Self-employment is on the rise in the UK. Why are so many people choosing self-employment as their chosen employment pathway?
Self-employment is on the rise in the UK. Since the financial crash of 2008 whereby 3.8 million workers were self-employed, there has been a steady increase in those choosing self-employment as a way of providing themselves with an income. In 2018, a mere ten years later, this number has increased to 4.7 million people in the UK choosing to be self-employed.
Work spaces have reacted to the shift in employment practises. Corporate giants who have down sized physically & within the work force, have seen a rise in remote workers. Many businesses have chosen to function purely in a virtual space, while others still build physical working environments & thrive.
Advances in technology means that there is a greater ability for those wanting to escape a PAYE existence. Wi-Fi means workers can connect to their work anywhere a Wi-Fi signal is available. Online sharing & collaboration means less need for traditional office spaces/workshop spaces. It is so easy now to create conference calls to clients & suppliers, that the self-employed nation literally has their business at their fingertips. The Virtual Assistant has become one of the many terms of phrase we are becoming familiar with in this virtual self-employed template. An autonomous workforce, connected to clients by email/text/skype.
In addition to the virtual working spaces, there are those of course who still need physical work spaces to complete their self-employed services. Automotive/motorcycle, entrepreneurial fashion houses, fitness centres, shops, service providers, etc; these all need a physical space to work from.
But the question still remains. Why? Why do so many people put themselves through VAT registration, tax returns, GDPR/data protection, T’s & C’s, policies/procedures, marketing, social media, etc etc & so the list goes on? Why are so many people choosing self-employment as their chosen employment pathway? Virtually Smart Ltd has been asking some pertinent questions of a cross section of self-employed business owners for their reasons for choosing self-employment. Over the next few weeks we will explore the diversity of those in self-employment: why these entrepreneurial spirits choose this path, the highs & lows & the changes in legislation & law which continually challenge those in self-employment.
We first approached Helena Parrott, Director/Virtual Assistant/ Anti-chaos Warrior for Virtually Smart Ltd based in Worthing, West Sussex. Here is what she has to say about her choices leading up & experiences of being self-employed.
Helena Parrott- Owner & Director/Virtual Assistant/ Anti-chaos Warrior for Virtually Smart Ltd.
What did you do for a living prior to self-employment?
“I was Executive Assistant to the Managing Director at a global technical consultancy business, working full time.”
When did you make the shift to being self-employed & what prompted you to do so?
“I left work at the end of July 2017, I’d been making plans for my business for many years and the executive assistant job I was doing was covering maternity leave – the contract was due to end and the person I was covering for decided not to come back to work. I was offered the job permanently, but the timing seemed to be right for me to take the leap. So we extended the contract for a few months so they could find a replacement and I could start to action some of my plans.
There were lots of reasons that prompted me to become self-employed, but one of the main ones was not being able to affect change to better working practices within my job and the wider company – it is incredibly frustrating when you can see, or know, that something could be done better and being unable to action due to companies either insisting ‘things have always been done this way’ or there being layers of bureaucracy to wade through.”
What would you say has been your biggest learning curve?
“It’s tough to give just one thing, the two biggest are probably my own insecurity and self-doubt – impostor syndrome! That creeping feeling that you’re not good enough – this has almost gone now!
The second biggest is probably just learning all the new apps and process my clients use. When you work at a company they have their own systems, which you learn over time – when you look after many clients you are exposed to all of their systems and have a very short window of ‘learning’ time – it’s super interesting though and I love the challenge – also, I can see what works for others which allows me to advise my clients on what might work for them.”
What is your biggest success to date?
“This is tough to pick one thing but I am probably most proud of the variety of people I work with – being adaptable to my client’s needs whether they’re a large global corporate or a small start up company – getting through each day and ensuring my clients have exactly what they need.”
What is your vision for the future of Virtually Smart Ltd?
“This is such a hard question to answer – since starting in October 2017 things have grown far quicker than I thought they would, so I’m having to review my plans and goals regularly – I think it important for businesses to be flexible and grow into where their business takes them. In simple terms I want Virtually Smart to be a successful brand, offering support to varied clients, perhaps with a team of Virtual Assistants offering a wider range of skills.”
What advice would you give to someone considering self-employment?
“Do it!!!!! It’s easy to put barriers up and say now isn’t the right time – the truth is that there will always be an excuse as to why you can’t do it now – I spent five years telling myself this, but if you’ve got a good idea, a strong support network and belief in what you do, you should take the leap – ultimately you are the only person holding yourself back.”
Why do you enjoy self-employment?
“The flexibility is key for me, being able to choose what I work on and when, being able to fit my personal life into my day without affecting my clients – it helps that my business allows me to work from home. For the first time ever, I feel I have work/ life balance – I like being in charge of my own destiny!”
Secondly, we have spoken with Dee Bodle – Owner & Director of The Body Suite Pilates Studio, Chichester. Dee has been running The Body Suite since 2007 & has been teaching Pilates for 17 years.
Dee Bodle – Owner & Director of The Body Suite Pilates Studio.
“I have spent most of my working life being self-employed. But prior to teaching I worked in an office in administration.
It is ingrained in my make up to be self-employed, I’m a terrible employee as my creative and entrepreneurial mind is designed for that style of working. I prefer flexible hours and room to develop when I wish and to take control of my own wages.
My biggest learning curve is to not under value my work and what I’m capable of delivering. I think it’s very natural when you start working on something new and being self-employed to be grateful for the work. Now I get to enjoy it and have people knocking on my door instead of me knocking on theirs. Through experience you value change but I think that’s just part of growing.
My biggest success to date would be my Pilates studio which I opened in 2007. Having my own premises and being a success in a city like Chichester. It’s been back breaking at times but worth it every step of the way.
My dream for the future is to develop the training academy with the dream venue, wellbeing and Pilates training at its very best with incredible spa facilities!
The dream is leaving something outstanding behind that the world will benefit from. Spreading amazing teachers across the world who can deliver health and well-being to their clients in this world of chaos.”
If you are interested in self-employment, but are unsure of your next steps, then you can book coaching/mentoring sessions with Helena Parrott to gain valuable insights into the self-employed world & put together a business plan. Contact Helena on 07954 994769 or through the Virtually Smart Ltd contact page.
