According to a study of 450 business owners by Bibby Financial Services, 65 per cent are taking on cleaning duties around the office, 63 per cent find themselves in charge of the stationary order and even 39 per cent say they have to make deliveries or collections.

The survey also found that 82 per cent of business owners are taking on the responsibility of dealing with suppliers themselves, 62 per cent are busy trying to secure finance for their business, 63 per cent are chasing payments from customers and 58 per cent are pursuing new business leads or opportunities in addition to their ‘day-to-day’ roles.

Edward Rimmer, UK chief executive for Bibby Financial Services says that the pressures that managing directors are under means they often have to take on many different roles in order to make their business a success.

He adds, ‘People go into business because they have a passion for something and a good idea, but it is easy to underestimate how many different roles need to be taken on. The research really highlights just how demanding running a business can be and that some managers may be taking on too much.’