Bitter Lessons for Polish Entrepreneurs: Why One in Ten Advises Against Starting a Business

Three in four Polish micro-entrepreneurs would start their own business again, yet one in ten strongly discourages others, as a new KRD study reveals that running a sole proprietorship brings daily stress rather than high income.

Independence Wins Over Employment, But Without Unconditional Encouragement

As a rule, Polish micro-entrepreneurs view their decisions to leave regular employment positively. As many as 74% of respondents declare that, with today’s knowledge, they would open their own business again, though clear differences emerge depending on the business model and market experience.

Reality becomes more difficult when it comes to advising others. Only 38% of micro-firm owners unconditionally encourage following in their footsteps, while 52% express certain reservations, citing financial risk.

Personal Balance and Business Debt

Running a company has a personal balance; owners know their industry, clients, and risk limits, allowing them to choose this path again, but caution grows when advising others whose financial situation, sales competence, and resilience they do not know. Professional independence means personal responsibility for every decision and its financial consequences, which can sometimes be disastrous, as evidenced by KRD data showing 267.4 thousand company debtors owing a total of PLN 11.7 billion, with PLN 5.5 billion belonging to sole proprietorships, according to Adam Łącki, CEO of the National Debt Register BIG.

Freedom and Flexibility Over Money

Interestingly, the study shows that the main driver for starting a business in Poland is not cold calculation, but the need for autonomy, with money and the desire for higher earnings ranking lower on the list of motivations.

Stress as a Daily Reality for Micro-Entrepreneurs

Business ownership has many pros, but also drawbacks felt firsthand, with 23% of respondents describing their business as the main source of problems and stress—a percentage higher than those citing savings or prestige, with particular differences visible across gender and market models.

Despite these barriers, Polish enthusiasm for self-employment does not fade, as official CEIDG data for 2025 show that for every 100 closed sole proprietorships, there were 147 new registration applications.