The pandemic has significantly impacted the labour market, leading to ‘The Great Resignation’ and a boom in entrepreneurship. New research has revealed the top ten towns and cities proving the most entrepreneurial. Could living in one of these locations do your business and wellbeing a world of good?
Being around people who share your entrepreneurial spirit and can appreciate the demands of running your own business is priceless. That is why freelancers and small business owners may find some towns more attuned to their business and emotional needs than others.
The top 3 towns and cities for entrepreneurs
Northampton, Kettering and Eastbourne took the top three spots for the towns while Leicester, Brighton and Hove, and Southampton led the most entrepreneurial cities, according to research carried out by business insurer, Superscript.
What makes a city or town entrepreneurial?
To calculate the nation’s most entrepreneurial locations, Superscript used data gathered by the Office for National Statistics to compare the total number of businesses per town and city in 2020 to the same figure for 2021. They then cross-referenced these insights with the government’s latest population data to generate a ‘businesses per capita’ score for each location, allowing Superscript to pinpoint the 10 most entrepreneurial towns and cities.
Brighton case study: The No Catch Co. – Kings Road
Following the 2018 launch of Unity Diner, a successful non-profit vegan restaurant based in East London, Kevyn Bourke and Ed Winters started brainstorming new food ideas. Their efforts ultimately led to the launch of the No Catch Co, a Brighton-based restaurant with a menu packed full of vegan spins on chip-shop classics. As well as their signature ‘tofish’ (tofu-based vegan fish), they offer meat-free versions of smoked haddock, prawns, calamari and more.
“It’s a good product that aids a good cause,’ Kevyn explains. “We thought: if we open a vegan fish and chip shop, we can show people how to take on the fish and chip industry.’”
Why Brighton?
The partners chose Brighton for a few reasons. Not only is the city a diverse and welcoming place, but it’s also popular with tourists in the summer months.
Additionally, Brighton is home to a thriving vegan community – as well as many non-vegans willing to try new things.
“Very few fish and chip shops are exclusively vegan,” Bourke points out. “If we can cook something just as tasty as the traditional option, and as close as possible in flavour and texture, then we’re more than halfway there.”
Despite the success of their new venture, the duo stresses that budding entrepreneur should be ready to face challenges. That means learning from those who’ve been in the same spot.
Listening to podcasts where entrepreneurs discuss their initial struggles and ideas, how long it took them, how much investment they needed – that’s all vital. Even ask people you already know, or those who you feel may be interested in helping you. People can always surprise you!
Kevyn Bourke
Breakdown of top 10 towns and cities:
Top 10 most entrepreneurial towns in order of position (1-10): Northampton, Kettering, Eastbourne, Chesterfield, Chorley, Maidstone, Horsham, Oldham, Barnsley, Blackpool
Top 10 most entrepreneurial cities in order of position (1-10): Leicester, Brighton and Hove, Southampton, Peterborough, Manchester, Gloucester, Preston, Cardiff, Sunderland, Carlisle
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