Third age self‐employment: a business assistance perspective

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the self‐employment experiences of a group of “third age entrepreneurs” from a business assistance perspective. As well as examining what sources of business assistance are utilised, and what influences such decisions, methods of access and perceived impact are also considered – as are the reasons for non‐use.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on data from in‐depth interviews with 14 individuals who entered self‐employment when they were 50 years of age or older.

Findings

The findings from the interviews suggest that there is limited engagement by these older entrepreneurs with the business support infrastructure. Interactions tend to be with a limited number of trusted professionals with whom relationships are already established. There is a lack of demand for initiatives, targeted or otherwise, and a desire to remain independent and self‐reliant.

Research limitations/implications

The paper reports on a small‐scale qualitative study, and therefore the results are not generalisable.

Originality/value

The paper make a contribution to the small, but critical, knowledge base focused on better understanding third age entrepreneurship. Specifically, it is one of few studies to explore the phenomenon from a support infrastructure perspective.

Citation

Lewis, K.V. and Walker, E.A. (2013), "Third age self‐employment: a business assistance perspective", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 20 No. 2, pp. 399-419. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626001311326798