The start of a new year means many people are considering major changes in their lives. start a business.
But while the idea of starting your own business or starting a new business sounds exciting at first, it’s easier said than done.
A report from Intuit Quickbooks reveals that self-employment and entrepreneurship is on the rise in the UK. However, there are several things that stand in the way of these would-be solopreneurs.
While money worries and fear of failure remain the main obstacles to taking the leap into entrepreneurship, a lack of AI literacy is also emerging as a major barrier.
The UK’s preference for individual entrepreneurship is rapidly increasing
The entrepreneurial spirit remains strong in the UK, with the appetite for people leaving traditional 9-to-5 jobs for a freelance life to grow rapidly over the past year.
As of 2025, 3.2 million sole proprietorsand new research suggests this number may increase further. According to Entrepreneurship in 2026 According to a report from Intuit Quickbooks, 33% of UK adults say they have or intend to start a business. side hustle within the next 12 months.
The report also found that increasing income is the number one motivator for entrepreneurs, with 52% of respondents wanting to build wealth through entrepreneurship. Other motivating factors include being your own boss (49%) and having a flexible work schedule (42%).
However, financial insecurity and lack of confidence were reported to be the main barriers to entrepreneurial ambitions, with 40% of respondents citing lack of sufficient savings or start-up capital as a reason for not starting their own business. A close second, 38% of respondents, feel fear of failure.
Lee Thomas, vice president of EMEA at Intuit, said: “There are ambitions, but there are also fears. There are many people in the UK who want to work for themselves, but the cost of living is making that leap more difficult than ever.”
AI literacy is a hidden brake for aspiring solopreneurs
Lack of AI literacy has also emerged as a hidden but growing barrier for aspiring solopreneurs.
This is also reflected in government policy SME Digital Adoption Task Force A July 2025 report found that many SMEs still lack confidence in effectively adopting and using new digital and AI tools.
Additionally, a study reported by KPMG It has been revealed that 73% of Brits have no training or education in AI. It also found that of the 47 countries surveyed, the UK ranks in the bottom three for AI literacy and training.
And this limited knowledge and expertise contributes to companies’ low adoption rates of AI technology. research by board of directors We found that half of respondents cited a lack of understanding of AI models and tools as a key barrier to adoption, along with a lack of trust in the results AI produces.
Moreover, the most persistent lack of AI adoption is sole proprietor According to a survey of sole proprietorships, money penny. It found that 42% of sole traders have no intention of implementing AI, and the remaining 31% only use AI sparingly.
How to master AI tools for entrepreneurship
For aspiring freelancers and solopreneurs who are new to using AI in their business, the first thing to note is that not all AI tools are the same. Some generate content, some automate workflows, and some analyze and optimize data. digital marketing.
When considering the tools you want to use, instead of trying to learn everything at once, you should first focus on the tools that solve your biggest business challenges.
Secondly, learning by doing is essential. Start by choosing a small project (such as automation). social media Posts, product idea generation, etc.), try different AI tools and track what works and what doesn’t. It also helps you refine your prompts as you go along. Clear, specific, and goal-oriented instructions yield better results.
Finally, look at how your business operates day-to-day and identify where AI can save time and reduce effort. From there, you can build simple workflows that use both human judgment and AI assistance.
Please remember. You don’t need to be a full-fledged AI expert to start as a solopreneur. Even small, practical uses of AI can make a big difference early on, allowing you to work more efficiently and grow your business without endless admin and workflow overload.
