Small business startups are on the rise

The number of business start ups in the UK is on the rise, with 10% more businesses opening up in the last 3 months than in the same period last year.

Figures recently released by Selectabase revealed 22,824 new businesses had started up between June and August 2008, an increase of 11.4% on the same period last year, which saw just 20,849 new businesses.

The figures come as a contrast to the first half of this year, when start ups had been occurring at much lower levels than those in 2007.

The research also revealed that the types of businesses to start up in 2008 have been noticeably different to those in 2007.

This year hairdressers took the top spot for number of startups, followed by plumbers and then builders. Last year the most common start ups were plumbers, followed by driving schools and beauty salons.

The figures suggest that despite the continuing economic conditions, UK entrepreneurs are regaining confidence, and refusing to be deterred in the face of a slowdown.