Is Entrepreneurship Losing Its Luster?

Most managers today are satisfied working for someone else, according to a recent survey. Only 38 percent of those polled said they would choose to be self-employed given the necessary start-up capital. In 1994, 48 percent of respondents said they felt the average executive would make the move.

The survey was developed by Robert Half International, Inc., a staffing services firm. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150 executives with the nation's 1,000 largest companies.

Respondents were asked: "If the average executive could be self-employed and had the necessary start-up capital, do you feel he or she would make the move?" Their responses:

	1997	1994
Yes	38%	48%
No	57%	50%
Don't know	5%	2%

"In a growing economy with declining layoff activity, there is less incentive for executives to leave their current employers and assume the risks associated with starting their own businesses," says Max Messmer, chairman and chief executive officer of Robert Half International.

Since the last recession, a number of executives who experimented with entrepreneurship may have found they prefer corporate life, Messmer notes.

Others have turned to consulting or project work as a way to maintain the freedom of entrepreneurship while eliminating administrative responsibilities and concerns associated with generating adequate business on a full-time basis.

According to Rob Hibray, Robert Half regional manager, "Many of those who aren't sure if they should become self-employed are using staffing firms as a means to see if a flexible and independent approach to their careers is appealing."

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