New research commissioned by Dunster House reveals how UK entrepreneurs are transforming their homes and outdoor spaces into professional business hubs.
The interviews with 250 UK adults who run their business fully from their home, a small garden office or outdoor workspace, reveal that 46% say their enterprise is critically financially important and their primary source of income.
Combined with those who rely on it for significant additional earnings, nearly three-quarters (74%) describe their home business as either their main income source or a substantial financial contributor.
At the same time, 62% have invested money specifically into home or garden offices, or a home workspace to support their business, while 14% cited the prohibitive cost of commercial renting as a key reason for operating from home.
Nearly half of respondents (47%) started their business in pursuit of a better work-life balance, while 36% wanted to work from home by design, and a further 36% sought greater flexibility in how and when they worked.
Among 18 to 24-year-olds, 29% run online retail or e-commerce businesses compared with just 14% of those aged 55 and over. Among 25 to 34-year-olds, 12% run content creation or social media businesses, and a further 12% operate in fitness, yoga or personal training.
The most common workspace is the study or home office (20%), but a substantial proportion of entrepreneurs are running their businesses from wherever space allows: the living room (14%), a summer house or garden room (10%), a spare bedroom (10%), a workshop or studio (9%), a garage (6%), or even the kitchen or dining table (6%).
The survey finds that home business owners have invested an average of £5,170 into their workspace, with more than a third (36%) having invested at least £5,000.
When asked what they would invest in if money were no constraint, the answers point strongly towards workspace quality and professional infrastructure. Better broadband or Wi-Fi tops the list (34%), closely followed by improved heating or air conditioning (34%) and a fully insulated garden office (32%). Dedicated storage space (28%), a larger workshop (27%), soundproof studios (21%) and smart technology or security systems (21%) also feature prominently.
Pic courtesy Dunster House
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