Ask athletes what stops them from starting a business and you might expect one answer: money, or time, or fear. When we asked 100 athletes in four countries to rank their biggest barrier, the answer depended on where they live.
| Country | Main barrier | Athletes citing it |
|---|---|---|
| Türkiye | Economic instability and inflation | 75% |
| Belgium | Lack of time | 60% |
| Poland | Fear of losing money | 52% |
| Norway | Lack of technical skills | 48% |
Türkiye: willing, but squeezed by the economy
Athletes in Türkiye showed the highest interest in entrepreneurship of the four countries, 4.3 out of 5. The report reads this as necessity rather than opportunity: the main motivation is financial survival, and economic instability is the main barrier, cited by three in four.
“Every month my salary buys fewer dollars because of the inflation. I feel like I need to transition now, not when I retire.”
That was a basketball player in Türkiye. In the report’s own data, unregistered side businesses were more common in Türkiye than in the other three countries. The report’s suggested focus is to help them make those businesses official and find a way through the paperwork.
Belgium: interested, but out of hours
Belgian athletes showed the lowest interest, 3.4 out of 5, and a pragmatic main motivation: an extra income alongside something else. Lack of time is the main barrier, cited by 60%, with schedules already full of training and study. The report’s answer is short learning formats that fit between sessions.
Poland: a strong identity and a careful view of risk
Polish athletes had the strongest athletic identity of the four groups, 4.1 out of 5, and their main motivation is control over their own career. In the report’s data, that strong identity goes together with a stronger fear of failure. The main barrier is the fear of losing money, cited by just over half, and the report describes a view of starting a business as something close to gambling. Its suggested focus: present entrepreneurship as a backup plan that lowers risk, not as a bet.
Norway: safe, but short of skills
Norwegian athletes showed high interest, 4.0 out of 5, driven more by innovation and social impact than by income. Norway’s safety net takes some of the fear out of failing, so the main barrier sits elsewhere: a lack of technical skills, cited by almost half. The suggested focus is technical training, in areas like finance and coding.
What this means
One programme written for an average European athlete would fit none of these four groups. That is why the research report recommends a module on the paperwork in each partner country for the empowerment toolkit, which is being built now, and why the training kit lists official resources country by country.
A word of caution: these numbers describe the athletes in our study, not every athlete in each country. It was a small study, and the research report treats its findings as a starting point.
Where do you fit?
The assessment tool has a section on what is holding you back, including how the economic situation in your country affects you. It will not tell you where you live, but it will tell you which barrier is yours.
ENTREMIND is an Erasmus+ Sport partnership co-funded by the European Union (project 101229842).
