Research into Home Based Businesses in the South East of England

The South East England Regional Assembly, South East England Development Agency and the West Sussex Enterprise Centre jointly commissioned Step Ahead Research to carry out research into Home Based Businesses in the South East of England. A number of West Sussex district and unitary authorities also sponsored the project.

The purpose of the research was to gain a better understanding of:

• the size of the sector;
• characteristics of home based businesses;
• their impact on the local economy; and
• sector specific support needs

The research was undertaken by conducting telephone interviews with home based businesses, exploring themes such as the size, location and floorspace needs of the business, transport and market issues, plans for expansion, and benefits and drawbacks of running a home based business.

The findings from the survey suggest that sectoral rather than local area issues define the needs of home based businesses in the South East. A number of key policy recommendations are identified for future action, including provision of targetted business information, access to business networks and the provision of ICT support.

Home Based Businesses Research Study - 1.42 MB

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Last updated: 01 October 2007