According to a study by Direct Line for Business, 65 per cent of respondents are tempted to launch a company, with one in five (20 per cent) citing spending more time with their children as the main reason.

A sixth (16 per cent) of mothers consider the idea because of the prohibitive childcare costs associated with working a traditional nine-to-five job.

With recent figures putting full-time annual childcare costs at £11,7002 for two children, almost half of the mothers (49 per cent) surveyed believe that they would be better off financially if they started a business from home.

One in seven mums (14 per cent) are motivated by the flexibility of being their own boss, while one in eight (12 per cent) say they have always had the ambition to start their own business. Only one per cent is motivated by the fact that they do not like their current job.

Head of Direct Line for Business Jazz Gakhal says, ‘The costs of sending a child to day care or hiring a nanny continue to spiral. It’s great to see that mums are tackling this problem with such an entrepreneurial spirit, as they understand considerable child care cost savings can be made by running a business from home.

Gakhal adds that while launching a business from home has many benefits, it also brings its own set of challenges.

‘These ventures often require substantial financial investment, alongside the time and effort required to build a business from scratch.’

Further reading on work-life balance

SmallBusiness.co.uk has a section dedicated to work-life balance, with articles such as achieving a work-life balance as a working mum and How to have it all: Growing a start-up and a family, without losing either. Further articles on managing your professional and personal life can be seen here.