Third age self‐employment: a business assistance perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the self‐employment experiences of a group of “third age entrepreneurs” from a business assistance perspective. As well as examining what sources of business assistance are utilised, and what influences such decisions, methods of access and perceived impact are also considered – as are the reasons for non‐use. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on data from in‐depth interviews with 14 individuals who entered self‐employment when they were 50 years of age or older. Findings – The findings from the interviews suggest that there is limited engagement by these older entrepreneurs with the business support infrastructure. Interactions tend to be with a limited number of trusted professionals with whom relationships are already established. There is a lack of demand for initiatives, targeted or otherwise, and a desire to remain independent and self‐reliant. Research limitations/implications – The paper reports on a small‐scale qualitative study, and therefore the results are not generalisable. Originality/value – The paper make a contribution to the small, but critical, knowledge base focused on better understanding third age entrepreneurship. Specifically, it is one of few studies to explore the phenomenon from a support infrastructure perspective.