Trend of The Alterpreneur

Several weeks ago Alex Bellinger of SmallBizBlog left a comment here about the trend of the Alterpreneur in Great Britain. In case you missed his comment, here is the description of that trend from an article in Freelance UK:

"A new breed of entrepreneurs whose main objectives are to keep their business small and enjoy life are shedding the 'enterprise culture' tag thrust upon them by Government initiatives.

Far from being the next Richard Branson, the overwhelming majority of entrepreneurs simply want "an alternative to the nine to five of a traditional job" that lets them "retain control over their lives."

These are the 'alterpreneurs' -- self employed people that "work to live" so they can obtain "freedom from the corporate treadmill and the chance to build their own lifestyle."

Starting a business often has been the refuge of those who want more control over their lifestyles and working hours, whether in the U.K., the United States, Canada or other countries.

The danger, however, is that entrepreneurs who start a business in order to have a less-stressful and less-demanding work life, can end up working more hours. At least in the United States (and I suspect elsewhere) it often ends up that way.

Perhaps the business takes off and begins to grow, leading to greater and greater demands on the business owner's time. Or perhaps the business requires more hours than the business owner expected, and in this 24/7 world of ours, instead of having fewer demands on their time the opposite occurs and the line blurs further and further between work and personal time.

Oh, the best laid plans....