The average business owner needs an additional four hours in the working day to complete their admin

A poll of 500 SMEs revealed 33 per cent claim there aren’t enough minutes in the day to get everything done - with this adding to the pressures of their everyday job.

It emerged the typical employer would love to free up 20 hours each week to complete their to-do list - but in reality, only gets 90 minutes.

More than four in 10 (43 per cent) end up taking it home to complete with only 16 per cent claiming they really enjoy it.

Dealing with tax (29 per cent), managing cash flow (20 per cent), and supply chain issues (18 per cent) were cited as the biggest time-consuming tasks.

It comes as business insurance company, Superscript, partnered with an expert to reveal the pitfalls small business owners face at the start of their journey.

Kate Hardcastle, who specialises in start-ups, shared the main gripes SMEs deal with including unwanted stress, taking financial risks and making decisions nobody else wants to make.

Unrealistic expectations of running a business were cited as something to watch out for, and she emphasises the reward is not just in results and finances – but also how you feel.

Start-ups are also likely to overstretch their investment during the early days in things like equipment, staff or stock, so it’s important to keep this under control and stay sensible.