Entrepreneurship is a topical subject in Finland as municipalities are outsourcing services and the baby boomer generation is increasingly burdening public social and health services. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the experiences of nurses in starting care enterprises in Varsinais-Suomi, and to provide new information to nurses and nursing students planning to start their own full-time or part-time companies in the industry.

The thesis is a qualitative study. The data for it was collected through focused interviews with care entrepreneurs in Varsinais-Suomi who have nursing degrees (n=6). The results were analyzed with a data-driven content analysis method.

The results of the thesis show entrepreneurs can start their businesses as a result of increased knowledge and experience, due to changes in personal orientation, or by coincidence. Specific traits and skills emerged as strengths for entrepreneurs and in starting businesses. There are many matters to consider when starting a care enterprise, which is sometimes found to be a burden by the entrepreneur. Aspiring entrepreneurs in Varsinais-Suomi use entrepreneur services provided especially by business service center Potkuri. Entrepreneurial training is also used as a source of information.

The challenges in starting a care enterprise can be divided into challenges related to the entrepreneur, challenges related to the business and challenges related to entrepreneurship in general. Especially challenges related to the business and the entrepreneur can be prepared for in advance.