Amway: Entrepreneurial Potential is Growing in Croatia

Amway’s global entrepreneurship report shows that the entrepreneurial potential in Croatia has increased by 10 percent, with 35 percent of respondents in Croatia today envisioning starting their own business, while 70 percent of Croatian citizens, nine percent more than last year, have a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship.

“The entrepreneurial potential in Croatia has increased by 10 percent compared to last year, with 35 percent of respondents today able to imagine starting their own business,” states the Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report (AGER) from the American company that measures the public pulse of entrepreneurship.

The research also showed that 35 percent of respondents globally consider self-employment more likely in the next five years. Regarding the search for and acquisition of clients, the main entrepreneurial skill, 50 percent of respondents said they feel comfortable with this task, while only 40 percent would feel discomfort.

Compared to the international average, significantly more respondents in Croatia expect a decrease in self-employment in the next five years.

Amway also published the Entrepreneurial Spirit Index (AESI), which measures three dimensions that influence a person’s intention to start their own business: desirability, feasibility, and stability in relation to social pressures.

The average for EU countries remained at 45 out of 100 points and is still lower than the global average (50 points), while in Croatia it stands at 40 points, an increase from last year’s 28 points.

On average, 47 percent of Europeans and 27 percent of Croatians, representing a 9 percent increase compared to last year, expressed a desire to become entrepreneurs, while 40 percent of them feel ready for this challenge.

Respondents under the age of 35 are more inclined to start their own business, achieving a higher AESI score (52 points) than respondents over 50 years old (38 points), and showed a much greater desire (61 percent) for self-employment than any other age group. However, respondents aged 35 to 49 are the most confident that they possess the necessary resources and skills for this step (46 percent).

AGER also shows that gender equality in the EU is still a relevant topic. Men achieve a higher AESI score (50 points) compared to women (41 points). Particularly, the desire to start their own business (women 43 percent, men 52 percent) and belief in their own abilities (women 34 percent, men 47 percent) are rated much higher among men.

In Croatia, the AESI score for women is 35 points, marking a 10 percent increase compared to last year. Likewise, all values have increased compared to last year – desirability to 21 percent, an increase of 6 percent, feasibility to 37 percent, or 2 percent higher, and stability to 46 percent, representing an increase of 11 percent.

Men, however, have higher scores, at 46 points, while last year they had 31 points, showing a remarkable growth in all dimensions, also compared to the results from 2015: desirability: 33 percent (plus 13 percent), feasibility 50 percent (plus 18 percent), stability 56 percent (plus 15 percent).

Confirming the results of previous research, 74 percent of respondents in the EU think positively about entrepreneurship. Men show a slightly more positive attitude (76 percent) than women (73 percent).

Croatian attitudes on all issues are much more positive than in 2015, with 70 percent of Croatian respondents having a generally positive attitude towards entrepreneurship. Compared to last year, this is an increase of 9 percent.

When it comes to age, respondents over 50 years old are less positive than the other two groups, while the values of respondents under 50 years old have significantly increased. A generally positive attitude towards entrepreneurship is held by 82 percent of Croatian citizens under 35 years old, which is an increase of 13 percent compared to last year, while 76 percent of the population aged 35 to 49 has a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship (an increase of 14 percent compared to 2015).

Independence from an employer, being your own boss, prospects for additional income, self-fulfillment, and the ability to realize one’s own ideas are the most attractive aspects for starting one’s own business and remain the same as last year.

Amway is, by the way, one of the leading consumer goods manufacturers in the world that is family-owned.