All About Self Employment

Here in the UK we are currently (December 2022) experiencing a cost of living crisis which is almost certainly exacerbated by the recent pandemic.  Today we're chatting to employment lawyer Cristian Ley about how attitudes towards self-employment have changed in recent years, the impact of politics, and how that is now impacting on the cost of living crisis. We're talking about: What's changed within big infrastructure projects that are so important to the economy; The practical impact of IR35 and off-payroll working legislation; Changes within supply chains; Workforce changes; The government's direction of travel regarding self-employment. This is a fascinating discussion about why self-employment is so important to the economy, what has changed recently, and why that affects us all. About Cristian Ley A solicitor who qualified in 2008, Cristian has spent the vast majority of his legal career focussing on employment status issues (under both tax and employment law).  He joined Guild Freelancing in 2010, and he is also Deputy MD at The Guild where he runs their legal function.     

In his mini-budget on 23 September 2022, Kwasi Kwarteng announced a decision to repeal off-payroll legislation.  This was an unexpected and seismic change which has shocked the contracting sector!  There is a lot of misinformation doing the rounds, so we spoke to longstanding friend of the show Dave Chaplin, an expert known as "Mr IR35" to get his take on it all.  Join us to hear: What specifically is changing (clue - IR35 is here to stay); What does it actually mean in practical terms; What should contractors and their clients be doing right now; What is the likely longer term impact and risks; Will the change really happen?! It's unheard of for a Chancellor to unilaterally change primary legislation with no prior consultation, let alone something that which has huge implications for businesses in all sectors.  There is no-one better to discuss the issues with than Dave, this is one episode you won't want to miss! About Dave Chaplin Dave Chaplin is the CEO and founder of tax compliance firm IR35 Shield and contracting authority ContractorCalculator.  He is also the author of the Contractors’ Handbook Third Edition and more recently IR35 & Off-Payroll – explained. With over 20 years’ experience of IR35 under his belt, he regularly assists with IR35 tax tribunals, has consulted on many occasions for HMRC, advises politicians and Government bodies on freelance tax matters, and is prolifically quoted in the trade and national press.  In November 2020, Dave was included in the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)’ list of Europe’s 100 most influential leaders in the staffing industry. Contact Dave:        

There has been an explosion of online marketplaces launching in recent years which connect freelancers to work opportunities, but there are considerable variations in how they work, and not always in the freelancers' favour.  To get the inside story, we're talking to Karl Swanepoel who launched his own marketplace after he experienced some of the issues.  He tells us: Why it's hard to get started on these freelance marketplaces, and how to overcome issues; Why you should be looking for platforms which implement proper quality control measures; How some platforms might actually limit your ability to grow your business; Why clients need to change their perception of freelancers. The culture of many freelance marketplaces is all about how clients can get work done for the cheapest price, which can quickly become a race to the bottom when pricing and pitching your services.  Listen in to find out how to avoid this happening to you! About Karl Swanepoel Karl is a former freelancer who started working for himself aged just 14, when he quickly discovered some of the shortcomings of traditional freelance work platforms.  This ultimately led him to set up Revolancer who's mission statement is to create a brighter future for flexible work.  He is a 23 year old entrepreneur who is the youngest ever brand ambassador of The Business Show, Europe's largest business conference. Find out more here:       

Today we're discussing the recent IR35 case in relation to Kaye Adams' personal service company, Atholl House.  This is important stuff because it casts doubt on HMRC's ability to understand and enforce IR35!  Cristian Ley, an employment lawyer with considerable expertise in this space tells us more.  Join us to find out: Which elements of IR35 have been misapplied in the Atholl House case; What this case actually means for self-employed freelancers; Can employment status ever be a tick box exercise? What does the future look like given that HMRC can't get to grips with IR35? It's essential listening as the Court of Appeal has effectively unravelled the legislation in such a way that is favourable to freelancers and self-employed people! About Cristian Ley A solicitor who qualified in 2008, Cristian has spent the vast majority of his legal career focussing on employment status issues (under both tax and employment law).  He joined The Guild in 2010 to run their legal function.       

Managed Service Company (MSC) legislation has come to the fore in recent months following news that HMRC sent tax bills to numerous self-employed contractors after accusing their accountant of breaching MSC rules.  It's quite likely that you've never heard of MSC legislation, even if you're a seasoned contractor, so what on earth is it all about?  We spoke to contracting expert Seb Maley, CEO of Qdos to find out: What actually is MSC legislation? Why does it matter if an accountant controls financial affairs? What does that mean for self-employed people? What is happening in the current cases that recently hit the headlines? What should you do if you’re worried? You should definitely tune if you aren't sure whether you or your accountant has the most control over your finances. About Seb Maley and Qdos Contractor Seb began his career as a tax consultant with a specialism in IR35.  He handled numerous investigations in the early years of the legislation, before developing Qdos's services and online delivery platform.  With the help of a fantastic team, Qdos has grown their client base to over 70,000 and the company is known as one of the UK's leading authorities on status. For more on Qdos:        

We're completing our trilogy focussing on IR35 reforms by chatting to a contractor about how the new legislation has affected him and his business.  The reforms came into effect in the private sector in April 2020, and for our interviewee the impact has been more significant than COVID.  Shockingly, he lost approximately £80k due to the legislation change! These are just a few of our key takeaways: IR35 reforms increased complexity for businesses, leading to a risk averse approach with many banning personal service companies; Contractors now operating 'inside IR35' have increased their rates to maintain their earnings; Increasing costs for UK contractors is driving offshore resourcing as a cheaper option; Entrepreneurism is being stifled, 'inside IR35' means paying people personally therefore there's no money going into the business to nurture it. Our interviewee's work lends itself to creating a schedule of services and deliverables, but he had to bill on a time and materials basis in order to win work.  The IR35 reforms are now effectively penalising him for operating in a way that he tailored to meet client requirements.  Although he was operating legitimately, the IR35 reforms meant that our interviewee was blocked from accessing a large proportion of his previous target market. Despite suffering a financial loss of up to £80k, our interviewee has some sympathy with his clients.  He says that Brexit, the pandemic and economic issues are creating enough volatility for businesses and they don’t need complex IR35 legislation to get to grips with on top of that.  

For second time in two weeks, we're excited to welcome back self-confessed IR35 geek, Dave Chaplin!  We're continuing our discussion about the impact of the off-payroll legislation, one year after implementation in the private sector.  It's a serious subject with serious financial implications for self-employed contractors, so you really need to listen!  Join us to hear about: What you need to watch out for if your assignment is 'outside IR35'; Why you MUST check for any indemnity clauses in your contract; Why you pay zero tax if HMRC successfully challenge an outside IR35 status; Beware of any insurance you buy because any IR35 inquiry would not be with you (unlike pre-reforms); Reasonable care and how risk moves around the supply chain; Latest tax tribunals, defendable position, and the outlook for the market. Dave is an old friend of the show who really does know his stuff, so make yourself a brew and settle down for a good natter on all things IR35.  We chatted for longer than this 30 minutes and if you missed the first half you can catch the previous episode here.  (To be honest, we could actually talk about this stuff all day long!) Resources MSC legislation and support if you are investigated Why those touting IR35 insurance need to consider MSC legislation About Dave Chaplin Dave Chaplin is the CEO and founder of contracting authority ContractorCalculator and tax compliance firm IR35 Shield.  He is also the author of the Contractors’ Handbook Third Edition and more recently IR35 & Off-Payroll – explained. With over 20 years’ experience of IR35 under his belt, he regularly assists with IR35 tax tribunals, has consulted on many occasions for HMRC, advises politicians and Government bodies on freelance tax matters, and is prolifically quoted in the trade and national press.  In November 2020, Dave was included in the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)’ list of Europe’s 100 most influential leaders in the staffing industry. Contact Dave:        

On the anniversary of IR35 reforms, we're excited to welcome back self-confessed IR35 geek, Dave Chaplin, to talk about the impact of the new legislation.  It's a serious subject with serious financial implications for self-employed contractors, so you really need to listen!  We take a look at what has happened in the last year, including: A brief history of IR35 and how the legislation came about; Why reforms were needed and what exactly changed; What the changes mean for self-employed contractors and the supply chain; What your clients need to do in relation to assessing IR35 status; The impact of being 'inside IR35' and the increasing use of umbrella companies. Dave is an old friend of the show who really does know his stuff, so make yourself a brew and settle down for a good natter on all things IR35.  We chatted for longer than this 30 minutes suggests, so tune in to the next episode for even more great listening!  (To be honest, we could actually talk about this stuff all day long!) About Dave Chaplin Dave Chaplin is the CEO and founder of contracting authority ContractorCalculator and tax compliance firm IR35 Shield.  He is also the author of the Contractors’ Handbook Third Edition and more recently IR35 & Off-Payroll – explained. With over 20 years’ experience of IR35 under his belt, he regularly assists with IR35 tax tribunals, has consulted on many occasions for HMRC, advises politicians and Government bodies on freelance tax matters, and is prolifically quoted in the trade and national press.  In November 2020, Dave was included in the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)’ list of Europe’s 100 most influential leaders in the staffing industry. Contact Dave:        

Following our very popular previous episode on cyber-security, Francis West agreed to come back and give us an update.  Everything is constantly evolving within cyber-security, and as a self-employed business owner you can't afford to leave this to chance - you must take steps to protect yourself otherwise the consequences can be devastating. Every 19 seconds a UK company suffers a successful cyber attack. It's an alarming fact that 48% of people will not go back to a business that has suffered a cyber attack, so please join us to hear the latest scams.  We're talking about: Why just protecting your email is not enough; Why you shouldn't assume that your IT team are also cyber-security experts; What happened to the Mum who was just minutes away from losing £1500 to her 'son' on WhatsApp; The latest LinkedIn scam that is specifically targeting people who are new to their current job; Two reasons why people get attacked (lack of education and lack of better systems); This is an entertaining episode in which we take a light-hearted approach to a technical subject and make it easy to understand. About Francis West His mission is to educate and protect over 1m people from cyber security threats by 2023.  He's been in the IT for many years, and with the huge increase in cyber security threats around the world, Francis now specialises in helping companies and individuals to protect their valuable data.  When Francis takes a rare day off from tackling cyber villains, you can find him working closely with Banks, Councils, Cyber Police, WCIT, speaking in the UK and internationally, or building projects from old pallets. Contact Francis:           

No-one wants to have their finances investigated by HMRC, but it can happen to any self-employed person even if they have done nothing wrong.  So what do you do if you find yourself in that position, and how do you know being investigated anyway?  These are just some of the questions we asked the brilliant Tom Wallace, Director of Tax Investigations at WTT Group, as he has years of experience of helping people in this situation. Some of our key takeaways are: Don't panic! HMRC don't usually go away, so don't be in denial either; Don’t assume it’s a fishing expedition, assume they’ve identified something; It's very hard to defend your case if you don't have records and supporting evidence. This episode is essential listening for anyone unsure what they would do if faced with an HMRC investigation. About Tom Wallace Tom is Director of Tax Investigations at WTT Group.  He is a former Senior Inspector of Taxes who since leaving HMRC in 2017 has focused on the tax needs of freelancers, both resolving historic issues and advising on their ongoing compliance and planning requirements. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has a specialist interest in international mobility in the contingent workforce. For more information:      

Today we’re talking to James Kerslake about facing the fear of leaving a stable job in order to become fulltime self-employed.  James had a successful career in IT and was offered the job of a lifetime which incredibly he turned down in order to focus on launching his business.  We discuss the reasons for that decision, facing your fears and taking the plunge anyway. Some insights from our chat include: The only way to be successful in running your business is to be fully committed to it; It’s easier to stick with the stable job but that might not bring what you actually want! It’s the quality of time that you can spend on your business that makes the difference; Being fearless and having a “scorched earth” mentality was key in deciding to take the plunge; If you’re not afraid of falling then you can jump. People are afraid of failure, so if you’re considering whether or not to go for it, listen in and learn from James’s experience. About James Kerslake James is founder of luxury cocktail company, Tom Savano, the world’s first travel-inspired, super premium bottled cocktail brand.  “Every time you drink a cocktail, you want to feel like you are  Since launch, Tom Savano has received over a dozen top-flight industry awards, including the Best New Product of 2021, awarded by the Spirits Business, and launched across multiple channels, from John Lewis through to luxury hotels, high-end restaurants and boutiques. For more information:        

The great thing about being self-employed is being able to work with your choice of clients, but how can you compete with the bigger players in your industry?  As a one-person business it can be a struggle, especially if you’re up against firms that are well known and been around for years.  But it doesn’t have to be like that according to our chat with Matt Wright, and here’s why: You are more able to be agile and pivot your business – your strategy is only decided by you! You can solve the problem that the bigger players don’t even know is there Your personality and the human touch can shine because people are buying YOU Know what you’re good at and communicate how your offering is different to others Most of all you’ve got to have the right outlook.  You can have the best business with all the processes and efficiencies in the world but you’re not going to compete with bigger players unless you have enough ambition to try it!  Listen in to this episode to understand the essentials that you need to have in place in order to compete, and how to go about the business of competing.  It really is possible. About Matt Wright Matt has run a freelance marketing operation for over 12 years – but has also climbed the ranks in employment, going from an Executive to a Head of Department.  In this time Matt has seen both the struggle of his small business, and small business clients to make it big, alongside the typical directions that his larger corporate clients have ignored due to structure and compliance. For more information:     

Did you know that hackers are usually on your system for 250 days before you even realise it?  This is plenty of time for them to gather critical business information and if you are self-employed you are not immune to attack!  In fact you are an ideal target for hackers according to todays guest Francis West, a man on a mission to educate and protect people from cyber-threats. This is an entertaining episode in which we take a light-hearted approach to a technical subject and make it easy to understand.  We're talking about: How a hacker changed invoice payee details and stole thousands; Five key areas to take action in order to protect yourself; Why you need a solution that monitors behaviour as well as cyber threats themselves; Reputational damage from an attack can be massive, you can't put a figure on it; Ransomware attacks have increased in the last 12 months by 387% Every second there are 4 new unknown cyber threats hitting the planet, so it's no wonder cyber attacks are on the increase.  As Francis says, we deserve to be safe but only if we take action. Resources How long will it take to crack your password - howsecureismypassword.net Free weekly cyber security tips - sign up here  (highly recommended!) About Francis West His mission is to educate and protect over 1m people from cyber security threats by 2023.  He's been in the IT for many years, and with the huge increase in cyber security threats around the world, Francis now specialises in helping companies and individuals to protect their valuable data.  When Francis takes a rare day off from tackling cyber villains, you can find him working closely with Banks, Councils, Cyber Police, WCIT, speaking in the UK and internationally, or building projects from old pallets. Contact Francis:           

Freelancing should never actually be free!  But sometimes it can be really difficult to ensure you actually get paid on time by your clients, which can then have a significant impact on your business and personal finances.  So we’re talking to Helen Arney who specialises in helping self-employed people and businesses get paid, and she shares with us key advice on how to ensure your invoice always gets paid. Just a few key insights include: Be clear about your payment expectations and get them agreed at the outset; Don’t just issue an invoice and assume it will magically get paid! Know your client’s process for authorising payments, particularly any timings you should adhere to; Ensure your invoice adheres to the required format, i.e. avoid it heading into the “query” pile; Remember, your main contact at the client business might not know all the details you need. It turns out that there is a lot within your control that you can do in advance, before you’re even in a position of chasing payment!  We cover so much more than just this snapshot, so listen in to get lots of useful practical advice that really will help you get paid. About Helen Arney Having worked in the Insolvency industry for over 25 years, Helen saw the “dominoes effect” that a non-payer or a customer going bust had on businesses throughout the supply chain.  She wanted to help support business owners in avoiding non-payment, so Helen created her own business, HJA Business Solutions Limited, to do just that.  Through HJA she offers virtual credit control packages, debt recovery advice and Insolvency support and guidance. For more information:       

We all know that businesses need a website, but what if you’re going it alone and not sure where on earth to start?  When it comes to creating a website, it’s easy to be overwhelmed – so we were pleased to sit down with Lisa Rees to demystify the process for us.  Lisa, aka Website Wonder Woman, specialises in helping entrepreneurs with their online presence and she totally “gets it”.  Lisa knows exactly what it’s like trying to fit in website creation alongside everything else when setting up your business, and she generously shared lots of great advice and insights, including: Why you need a website, and why just a FaceBook (or other social media) presence won’t do; How to get started and see your way past the overwhelm! The “nuts & bolts” of what exactly is needed for you to create a website; Online security and how to protect your website; Ongoing website maintenance and doing it yourself. Resources Website accessibility Colour converter About Lisa Rees and Website Wonder Woman In 2007 Lisa started designing websites for friends and family as a hobby, and she soon started getting referrals and people seeking her from outside her usual network.  To Lisa’s amazement a new business was organically growing, and Website Wonder Woman was born.  Lisa and her team love supporting and training inspirational business owners in everything website and tech related. For more information:            

Lots of self-employed people assume that they will need an accountant to help them to manage their finances and submissions to HMRC, but is that really the case?  No, definitely not according to Elaine Clark of CheapAccounting.co.uk and TaxBootCamp.  Now, Elaine is herself a Chartered Accountant and her business includes providing accountancy services to self-employed clients, so why is she so in favour of the DIY approach?  We had to find out more, and Elaine shares loads of brilliant tips including: Don’t be put off by the unnecessarily complicated language of accounts, it is far simpler in reality! Accounting is simply knowing your income, expenditure and what is left over; Choosing the right tools at the outset will streamline the process for you, often just a good banking app is sufficient; You can manage most of your finances from your smartphone whilst on the move; Whilst an accountant will be able to help with your accounts, YOU are still responsible for your financial position. About Elaine Clark Elaine is a chartered accountant with some 40 years experience of helping self-employed people and businesses understand their financial position.  In 2007 she launched the controversially name (loved by clients, hated by the profession) CheapAccounting.co.uk and hasn’t looked back.  During lockdown Elaine developed TaxBootCamp.co.uk as she believes that accounts and tax should be core life skills, and she is on a mission to give people the skills they need to manage their own accounts. Find out more about CheapAccounting.co.uk here:        Get information about TaxBootCamp courses here:     

Help, I’m self-employed and can’t get a mortgage!  True?  Luckily not so much these days.  In this podcast episode we’re dispelling lots of mortgage myths with the brilliant Gareth Love, founder of Roots Finance Group, who amongst other things is an expert in contractor mortgages.  Join us to find out what is happening in the housing market currently, including: Mortgage options for different types of self employment (freelancer vs sole trader vs limited company director vs contractor are all slightly different, and there are mortgages to suit); Types of financial history and evidence you may need to demonstrate to lenders in order to obtain a mortgage; How COVID-19 has impacted on mortgages and lending criteria; Current trends in the housing market and what they mean for self-employed mortgages; Top tips to get you mortgage ready and in the best position to achieve what you’re looking for. It’s an action-packed episode full of practical help!  So if you’re self-employed and considering your mortgage options give this a quick listen before making any decisions. About Gareth Love and Roots Finance Group Roots Finance Group is a dynamic provider of specialist business insurances, IR35 status services and mortgages to contractors, freelancers and the self-employed.  The contractor market place is complex, and too many times mortgages are associated with boring men in suits talking at you.  Gareth and his team are challenging that misperception with a fresh, young, relatable brand.  They pride themselves on listening and they aim to make the mortgage customer journey enjoyable for everyone. For more information:             

Today we chat with Hollie Williams, IWORK’s first Champion of the Month, about the secrets of successfully working for yourself.  She has a 9-year track record of impressive growth and is very well known as an expert in her field of hair extensions. Hollie’s business started whilst she was at college and grew significantly as she established her reputation as The Weave Queen, working with the biggest names in her field including the Kardashian’s hairdresser.  Hollie is a true entrepreneur constantly adapting and diversifying her business to keep ahead of the latest trends. Join us to hear the secrets of Hollie’s success, including: Being passionate about what you do will ensure you are driven to keep doing it; How clever and targeted use of social media can bring you significant success; Constantly innovating and diversifying your offering will ensure you stay relevant; Why expanding the business to include a team requires a different approach to working solo. This is one of our favourite interviews, well worth a listen for all solopreneurs and anyone thinking of setting up a business. About Hollie Williams Known as “The Weave Queen”, Hollie is an expert in her field and has done many famous faces over the years.  Hollie specialises in Weaves (no braids) and Keratin Bonds, and she also supplies luxury wigs and toppers.  Hollie only offers extension methods that she would wear herself, and have been tried and tested for many years to ensure hair stays healthy whilst looking fabulous.  Hollie says she was put on this earth to make hair long! Find out more:         

In July 2021 HMRC announced that taxi drivers must pass a tax compliance test in order to renew their taxi / private hire driver licences.  Of course the new tax compliance check will affect thousands of self-employed taxi and private hire drivers so we wanted to find out more about the likely impact.  To help us understand a bit more, today we’re chatting with Johnny Munro from Bolt, one of Europe’s fastest growing transport platforms with (amongst other things) an app that enables people to hail rides. Join us to understand about the new tax compliance checks and what it might mean for you, including: The overall purpose of the tax compliance checks and who it is intended to affect; What you can expect if you are affected; Potential downsides to the new regime; Steps that platform businesses are taking to support their self-employed drivers; What next and likely timing of implementation. Scrap metal dealers are also included in the policy, but for our purposes we focussed on the many self-employed taxi and private hire drivers.  It’s well worth listen to ensure you are ahead of the game! About Johnny Munro and Bolt Johnny is public policy manager at Bolt, and he has several years experience in public and regulatory affairs.  Bolt is the leading European transportation platform that’s focused on making urban travel easier, quicker and more reliable.  Impressively, Bolt is one of the fastest-growing startups in the world with over 50m passengers in 40+ countries, from Europe to Mexico to Africa.  The company’s app enables people to hail rides, rent cars, electric scooters and e-bikes, and order food delivery from their phones. For more information:              

Today we’re chatting to the amazing Rowen Kimpton, IWORK’s July 2021 Champion of the Month!  He founded Grounded Circus in 2018 whilst doing his degree, studying at Circomedia, a renowned circus school in Bristol.  His business has gone from strength to strength and in just 3 years Grounded Circus are already known as providing the best circus performers within their industry.  Rowen joins us from a field in Yorkshire (he’s on tour currently) to chat about how he created so much success so early on, including: How COVID was a catalyst that catapulted the business to success; How informal beginnings and doing what you love can lead to amazing results; Working with others to share the load and enable you to play to your strengths; Don’t listen to the doubters – you have nothing to lose by giving your passion a chance! Why you must look after yourself and prioritise your wellbeing alongside juggling your business. Rowen still doesn’t think of himself as a businessman, but he has a 20+ year plan – sounds like a business strategy to us!  His passion and determination has clearly led to brilliant results so far, and we are convinced there is an even more successful future ahead for Grounded Circus. Find out more: