The allure of running a business from home is either attracting more optimistic people than the rest of the business community, or there’s something to be said for the care that goes into running your own ship during tough times. According to a new survey from RSA Insurance, just under three quarters of businesses based at home said that despite the economic downturn, they believed their business would grow over the next year. Only 8% said that they didn’t think they’d be able to grow or maintain their current level of business.

This week’s news that the UK’s economy is most likely going to suffer even more than the rest of Europe is one thing, but Aaron Devitt, director of professional and financial risks at RSA, said: ‘Clearly, in at least one area of the economy, there are reasons for remaining optimistic about future growth.’

Survey participants listed the top three benefits of working from home as ‘being your own boss’, ‘being able to offer clients a flexible service’ and ‘greater job satisfaction.’ Many also said that the very fact clients knew they were speaking to the owner-manager meant that the clients knew the business was important to the owner of the firm, which is good news for the company in the long run.