Nearly three quarters of part-time business owners in the South East are juggling their work with a full-time job.

More than half (55%) are running their companies to supplement their existing income, according to survey results released today.

Yet only 45% of part-time business owners say they plan to make their side-project their full-time livelihood.

Of those, 15% aim to be running a fully-fledged company within the next two years.

Among them is digital marketing manager Amy Mills, who runs two websites in her spare time selling mens and dogs fashion accessories.

She set up fabties.com and barkiesboutique.com from her home in Rochester in April, in a bid to boost her earnings.

The findings by insurance firm Aviva reveal the average part-time entrepreneur in the South East has an annual turnover of £3,000.

So far, Miss Mills is breaking even but she is confident all the extra hours will see her turning a profit by the end of the year.

The main drawback is the hours required but the dream is to turn her part-time enterprises into her career.

Miss Mills, 27, said: “I never have enough time. I work 8.15am to 5.30pm from Monday to Thursday and then until 1.30pm on a Friday.

“Leaving on a Friday is good because I can go home and carry on working on my own stuff.

“As soon as I get in, I make sure I put in at least an hour every evening. Sometimes I am up until midnight or 1am.

“You need to get that work-life balance right. There’s no point in working constantly and having no time for yourself.

“Sometimes I struggle because I think if I go out, the business will suffer. Trying to find that personal balance is difficult.”

Miss Mills is one of seven out of 10 part-time business owners who also has a full time job but the hours have not deterred her so far.

She originally trained as a florist at Hadlow College in Tonbridge but decided not to go into the industry because of supermarkets undercutting specialist shops.

She said: “I went into the online world because it is a growing industry.

“It is still new so I am still just breaking even at the moment. Anyone starting needs to keep costs to a minimum.

“Don’t get loans out. I have done it all myself because I wanted a profitable business.

“Because I didn’t have a massive outlay at the start I have broken even and by the end of this year I will be turning a profit.”

Aviva’s head of small business Robert Ledger said: “It seems that from photography to cupcakes, many entrepreneurs are taking their first steps to becoming businesses of the future which is exciting news for the economy, especially in light of recent reports on a growth in business confidence in the UK.

“Nearly a third of part time ventures began as a chance to turn a hobby into a business, but it is understandable in the current climate that for most the need to supplement their income was the key driver.”