Number of female entrepreneurs on rise, according to Czech Radio

The number of female entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic has gone up by more than 30,000 over the last three years, according to Czech Radio.

Illustrative photo: stockimages, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The broadcaster reported recently that the number of women launching their own businesses has gone up substantially in recent years while the number of male entrepreneurs had dropped by some 5,000. Women between the ages of 25 – 35 are most active in founding small businesses; often launching business projects shortly after graduation or after returning from maternity leave. Czech Radio spoke to Ema, a young mother who launched a company producing fashion for pregnant women.

“My friend is an excellent seamstress and I do the actual selling. When friends learned about our clothes, and how good they looked, they began placing orders. So we designed a website and began to sell our products.”

Founders of fledgling businesses often choose to launch e-shop firsts to see if their business idea has legs whether the business catches on and they can build a stable customer base. The next big step, once the first major hurdles are overcome, is to open a stone-and-mortar venue, if a company is to grow further. Recent years have seen small businesses built on niche hobbies to fashion to children’s books. Crafts such as wicker weaving, games and designer toys for children have also caught on.

While female entrepreneurs tend to be younger, Czech Radio says, women in their 50s have also begun small or medium-sized ventures. Recent graduates, women on maternity leave and women over their 50s are all considered at higher risk when it comes to long-term employment, a high driving factor beyond the singular desire to follow one’s own direction. The chairman of the Czech Association of Small and Medium-sized businesses and Entrepreneurs, Karel Havlíček, also says more female entrepreneurs are now working in translation, accounting services, and artistic areas than men – which he called a unique trend in Europe. By contrast, men often start small businesses which are trade-related; but there are fewer independent businessmen now apparently who cite their start-up or small company as their main income and activity.

In the Czech Republic, there are some two million people who have trade licenses but only around half of those are active. According to Czech Radio, one-third of entrepreneurs are women.