UK entrepreneurs are determined not to sell their firms and become an employee, despite the pressures of the modern business world, new research has found.

A study by MacIntyre Hudson found that 43 per cent of business owners wouldn’t even consider planning an exit strategy, shrugging off the long hours, red tape and uncertainty that entrepreneurship brings.

Just one in five entrepreneurs have made detailed plans for selling up and moving on, while just one per cent of business owners would want to go back to being an employee.

Even more mature owners were keen to remain in their roles, with one in three entrepreneurs aged over 50 not considering an exit plan.

The survey suggests that despite the pressures and the recent economic downturn, entrepreneurship remains a popular choice for many people.

Previous studies have shown that increasing numbers of graduates and employees were keen on becoming their own bosses, with many inspired by the likes of Richard Branson or Anita Roddick.

The MacIntyre Hudson research did reveal several of the strains suffered by entrepreneurs, however. Four in ten said that the prospect of a better quality life may tempt them to sell up, while 26 per cent were frustrated by red tape and regulation.

When they do eventually retire, 56 per cent expect to dispose of their business through a trade sale, while 19 per cent wish to pass it onto their children.

Mike Kay, of MacIntyre Hudson, said that selling up doesn’t mean selling out.

“Given that it takes an average of three to five years to prepare a business for sale, and that a business primed for sale can gain around tow or three times more than one where the owner has refused to think about planning, there is rarely a bad time for owner managers to crystallise their plans for the future,” he said.