The majority of employees are no longer motivated by business ambition, preferring instead to focus on 'fambition' – lifestyle led issues such as family time, holidays and happiness, according to the MORE TH>N business foresight index.
The survey, which assesses trends in small business ambitions on an annual basis, found that 84% of small business owner managers said they founded their business to achieve a better lifestyle, rather than to “earn lots of money”.
According to MORE TH>N, one possible explanation for the shifting trend is the ageing population in the UK. The index found that the older the respondent, the more lifestyle focused they are.
In the 16 to 34 age group the ideal number of employees was 10. However, respondents in the 55 to 64 age group considered only two employees to be the optimum business size.
Global events, such as the Iraq war, bird flu and terrorism are also believed to have acted as a catalyst for this change. According to psychologist and life coach, Dr Sally Ann Law, such events are fundamental to our perception of our long-term future, and encourage people to “cherish things like family and quality of life all the more”.
MORE TH>N Business manager, Rachel Cotton, said: "The fact that so many businesses in the UK are now driven by the desire to have a good lifestyle means that the type of support they require is likely to be quite different from support and services needed by more money and growth focused businesses.”
