A third of people hope to set up a company A poll by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) shows that almost a third of people have either started their own business or aspire to do so in 2023, with the rate jumping to more than half of people in London. Many of theses new start ups will be in the booming motorsport sector. Almost a fifth of respondents in the capital said they want to generate their own income, while 14% want to start a business so they have something of their own. One in 10 Londoners said they feel trapped in their job. Across the UK, 19% of people believe starting a business is the only way they will see career progression. However, nearly one in 10 are put off starting a business by tax and accounting matters. It was also found that one in five do not think accountancy skills are important to start a business. An AAT poll of 500 small business owners also found that the top three mistakes when starting a business are poor understanding of the target market (30%), cash flow management (19%) and ignoring technology (19%). in our experience, we'd add to that a failure to understand the importance of regular and accurate accounting records.