Entrepreneurs worldwide are more prepared to take a gamble for growth and hire new staff than larger companies, according to a worldwide opinion poll conducted by Regus of the SME sector.

“Given that in any economy SMEs usually account for over 50 per cent of employment this is an important indicator for future growth,” Regus said. Forty per cent of those surveyed said they intend to increase headcount in the next six months compared to the 36 per cent ‘all company’ average. Entrepreneurs are also just as keen to hire returning mothers (36 per cent) as larger businesses.

In addition to this, the survey found that entrepreneurs are more likely to be flexible about work location (76 per cent) than businesses overall (66 per cent) indicating that accommodating staff needs is a priority they recognise needs to be met to secure top talent.

The survey canvassed the opinions of over 5,000 entrepreneurs in 78 countries asking them about their recent revenue and profit trends, along with their main concerns and causes of stress in the past years.

Seventy four per cent of respondents globally declared that banks should be forced to lend more to entrepreneurial ventures and small businesses, highlighting that access to credit is an issue for entrepreneurs.

Eighty six per cent of entrepreneurs globally also stated that government venture capital funds should be available to support entrepreneurs and their business initiatives. Indicating that maintaining cash flow is an issue for small businesses and entrepreneurs globally, 72 per cent of respondents globally declared that legal penalties should be introduced for late payment of invoices.

To provide an at-a-glance measure of entrepreneurs’ feelings as to how easy it is to conduct business in their country the survey provides an Entrepreneurial Environment Index with an average of 100. Spain and India sit at opposite ends of the index with Indian companies well satisfied with their business environment.

China, on the other hand sits quite close to the global average between more optimistic Canada and Australia. Other countries lagging behind are the US and a number of EU countries such as the UK, Germany and Belgium.

Olivier de Lavalette, vice president for Regus Europe South, said: “Entrepreneurial businesses confirm their role as engines of growth fuelling national trends for new employment. In spite of these mixed performance statistics the overall growth indicators for business owners shows signs of stabilisation.

“Compared with established corporates, the very nature of entrepreneurial business is risky, highly volatile and more sensitive to profit and revenue peaks and troughs. More indicative of a positive confidence in near-term growth is the attitude of entrepreneurial SMEs to increasing their staff numbers.”