According to the latest research by Clydesdale Bank Yorkshire Bank (CYBG), Bristol and Sheffield are the two best cities in the UK for female entrepreneurs.
The findings come following a study into the attitudes and opinions of 2,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs from a range of sectors in the UK’s 10 largest cities.
Female business leaders in Bristol were displaying the best results, with 39 per cent reporting growth for their enterprises, closely followed by Sheffield with 38 per cent.
London was ranked at the bottom of the 10 cities with less than a third (31 per cent) of those surveyed reporting growth in 2018.
Female entrepreneurs in Leeds were found to be the most optimistic about the future of their business, with 43 per cent expecting growth in the next year. London was the next most optimistic city on 40 per cent, highlighting the ambition of business leaders in the capital despite the low level of growth in 2018.
However, female business leaders were typically found to be less optimistic about growth in general than their male counterparts. The research found that 34 per cent of women were planning to grow their business during 2019, compared to 42 per cent of men.
However, several cities bucked this trend – Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow.
Leicester was ranked as the city most likely to be recommended by entrepreneurs to their peers (78 per cent), closely followed by Leeds (77 per cent) and Manchester (75 per cent).
London ranked bottom of the pile with only 68 per cent likely to recommend the city based on a range of factors, which include the overall sense of business community, availability of partners and suppliers, and the talent pool.
Samantha Bedford, Head of New Ways of Working, CYBG said, “The business community is incredibly strong and supportive, particularly in the North. However, there are still disparities between male and female entrepreneurs on a national level.
“Our research has shown that a larger proportion of females are finding it difficult to receive the funding they need and that’s an area we can work on, to try and close the growth gap and support the wider ambitions they have for their businesses.”
