The multiple roles of the self-employed
A typical small business owner has at least five different roles — ranging from accountant to social media manager
73% have taken on more roles than when they first started
Other roles SME owners are having to take on
% who have taken on these in addition to their main role
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Finance manager 44%
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Office administrator 44%
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Accounting 42%
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Sales manager 42%
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Customer service manager 40%
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Marketing 39%
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IT helpdesk 39%
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Social media manager 34%
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Advertiser 34%
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Operations & logistics manager 31%
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Cleaner 28%
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Insurance manager 27%
Most challenging issues for self-employed
Accounting issues 13%
Finances 7%
29% have made a significant mistake at work due to a lack of expertise within a specific business area
20% say being a sole trader contributes to the issues they face
Nearly half of SME owners face challenges on a day-to-day basis
34% think it's impossible to be skilled in all areas of business
26% say there's not enough general help and advice for business owners
17% are concerned they may not have the right business insurance
