According to a recent study by an international managerial and executive job placement firm, the number of laid off managers and executives under the age of forty who start their own businesses increased 36 percent in the first quarter of 2002. The large jump in entrepreneurial undertakings has been attributed to several factors---including the huge increase in the incomes of married couples over the past decade, and the corresponding increase in the personal savings couples have available to finance a new business. Other factors cited include the increased willingness of venture capital firms to fund non-technology start ups in the wake of the dot-com collapse, and a shifting of personal priorities and life goals following the September 11 attacks.
See "After the Pink Slip, a Rosier Outlook", AMY JOYCE, The Washington Post, July 3, 2002