Working for free is necessary for small businesses, survey shows

Over 25 per cent of small business owners believe that working for free is a necessary step when starting up a business, according to research from micro-business company Chorus.

The research showed that over 60 per cent of micro-business owners have worked for free in order to get their business started up.

Unfair

In addition to start-ups working for free, the research showed that entrepreneurs are also providing their services for free, with 20 per cent working for free every month and 53 per cent being asked to work for free annually.

The research also identified the types of companies requesting free work, with charities and larger businesses being the main ones.

Whilst 27 per cent of small business owners believe that it is necessary to provide services for free to get a business started, 25 per cent said that they would not offer free services, and 20 per cent said that they had worked on projects for free but felt that it was unfair.

Valued

Chorus Micro-business Ambassador Jason Kitcat described micro-businesses as a “key driver of the UK economy, keeping the wheels of innovation and entrepreneurialism turning”, but said that the company’s research shows that their skills are “undervalued and exploited.”

According to Kitcat, micro-businesses employ 8.4 million people and make up 96 per cent of all British businesses but are too often being taken advantage of “on the promise of future publicity and business.”

He stated that working for free should not be necessary, that the time and effort of micro-businesses “should be valued like any other”, and that Chorus is currently campaigning for better protection of their rights.