Up to 18.5 million people in the UK have already started or want to start their own business, according to new government research.
A study by Business Link, the government's small business advice service, reveals 40% of Britons are entrepreneurs or express a strong desire to run their own company.
The wannabe entrepreneurs crave the perceived substantial lifestyle and personal benefits of going it alone.
Business Link's findings fall in line with another recent study by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM).
It found that the rate of people starting their own company in the UK grew from 7.8% of the population to 9.5% in the last year, making this country the most entrepreneurial of the major EU economies.
"Starting up your own businesses is not as difficult as many people think," said Sahar Hashemi, founder of Coffee Republic.
"Good planning and advice is the key, and I would encourage people to make the most of the support and information available and start acting on their business ideas now."
The study found that most current and potential entrepreneurs possess overwhelming confidence in their business skills, but many expressed trepidation toward the financial pressures of starting up, which was the main deterrent for 68% of respondents.
Stress was a deterrent for two fifths of budding entrepreneurs, while employment regulations frightened a third.
Despite the obstacles, however, the lure of being their own boss and having more control over their life was too large a motivation for 43% of people surveyed.
Some 35% believed starting up was the best way to make better money, and a quarter said they wanted to leave the rat race behind and achieve a better work-life balance.
