The Influence of the Fear of Failure on Women Pursuing Entrepreneurship in the United Kingdom

Women’s entrepreneurship is a key issue in boosting economies of countries worldwide, and whilst there is no objective reason why women’s ventures should perform less well than men’s there are considerable barriers that many entrepreneurs and researchers have reported. A qualitative study interviewing local women entrepreneurs in the UK was performed to understand current views of nascent entrepreneurs and the barriers they face. We have found both internal and external contributory factors which we have classified into five main areas. Whilst it was generally seen as negative, fear of failure did encourage the women entrepreneurs to work harder and be more determined to succeed.