The attitudes of Finnish people towards being self-employed have been measured and the results show that their attitudes towards this career choise are rather negative. Entrepreneurship is very important for the Finnish economy in the form of taxes paid to the state, this way funding social welfare. That taxincome is priceless. The aim of the study was to find out how entrepreneurs see their work in Finland.

The Finnish business environment needed a point of comparison and therefore the study was expanded to cover also New Zealand. By comparing these two countries it was possible to define if the system in New Zealand had something to offer for the self-employed people in Finland. The study focused on the practical business aspects of the entrepreneurs’ work in these two countries, including related costs, demands and support networks for entrepreneurs. These support systems include financing, training and advisory services, which all affect people’s willingness to become entrepreneurs.

The approach of the study was qualitative. The theoretical framework deals with information needed in the process of starting up a business and the interviews focus on the daily life of entrepreneurs. The study approaches the issues both from the viewpoint of a beginner and that of a more experienced entrepreneur. The results showed the most important disadvantages of the Finnish system, and by comparing the system in New Zealand with the Finnish system, the conclusion was that there was something to be learnt. The main issues in this respect were education, the payments involving self-employed people, information services and the treatment of business start-ups.