The study, by insurer NIG (part of the Royal Bank of Scotland group), found that 56 percent of those running their own business had no plans to sell or exit from their firm. Even more reassuring is the fact that the majority of owners who have already drafted an exit strategy are looking to depart longer-term.

Asked how optimistically the owners viewed their companies, 34 percent said they would not exit for ten years or more. But the report also showed that 24 percent of those asked said that they were “just trying to survive”. That figure is much higher than the 16 percent average on a UK-wide basis.

Commenting on the survey's findings Alan Kirkwood, NIG's manager for Scotland, said: “These results fly in the face of the popular perception of the get-rich-quick SME entrepreneur with a five-year business plan and a rapid exit. Instead, what we see is that many owners and managers seem to be in it for the long haul.”