from the SME sector in Poland will be developed, consisting in the selection of groups of entrepreneurs with different approaches to running a business. The study was carried out in February 2020 using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method on the Ariadna online research panel under the supervision of Professor Dominika Maison.

About the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers

Founded in 2010, the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, known as ZPP, is the fastest growing and most active organisation of Polish entrepreneurs. Its members include over 52,000 companies, 15 regional and 20 industry organisations. Every year, the Union publishes over 30 reports, studies and films as well as over 100 legislative comments, positions and opinions. It organises numerous debates and meetings. Its goal is to make Poland the country with the best business conditions and tax system in Europe. ZPP is an apolitical organisation that supports the free market and common sense, regardless of political affiliations. Moreover, the Union is a member of the Social Dialogue Council and has a representative office in Brussels.