Title: Business startup motives and satisfaction among Swedish selfemployed

Authors: Birgitta Eriksson, Patrik Larsson, Mark Saruckij

Addresses: Working Life Science, Karlstad University, S-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden. ' Service Research Center, Karlstad University, Sweden. ' Department of International Management, Cracow University of Economics, Rakowicka 27, 31-510 Krakow, Poland

Abstract: This article investigates if satisfaction with being selfemployed is affected by whether the decision to become selfemployed has been made by choice or by force. After a literature review, the hypothesis was that pull factors lead to higher satisfaction than push factors among the selfemployed. A survey answered by 1040 selfemployed (62% of the sample), shows interesting results since both groups of startup motives lead to equally high levels of satisfaction. These results support a government|s strategy to encourage and stimulate people to start a business both in times of economic recession and unemployment as well as during economic prosperity.

Keywords: self-employment; entrepreneurship; business startups; motivation; satisfaction; push factors; pull factors; Sweden; new ventures.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2006.010215

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2006 Vol.2 No.4, pp.295 - 308

Published online: 10 Jul 2006 *

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