The Mirror
12th September 2026
‘More Gen Z entrepreneurs launching businesses ‘but many will go bust”
– Paul Denley, CEO of Oakham Wealth Management, said he applauded the ambition and that tech was a great enabler, but the reality of business formation was altogether different. He continued: “A limited company takes 10 minutes and a few pounds to register. Building a business takes years. “Companies House counts incorporations, not trading, whereas the Office for National Statistics (ONS) only records a business creation once it appears on the VAT or PAYE register. Around four in 10 who clear that bar survive five years. Nobody publishes survival by director age, so we can’t predict how many of these clothing and beauty brands become businesses rather than Instagram shopfronts.
