The paper presents conditions of setting up the economic activity on rural areas, including motives that guided the entrepreneurs while making decision on setting up enterprises and selecting a kind of an activity. The research have been conducted in 2008 within forty four entrepreneurs, in four selected communes of olsztynski subregion: Bartoszyce, Lidzbark Warmiński, Dywity and Świątki. The data analysis has revealed that Preparations before setting up enterprises took on average several months. Moreover, such factors as threat of unemployment, an opportunity or demand for the products on the market were their main motives. While considering the kind of the activity, one out of three respondents left everything to chance, whereas one out of four respondents made the decision on the base of the market demand.

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