IPSE Magazine: issue 58 by Modern Work

INSPIRATION FOR INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONALS AND THE SELF EMPLOYED ISSUE 58, OCTOBER 2016 – £4.95

THE ADVICE ISSUE

Ideas for the self employed

IS A WEBSITE ESSENTIAL?

FREELANCER CONFIDENCE INDEX

BUSINESS PLANNING

MARKETING CHECKLIST

The pros and cons revealed

A guide on how to get started

How has Brexit affected views?

Top tips for your business

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CONTENTS 22

START YOUR BUSINESS PLAN

THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Risks and rewards of self-employment

SELF-EMPLOYMENT GROWTH Is it a good thing?

Steve Richards on party conferences

How to sell when you hate selling

The checklist for your business

FROM THE LOBBY

FREELANCER CONFIDENCE INDEX The impact of Brexit

WFN EVENT

AFFORDABLE TECH

Wireless headphones review

AUTUMN STATEMENT

MARKETING TIPS

FROM WHERE I STAND

Crime scene investigation

FREELANCER'S GUIDE TO DUBLIN

WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG? Emmeline Pidgen

from Mark Williams

IS A WEBSITE ESSENTIAL?

IPSE predictions

CO-WORKING & COFFEE Bath & Newcastle

EDUCATING A NATION

EVENTS

27 October–27 January

We can boost self-employment

FROM THE EDITOR JAMES GRIBBEN This issue of IPSE Magazine is absolutely jam packed with advice on being an independent professional in today ’s world. From how to creatively solve problems to tips on how to market your business, we have it covered. We are delighted to welcome back former editor turned freelance writer Ben Smith, who offers advice on how to write a business plan – something he has recent experience of.

A big question on many people’s minds is how the EU referendum impacted on business. We bring you the latest insight from our Confidence Index to open a door on this.

Our headline feature looks at some of the rules, regulations and risks involved in working for yourself and what you can do to make sure you are prepared.

All told, there’s a lot of reading. We hope you enjoy it.

October 2016

And Steve Richards, of Rock ’n’ Roll Politics and the Week in Westminster fame, reports back on what’s new in Parliament and how it relates to the self-employed.

Editor |

@JamesIPSE 3

A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO The way we work is changing. And with it so are the rules and risks that come with working for yourself. It’s more important than ever for there to be the necessary support and advice so your business can thrive. Every day, IPSE works to represent and provide you with the best advice out there. If I had to offer a suggestion on this front, it would be to save for your future. Recent figures are showing that only a fifth of people working for themselves have a pension. This is a worry. If you are an IPSE member, you have no excuse – with IPSE Futures you can join pension, life assurance and private medical healthcare schemes at group rates, usually at a fraction of the cost you would pay as an individual. As an organisation, we are here to help you. That’s why we offer you benefits like the one above. We are here to support your business so you can get on with running it. But sometimes we must come together as a community to fight for a common cause, and this is one of those occasions. In just a few weeks our new Chancellor, Philip Hammond, will deliver his first Autumn Statement. These days, there is often little to distinguish this event from the Budget speech delivered every March. This is the time when we hear the details of the Chancellor’s plans, for everything from infrastructure spending and house-building to how people in the UK are taxed. In all likelihood, we will then hear whether or not the Government is going to press ahead with changes to how IR35 legislation operates in the public sector. If you contract for the 4

MoD, BBC or any other public institution that springs to mind, you may soon be unable to determine your status as a business. Your public sector client will have to decide if you are a legitimate business or an employee. We know it will be a nightmare for both contractors and their clients. You have told us to expect an exodus of public sector contractors if the rule changes go ahead. There is still a chance to change the Government’s mind on this. We have presented the evidence at the highest level, including meeting the Prime Minister, but you all have a role to play too. Write to your MP, arrange to meet them and keep up the pressure. Together we hope to change the direction of travel on this deeply worrying, and immoral, piece of policy left over from the previous Conservative leadership. IPSE is here to support the selfemployed community, but it is when we act together that we are strongest. Of course the UK’s decision to leave the EU still plays a big part in things. To ensure the self-employed continue to be well represented during the transition, IPSE are now part of a “Small Business Taskforce”, along with the likes of Enterprise Nation, ICAEW, RSA and Social Enterprise UK. As the UK nears its exit from the EU, this taskforce will develop new policy ideas to ensure our flexible workforce remains as protected and valued as ever.

EDITOR

James Gribben james.gribben@ipse.co.uk @JamesIPSE

MEDIA CONSULTANT Jim Cassidy

DEPUTY EDITOR Sophie Gibson

DESIGN

Emanuel Zahariades

CONTRIBUTORS Gary Barker Steve Richards Gemma Church Ben Smith Gary Howard Ed Telling Nick Walton Mark Williams

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IPSE does not necessarily agree with, nor guarantee the accuracy of, statements made by contributors or accept any responsibility for any statements which are expressed in the publication. All rights reserved. This publication (and any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic form, or in any other format, without the prior written permission of IPSE. IPSE, its directors and employees have no contractual liability to any reader in respect of goods or services provided by a third-party supplier.

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POLITICS

FROM THE LOBBY Political columnist and broadcaster Steve Richards gives his views on the Conservative and Labour party conferences, and what could be in store for politics in the coming months.

he two main UK party conferences are now gatherings of the excited. They are closer to evangelical revivalist meetings. Those in attendance arrive to pay homage to their leaders who they regard as prophet like figures that will lead them to the Promised Land. They are part of the current volcanic political turbulence and not an alternative for those seeking more reasoned debate. Theresa May is an unlikely prophet. She is serious minded and without the charisma of the spellbinding orator. Yet p a r t y m e m b e r s a tt e n d i n g t h e Conservative conference in Birmingham

could barely contain their excitement as May took to the stage on two occasions, at the opening of the conference and at the end. Her contributions were beautifully choreographed, as artful as New Labour at its peak. She did not say very much and yet she managed to inspire those in the hall who had been waiting since they were around six months old for the UK to leave the European Union. May declared again that Brexit meant Brexit. She would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty before next March and that a great repeal bill would be presented to Parliament in the summer i n w h i c h E U l eg i s l a t i o n wo u l d b e transferred to the UK. The repeal bill is a logistical inevitability. The government, and indeed this parliament, will have enough on their hands agreeing the terms of Brexit without revising the mountain of legislation and regulatory frameworks associated with the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s membership of

the EU. Therefore it is unavoidable that revisions will have to wait. Nonetheless May manag ed to make her announcements sound like the act of a buccaneering Brexiteer. She had metamorphosed from the low profile supporter of the Remain campaign to the Prime Minister leading us out with steely resolution. Although the terms of Brexit are still vague we probably know more than we realise from the public statements of ministers and from various private briefings. The UK will be out of the EU by March 2019. All relevant legislation will be transferred to the UK Parliament. Nothing will be amended before the 2020 election as the pre-election campaign will be the main centre of political focus. That means the 2020- 2025 parliament will be as dominated by Brexit as the

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current one. Meanwhile the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, is more worried about the economic consequences than the Brexit ministers who remain optimistic. Hammond’s Autumn Statement will be as important as any word uttered at the conference. Until then the UK does not have a fully defined economic policy. T h e a c t i v i st s w e r e n ot e s p e c i a l l y bothered. Instead the euphoric atmosphere at the Conservative gathering, in the hall and beyond, reminded me of distant events from the party’s past. In the early 1990s the Eurosceptic Bruges group used to hold packed fringe meetings with the same level of heady excitement. In those days the star guest at their meetings was Michael Portillo. When Portillo spoke there was near euphoria in the air. This was during Portillo’s phase as the tough minded, Euro-sceptic Thatcherite, the Defence Secretary who invoked the SAS as a model for us all to follow. Portillo is a very different public figure now. The mood of those fringe meetings was evangelical. Reason played little part in the speeches or determined proclamations. Now the types who were on the fringes then have won. They are in charge, or May is in charge on their behalf. The Bruges group types have all been on an astonishingly triumphant journey. Now they embark on a new one, leading the UK out of the EU. Some of May ’s allies speak of a complex game of poker. Her tough sounding messages are aimed partly at the rest of the EU. With good cause she believes David Cameron played his hand badly when he carried out his puny renegotiation earlier this year. May calculates that the EU did not feel obliged to offer Cameron very much because it knew all along he would be campaigning to remain. She wants to make sure this time that Angela Merkel and co know she is deadly serious about leaving. She also had to make sure her party could trust her too, not least because she knows she will have to disappoint them at certain points in the most complex series of negotiations the UK has carried out since 1945. She has certainly pulled that one off for now. Her party is adulatory, even if the Cameroons are waiting in the wings wondering where the story will end, as George Osborne put it in a typically mischievous interview. Neither Osborne nor Cameron, the two dominant figures a year ago, attended the conference. Politics is moving at a brutal speed. So ferocious is the speed that Jeremy Corbyn had not even completed a year in the job as leader of the Labour party before he was challeng ed, an u n p re c e d e n t e d s e q u e n c e : A l e a d e r wins a landslide in September 2015 and faces another contest the following July. The twist in this case is that wholly predictably Corbyn won another October 2016

landslide, an outcome announced at Labour’s conference in Liverpool. Corbyn’s party held two conferences, the formal gathering and an alternative organised by Momentum. The Mo m e n t u m eve n t wa s u p b e a t . T h e formal conference was confused and strange. Labour MPs were more likely to be seen at the Cavern club or taking a ferry across the Mersey than they were in the conference hall. By the end of the week Labour ’s policy agenda was far from clear. Clarity is impossible when divisions are deep. All that is clear

In the dark days of winter Brexit will be becoming more thorny and May’s honeymoon will be over is that the Labour MPs who opposed Corbyn are inept rebels. Through their ill thought through summer coup they have strengthened Corbyn’s position rather than undermined it. Corbyn has won two leadership contests by landslides during the sunny days of summers. Now autumn descends and he faces the same old insoluble problems with his MPs. In the dark days of winter Brexit will be becoming more obviously thorny and May’s honeymoon will be over. She has a little more political space than her recent Tory Prime Ministerial predecessors who were brought down by Europe, because Labour is in a seemingly insoluble crisis. For now at least Brexit seems pretty insoluble too. Expect both the main UK Parties to be in turmoil by the time they meet for their conferences next autumn.

Steve Richards is a political columnist and broadcaster. His three part Radio 4 series, The Corbyn Story, is available on BBC iplayer. His one man show Rock N Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on Monday December 12 th .

To read the IPSE polic y team’s predictions for the Autumn Statement, due to be delivered by Philip Hammond on 23 November, go to page 15.

IN THE NE WS GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES EMPLOYMENT REVIEW In a further sign that Prime Minister Theresa May is looking to shake up the labour market, the Government recently announced a wide-ranging review into UK employment practices. There’ll be a primary focus on job security – that’s the Hermes drivers on self-employed contracts, the Sports Direct employees on zero-hours – and how we can improve it for the 6 million people who aren’t covered by typical workplace rights. Matthew Taylor, leader of the review and head of the Number 10 Policy Unit under Tony Blair, said the PM’s focus on new ways of working sends an important message.

DEADLINE SET FOR ARTICLE 50 TRIGGER One of the biggest headlines from the Conservative Party Conference this month was the news that Article 50, the mechanism that formally begins Britain’s exit from the EU, will be triggered by the end of March 2017. Once this happens, the UK will have two years to agree the terms of our exit, after which there can be no further negotiations. The FTSE 100 – largely occupied by firms which make their profits in dollars – soared, but the value of sterling hit a 30-year low.

BREXIT PICTURE FURTHER CONFUSED BY ECONOMIC DATA Before the EU referendum, the UK was deeply divided on what Brexit would mean for business and the economy. Three months later, we’re none the wiser. A number of studies were conducted in September to find out whether businesses are confident about the months ahead, but they returned conflicting data. Research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) showed that small business confidence has turned negative for the first time in four years, and Lloyds Bank found expectations of sales growth among UK firms has dropped to 12%, down from 38% in January. But the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which measures service sector growth, recorded its sharpest ever increase in August, while the jobs data appear to have been entirely unaffected by Brexit.

ADVICE

THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT An overview of the rules, risks and rewards of self-employment, from the experts at IPSE

S e l f - e m p l oy m e n t i s a n i n c r e d i b l y empowering way of working. For the independence it brings, and the brilliant work/ life balance it offers, the number of self-employed in the UK has soared to close to 5 million. But we should be careful not to get ahead of ourselves. There are many things to consider as part of this way of working. And more than that, there are barriers to be navigated. Some much larger than others. The world of work today is more fluid and complex than it’s ever been. So we sat down to go through some of the rules, risks and rewards of self-employment in the UK, how they’ve changed, and how to navigate them.

TAX AND SELF-ASSESSMENT

One area which distinctly separates the self-employed from the employed is tax. And it’s a firm rule to abide by. Step one of self-employment is to register with HMRC, and guidelines for this can be found on the gov.uk site. An important fact - you must register within three months of trading. Are you a sole trader, or should you be running a limited company or a partnership? You must decide at this early stage how you want to set yourself up. Currently, the self-employed must file self-assessment tax returns after the end of the tax year in April (offline deadline: 31 October 2016, online deadline: 31 January 2017) but this will all change in a worryingly short amount of time.

Tax Digital’, or MTD. It involves a vast change to the way things are run, and the self-employed are soon to feel the first effects.

THE PART OF TAX CALLED IR35 AND WHY THE SELF-EMPLOYED NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT

The main sticking point is the move to quarterly updates rather than yearly tax returns. Government has promised it will be as simple as “checking data generated from record keeping software or apps and clicking ‘send’.” but we are not so sure.

For those that don’t know, IPSE was established in 1999 by a group of contractors specifically in opposition to IR35. So it’s really a bedrock of our organisation. Over the years we have adapted and evolved to represent all aspects of self-employment, but IR35 has remained a hurdle for many of the smallest businesses.

At IPSE, we’re not necessarily opposed to what the Government is trying to achieve with MTD, but there are some p r o b l e m s w h i c h h ave n ’t y et b e e n addressed. For the self-employed and s m a l l u n i n c o r p o r a t e d b u s i n e s s e s, quarterly tax updates will be required from April 2018. From 2020 they will be required by all tax payers, including incorporated businesses. On a recent FT Money podcast, Andy Chamberlain, IPSE Deputy Director of Policy, said the following on Making Tax Digital: “[HMRC] has targeted the selfemployed as one of the first to be part of this new [MTD] regime. We think this is a mistake. Bigger businesses have the resources to handle such a large change.” “ We are not completely opposed to this, but there are some issues. One thing is the speed at which they ’re doing it… and the danger of making incorrect p ay m e n t s. S e a s o n a l b u s i n e s s e s i n particular will suffer.” To listen to the full podcast titled ‘Desperately Seeking Income’ head to the FT Money podcast website.

It’s important that those making attempts to avoid paying taxes correctly are caught, which is why IR35 exists. But it is far too complicated and often misleading. A current Government proposal to change the way IR35 works in the public sector would see much of the contracting workforce in this sector disappear. Why? Because tax liability would be shifted to the client who would decide whether the contractor was caught by IR35 rules, and therefore what taxes they must pay. But if it’s deemed necessary that the contractor pay employment taxes, they will not receive employee rights and benefits, like sick pay. To us, this doesn’t make sense. And will only serve to further complicate an already complex tax system. So far, IPSE has responded to the Government consultation, asked our members to write to and meet with their MP and hosted a Twitter chat, as well as holding several roundtables with industry leaders. We will also be hosting a Webinar on 1 November – find out more on our events page www.ipse.co.uk/events We hope that in the first Autumn Statement speech from the new Chancellor, Philip Hammond, he takes the opportunity to reconsider pressing ahead with what would be a disastrous change to regulation of the way many contractors work.

The Government announced in March 2015 plans to overhaul the tax system in the UK, and they ’re called ‘Making 8

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October 2016

RESEARCH

As we mark four years since autoenrolment started this October, NEST revealed that only 17% of the selfemployed are saving into a pension. Meaning four out of five self-employed people are not saving for their future.

CASH FLOW AND SAVINGS

We can’t overlook the basics. Regulating the flow of cash in and out of bank account is important, and it’s where a separate business bank account can make a real difference. Not only does this create a physical (and mental) barrier between cash, it can even help with identifying to HMRC that you are truly self-employed if the situation arises. Business banking for the self-employed isn’t ideal these days, but watch this space for small ‘challeng er banks’ increasingly coming up against the big banks in the future and providing flexible products. Regulating your cash flow also means having savings for when the ‘in’ flows of cash are not as frequent, and this will happen at times. As Nick Hill, Money Expert at the Money Advice Service, said: “we can all expect an unexpected bill or financial shock to strike at some point. The average unexpected cost of these financial shocks is £1,545 per year, with car repairs coming in at top of the list at an average of £1,341 a time. “That’s why it’s incredibly important to build up a healthy savings buffer to cushion the blow of these shocks. Recent research by the Money Advice Service showed that around 40% of the working-age population of the UK have less than £100 in savings … huge numbers of people up and down the country are vulnerable to a financial shock that could send them into problem debt.” All this is made far easier with an accountant. Although this is an extra cost, an accountant can save valuable time, energy, and provide peace of mind. Not to mention saving extra headaches when it comes to selfassessment deadline.

PENSIONS

If you work as an employee, pensions are sorted for you and your contributions aren’t really on your radar, they just happen. If you work for yourself this doesn’t exist. Are the self-employed taking this obligation seriously enough? Recent data tells us no. So if you’re selfemployed and reading this, take note.

Debbie Gupta, Executive Director of Corporate Services at NEST commented on the data: “there’s a risk that millions of self-employed workers are getting left behind.” “Saving a little bit each month can soon add up, particularly when you add on tax relief and investment returns. Pension savings, combined with the state pension can make a real difference to retirement. We all want to carry on doing things we love – whether that’s going out for dinner, trips to the cinema or maybe even a week in the sun. Having a pension could go a long way to helping achieve those aspirations.”

INSURANCE

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry ” so they say. And when you don’t have the backing of a larger company, there’s only you to rely on. Or, as many have testified, you have your insurance plan to rely on. Situations that can arise include: late payment from a client, a client not paying at all (see IPSE’s recent investigation into free work in the creative industries), illness or injury, jury service (which can last for much longer than you might think) and breaks of contract. For the self-employed, it isn’t a case of just insuring your mobile phone or your travel, your way of work is subject to scrutiny and manipulation. Insurance is often a contractual obligation as well on projects. Read more on this from Thomas Wynne, Head of Business Development at Kingsbridge Contractor Insurance on page 21.

THE POT OF GOLD

That all sounds a bit tough you might be saying. But in actual fact, if you take things seriously when creating your business, it pays off. We’ve seen it. And the IPSE team offer support in all of the above areas, so you’re not entirely alone. Fo r t h e p u r p o s e s o f c a s h f l o w management, we offer contract reviews, debt recovery services and hold events on financial planning, as well as discounts with our partner accountancy providers – some of the best in the UK specifically

for the self-employed. We also offer insurance between £500 per day for jury service, up to £10,000 for failed payments. W h e n i t c o m e s t o t a x , we l o b b y Government on ways to improve the tax system for the self-employed and on a more practical level members can access free tax and legal helplines and receive representation in a tax investigation. You can also get a pension scheme as an IPSE member with a superb negotiated charge of 0.43%. So there really are no excuses. If this isn’t enough, there are countless guides and resources available through the website www.ipse.co.uk and you can join the community on social media or at our events. For a full list of IPSE Partners, visit our partners’ page www. ipse.co.uk/ipse-partners

Compiled by IPSE Staff. For tools and guides, and more on what we can provide to members, visit the ipse website www.ipse.co.uk

NEW REVIEW TO LOOK AT EMPLOYMENT BOUNDARY LINES A lack of specificity in legal definitions, zero-hour contracts, employment tribunals against the likes of Uber and Hermes, all reveal grey areas of employment. Some feel they are unfairly being labelled as self-employed and we should be wary of companies which tarnish selfemployment in this way. On 1 October Theresa May announced the launch of an independent review into “modern employment” and the hope is that this will directly address these grey areas. Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA , and leader of the review has said “The question isn’t how we reduce flexibility, but how we can make it work for more people.” It seems from what has been revealed so far, before the review is set to get underway, that Matthew Taylor is very much trying to establish work as a complimentary part of life. He wants to do away with injustices and target these grey areas. At IPSE , we look forward to seeing this unfold and working with those involved in the review. It’s an opportunity to address some of the challenges faced that we’ve already spoken about such as pensions and professional development. ipsemagazine.co.uk

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Freelancersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; confidence in their business and the POLITICS UK economy remains deep in negative territory Q4 2014

Q2 2015

Q1 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Q1 2016

Q2 2016

Q3 2016

15.5 12.9

9.8 4.9

2.4

2.4 13.8

-2.6

11.1

6.2 0.5

-10

-4.6 -24.6

-20 -19.2

Business confidence -30

Confidence in UK economy

-28.3 -40.5

* Table data indicates outlook for next 12 months

-40

Demand for freelance work

Business cost Three in five freelancers expect their costs to increase in the next 12 months

Freelances worked three out of every four weeks in Q3 2016

62%

Q3 2016

74%

of freelancers believe their costs will increase

Q2 2016

87% Q1 2016

83%

Top factors lowering business performance in Q3 2016 42%

42%

Q4 2015

83%

32% Q3 2015

82% 12of the Outcome EU referendum

Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fiscal policy relating to freelancing

Regulation relating to hiring freelancers

On average over the last 12 months freelancers have been on assignment ipsemagazine.co.uk 82% of the time

BREXIT REMAINS A DENT IN FREELANCER CONFIDENCE

by our survey panel. Or, whether it was Government’s tax polic y, the wider economic picture, or competition from other freelancers that were the most significant pressures. Well, it was Brexit.

Every quarter IPSE produces a survey that gives us a snapshot of how freelancers feel about their business and the economy. We then ensure that policymakers get a rare insight into this important part of the labour market. If they can understand where the selfemployed are coming from, they can adapt their agendas accordingly. This data is also seen as an early indicator of what is likely to happen with the rest of the economy; because freelancers work so flexibly, they respond incredibly quickly to changes in demand.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Before we get to this quarter’s results we should put them into context by exploring what’s been going on in the wider economy. July through September weren’t exactly quiet months. The UK witnessed huge upheaval after the referendum result. In that time, what has changed? Politically, practically everything has. We have a new Prime Minister, new Chancellor, and three separate Cabinet positions all dealing with Brexit. Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, jumped into action immediately after the result was known, to reassure markets. The Bank then cut interest rates to a record low of 0.25%. This was to allay any fears that borrowing would become more difficult. They have also ramped up the quantative easing programme to the tune of £70bn which is yet another injection of cash directly into markets to encourage investment. So lots of action has been taken, and as yet, the economy hasn’t fallen off a cliff. But, there have been some significant developments that may be cause for concern. The value of the pound has plummeted, with some commentators suggesting it could even reach parity with the Euro. Because the UK is a net October 2016

It came out joint top as the factor that most negatively weighed on the performance of freelancers’ businesses during quarter three of this year, along with Government tax policy (including i s s u e s l i ke I R 3 5 ) . A l m o st h a l f o f respondents said as much. importer, your next laptop could become more expensive and even your weekly shop is likely to jump in price. This will hit the pockets of freelancers directly.

HOW HAS ALL THIS AFFECTED FREEL ANCERS?

When we last surveyed, in the run up to and immediately following the Brexit vote, results made for pretty stark reading. Freelancers were very concerned about both the economy and their own businesses, and confidence levels were at their lowest ever. Now that the dust has settled, are independent professionals feeling any better? T h e g o od new s i s, ye s, mood h a s improved, particularly with regards to freelancer ’s confidence in their own businesses. However, improvement has not translated to positive territory yet, and feelings about the economy at large remain in the doldrums. We wanted to find out if Brexit was really behind the negative feelings expressed

So freelancers are concerned about Brexit and tax, but despite this, is being freelance still worth it? Probably the best measure of how a business is doing is their turnover. For freelancers we look at a combination of how much they are paid – their day rate - and how much they are in demand – the number of days they are contracted. This quarter, the average freelancer earned just over £400 a day and worked three weeks out of every four. The one week of downtime likely includes any holidays taken over the summer period. Almost half of freelancers also expect this day rate figure to increase over the next twelve months. Judging by this standard, it remains a very appealing means of working, although other factors may lead to things getting tougher in the next year. Day rates and capacity will be the measures we will be returning to in future surveys to see how freelancers are coping with these outside pressures. Overall, freelancers’ outlook is not great for the next 12 months. While the big picture remains negative, freelancers’ confidence in their own business has improved, and we will hope to see this move to firmer ground as negotiations around Brexit give a clearer picture of the UK’s future economic performance.

The IPSE ‘economist ’s perspec tive’ on the Freelancer Confidence Index is supplied by Lorence Nye, our in-house Economic Policy Adviser. You can find Lorence on Twitter talking economic trends affecting the self-employed @ LorenceIPSE 13

POLITICS

Guide to Freelancing

IPSEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide to Freelancing has recently had an update. The new version is an interactive resource, full of business advice and tips, from tax planning to marketing & PR. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just starting out or already an established freelancer, this 45 page guide is specifically designed for you. Visit www.ipse.co.uk/guide-to-freelancing to download it today.

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POLITICS

AUTUMN STATEMENT PREDICTIONS Simon McVicker, Director of Policy and Public Affairs @SimonMcVicker This Autumn Statement promises to be the defining moment for the new May Government. Chancellor Philip Hammond will have to outline his vision for the UK economy post Brexit. Intrinsically Philip Hammond is considered a more fiscal conservative than it seems Mrs May is after her interventionist Party Conference speech, but we also know that the Chancellor has already said that he was easing up on George Osborne’s ‘austerity’. However, I do expect him to lay out his plans to bring borrowing down over this and the next Parliament. We will see some focused spending on things like infrastructure, and house building but I will be surprised if there is huge public spending like in Gordon Brown’s days. Productivity is the new buzz word and I believe something will have to be spent on training to ease the skills gaps in areas such as construction. I think he will be aware that Brexit will bring uncertainty and some turbulence so he will want to be reassuring and not too radical. He will come over as more pro-business than Mrs May did in her Conference speech.

important infrastructure like housing, road and rail. This will be good news for independent professionals who need to travel frequently, but what would be less welcome is if Hammond decides to push ahead with damaging plans to reform IR35 in the public sector.

Autumn Statement is when we will hear what’s next for IR35 in the public sector. IPSE and the wider contracting community have been working hard to make the case that putting the responsibility of determining employment status on the client or agency just won’t work. Mr Hammond has the perfect opportunity to make a break from the policies announced under George Osborne.

Adam Waters, Senior Policy Adviser @AdamIPSE Chancellor of the Exchequer Phillip H a m m o n d ’s f i r s t m a j o r f i s c a l announcement will be about two things - steadying the post-referendum ship, and signalling a departure from Osbornomics. It will be interesting to see if he retains the previous Chancellor’s interest in the gig economy. Last time round, George Osborne announced two £1,000 tax breaks - one for renting property on the likes of AirBnb, and another for trading. The Chancellor has previously indicated Government could borrow to invest in much needed infrastructure. This will be good news for freelancers that rely on transport and digital infrastructure, and whose flexibility and expertise are vital in delivering project based work.

Jordan Marshall, Policy Development Manager @JLMarshall90

October 2016

The Bank of England’s recent decision to cut interest rates to a historic low of 0.25%, and £70bn to the quantitative easing programme, may also give Mr Hammond some wiggle room. Look out for additional spending allocated to housing - £1.15bn has recently been added to the £3bn that was previously pledged.

Andy Chamberlain, IPSE Deputy Director of Policy @AndyIPSE

We’d like to see some announcements that bring forward recommendations made in the Deane review on selfemployment. This could mean action on maternity pay or pension provision for people working for themselves.

It is unlikely we will see a repeat of last year ’s Autumn Statement when Chairman Mao’s Red Book was being t h r ow n a c r o s s t h e D e s p a t c h B ox . In truth, I think it will be a more understated occasion than was typical in the Osborne years. Philip Hammond will want to tell a positive story with Brexit looming – the rhetoric of austerity will be gone, instead the Chancellor will want to highlight investments in

I expect the tone from the Chancellor to be more upbeat, particularly if quarter three GDP growth figures outperform prior expectations.

Lorence Nye, Economic Affairs Adviser @LorenceIPSE At the Conservative conference, Phillip Hammond warned of two years of instability and uncertainty as the British government withdraws from the EU. But 15

EDUCATING A NATION IN SELF-EMPLOYMENT Inspired by the recent International Entrepreneurship Educators Conference (IEEC) in Liverpool, we investigate an important way to educate future generations in selfemployment – through education. Self-employment is rising at a rate of knots. The latest monthly figures report that almost 5 million people work this way. And this growth is primarily organic. People are choosing to work this way because they want to, because it suits the way they live and because it gives them control over their lives. But what if we wanted, as a nation, to supercharge growth in self-employment – empowering more people to make the decision to set up on their own. How do you let people in on the labour market’s best-kept secret? And do people understand the many forms selfemployment can take? Universities are a good place to start. Students and recent graduates are ideally positioned to launch solo businesses. Research also show s that the vast majority of highly skilled independent professionals are educated to university level, so the talent is there. The problem is that many graduates are lacking one key attribute: knowing where to start. I n S e pt e m b e r, I P S E a tt e n d e d t h e International Entrepreneurship Educators Conference (IEEC) in Liverpool. This annual event brings together enterprise and entrepreneurship educators and practitioners, policy makers, researchers and employability professionals 16

OF FREEL ANCERS LEARNT ABOUT FREEL ANCING WHILE AT UNIVERSITY

OF STUDENTS BECOME SELF-EMPLOYED, FREEL ANCE OR START THEIR OWN BUSINESS WITHIN JUST SIX MONTHS OF GRADUATING

from around the world. It provides a platform to share best practice, and to maximise the impact of enterprise and entrepreneurship in education. It was very encouraging to meet with and hear from the professionals who are working with students and graduates to provide support in these areas. Running a one-person company requires a grounding in accountancy, i n m a r ket i n g , i n l eg a l i s s u e s a n d much more. These are not found on many degree curriculums so students need to look elsewhere. Despite many universities offering valuable business resources through their enterprise centres and employability teams – as was clearly shown at the IEEC – just 2% of freelancers told us they learnt about freelancing at university. It seems that a communication barrier, and perhaps a terminology barrier as well, still exists. At the IEEC, Lydia Wakefield, IPSE’s E d u c a t i o n a n d Tr a i n i n g M a n a g e r, delivered a workshop to address this. The focus was on supporting freelance students who don’t necessarily

Most universities have enterprise hubs but many students either don’t realise it exists or aren’t aware of how it could benefit them associate themselves with being an ‘entrepreneur ’ or a ‘start-up’. The p a c k e d r o o m o n Fr i d a y m o r n i n g demonstrated that universities recognise that this is an issue. Lydia said universities need to reach out to those students who have s e r i o u s f re e l a n c e p ot e n t i a l : “ Mo st universities have enterprise hubs and entrepreneurship support, but many ipsemagazine.co.uk

EDUCATION & TRAINING

students either don’t realise it exists or aren’t aware of how it could benefit them. Many assume it’s just for the business and finance students, not for designers, translators or software engineers.” Language plays an important role in the take-up of business support services. University bodies set up to help students start out alone typically have names like ‘incubator’, ‘accelerator’ and so on – which sound more suited to ambitious start-ups seeking big capital, than to solo graduates looking to launch a freelance career. Terms such as ‘ being your own boss’ and ‘working for yourself ’ broaden the scope. “Dragons’ Den-style programmes are popular with universities, but there are lots of students who don’t see themselves as the next Richard Branson but might still start out alone,” says Lydia. “They have different motivations for becoming self-employed. Growing to a multi-national level might not be a priority for them. And if they aren’t focused on gaining investment, they ’re unlikely to see any value in these kinds of schemes.” These students may not be coming up with a new idea, but they ’re still using their skillset to work for themselves, and they need support. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), at least 4% of students become self-employed, freelance or start their own business within just six months of graduating. Linda Marchant is the Employability C o - o rd i n a t o r a t Nott i n g h a m Tre n t University School of Arts. Her team are setting an example, placing independent working at the fore of the curriculum in a range of subjects. “ We outline the route our own graduates have taken, which includes many examples of those who’ve started their own businesses and enterprises,” Linda says. “ We make sure the pathway to freelancing and entrepreneurship is visible – you can’t be what you can’t see! “Students benefit in a number of ways. The first is allowing exploration of ideas, which builds confidence. Secondly, they benefit from enhanced skills and knowledge as well as a set of resources they can call on to support their thinking. They also benefit hugely from expanding their networks and making connections with others who’ve followed the same route already,” says Linda.

and even teachers require different skills and higher levels of flexibility. As a result, more and more students will graduate into freelancing. Therefore, universities are going to have to begin to embed within their programmes content that develops enterprising skills as much as job-specific skills.”

I PS E MEE T S T H E ED UC ATORS

M i d d l e s ex , a l o n g w i t h Nott i n g h a m Trent, are two of a growing number of universities that are recognising changing attitudes to work. “ We inform students that these changes mean that many will need multiple streams of income, one of which is likely to be self-employment. And even if they don’t become self-employed, they are likely to work for a small business. This means they are much closer to the decision-making process than in a large organisation,” says Simon.

In short, IPSE wants the next generation of independent professionals better prepared and supported by schools and universities. This means a real focus on the skills needed to work independently, whether in the national curriculum or provided through careers advice services.

We inform students that these changes mean that many will need multiple streams of income, one of which is likely to be self-employment If we’re going to see more graduates launching freelance careers, we need more students to realise that there’s help available and that self-employment is a viable career option. Everyone has a role to play: universities must find new ways to communicate with potential young independent professionals; organisations l i ke I P S E m u st c o n t i n u e t o o f f e r expertise; and policy makers must ensure that the UK’s business environment is an appealing place in which to go solo.

Words by Mark Williams, IPSE Press & PR Officer. Mark regularly writes about education and training for the self-employed, but you can also find him penning city guides as he’s the travel guru among us. See page 31 to find out.

Policy Development Manager Jordan Marshall took part in the International Entrepreneurship Educators Conference where he spoke with higher education staff and policy makers about what we want to see in enterprise education.

I attended an interesting workshop on the subject of ‘Improving Student Enterprise Education in the UK’ led by Professor Tim Dafforn, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). BEIS is carrying out a study, linked to the Government’s industrial strategy, into the current provision of enterprise training for undergraduates in higher education and its importance to the health of our economy. The project is an excellent chance to demonstrate the benefits of enterprise education, securing the buy-in of government and senior decision makers within higher education institutions. Barriers to the provision of effective enterprise were identified by attendees, including the fact that many university staff simply don’t see it as “part of their day job”. We will be feeding our views into this project, pushing the Government to ensure that enterprise education is effectively delivered by universities and encourages young people to develop the skills they will need for selfemployment. We will also call on the Government to integrate enterprise and entrepreneurialism throughout the entire school curriculum at secondary and sixth form level. In the coming months, IPSE will also be finalising the Education and Training Manifesto. This will give us an excellent platform to push our key messages to policy makers and universities – the education system must give young people the skills and knowledge they need to flourish in self-employment.

S i m o n B e st i s P rog r a m m e L e a d e r of MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at Middlesex University. “Many universities are geared towards the notion of Graduate Careers. However, these careers are changing as a new wave of automation takes place. Accountants, lawyers, doctors, nurses October 2016

POLITICS

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GETTING INTO YOUR NEXT ROLE FASTER For financial services contractors it can sometimes seem that getting from offer to start in a new contract is harder than getting the offer in the first place! Simon Bichara from HiredByMe discusses why compliance and onboarding is getting more difficult, and how they’re trying to make things a little easier.

“I’ve been a financial services contractor for 20 years. In my first contract I was interviewed on the Friday and started on the Monday. In my last contract I waited nearly four weeks for compliance and onboarding to complete.” It’s a refrain we’ve heard repeatedly from many of our contractor clients. Over recent years – and especially since the financial crash of 2008 – we’ve seen the complexity and volume of the checks being undertaken on contractors before they start a new role rise significantly. To some extent you can blame the public mood since the crash: regulators, press and other commentators have adopted a zero tolerance approach to mistakes since financial institutions lost much of their public trust. As a result, that one-in-a-million chance that you’re not quite who you say you are is no longer a risk worth taking – and so financial institutions ask for more and more data – and lots of supporting evidence. We ’ve a l s o s e e n r e d u c e d a p p et i t e o f o r g a n i sa t i o n s t o i g n o r e m i n o r discrepancies or to allow contractors on site while waiting for checks to be completed. As a result offer-tostart times have risen substantially. A survey we conducted last year showed that on average contractors lose 5 days of revenue a year while waiting for pre-employment screening (PES) to complete. If you want to get through the processes faster there are some simple guidelines to follow:

October 2016

DON’T ARGUE ABOUT THE QUESTIONS

Sometimes, the questions you might get asked in screening can seem irrelevant to the role in hand – and the rules on what evidence is acceptable (and what isn’t) can seem arbitrary. But it’s unlikely that the screening team you’re working with will have the authority to change the rules in your case – most of us aren’t important enough to have the rules re-made just for us – and in any event pushing back on these is likely to make the process take even longer. The best approach is to review carefully what’s needed and try as hard as possible to provide the specific answers and evidence being requested.

BE SCRUPULOUSLY CLEAR…

It’s tempting on your CV to draw a thin veil over the fact that you attended university… but never completed your degree. Many client organisations will regard this as misrepresentation - a strong risk factor - and it’s easy to be denied a role as a result. Instead, make sure that you’re super clear on anything that might get misinterpreted.

…AND CONSISTENT…

Even minor discrepancies (such as calling yourself a “senior business analyst” in your CV and a “ business analyst” in a screening form) may need further discussion to be resolved. As far as possible make sure that you represent the same data in exactly the same way every time you provide it.

…AND HONEST.

This one’s fairly obvious. Everything you put down will get checked at source. If it’s not true, don’t put it down – you’ll almost certainly be denied a role when you’re caught out.

BE RESPONSIVE

Time when the screening team are waiting for you to respond is time when your screening isn’t progressing. Make sure that you respond quickly to their requests – but don’t be slapdash, you’ll probably have to do it twice over.

KEEP A FEW BILLS IN PAPER FORM

Despite the rise of internet billing and direct debits for almost everything a surprising number of client policies won’t allow online bills to be used to prove address or identity. It’s best to leave at least some utilities on paper billing, providing you with a true address “paper trail” If all this seems like a lot of hassle to endure for each new role, our Portable PES might appeal. Rather than starting at the point of offer, it allows you to get all your screening done in advance of finding a role so that you can onboard much faster (which means more days earning and fewer days on the bench); and carry your data from one role to the next, just topping up as you move (which means far less hassle). You also get full transparency and control of the data. Check it out at www.hiredbyme.com Simon Bichara, Director at HiredByMe| @HiredByMe

ADVICE

HOW NECESSARY IS A WEBSITE FOR YOUR BUSINESS? It seems that too often in the modern world we are reliant on technology. I wouldn’t be writing this article without it. Your banking? Online. Your shopping? Online. Chatting with your friends? Online. Your business? Yes, probably online.

online platforms can’t. It can be the first impression given to potential clients, and it’s the platform where you have the most opportunity to show people what you can do for them and then get them on board as paying clients.

So when you take the first steps in starting a business, you will probably think – I need to set up a website. But do you really need one if you’re self-employed?

Katy Carlisle is a freelancer who runs The Wheel Exists, creating modern, professional and mobile-friendly online websites for other freelancers. For her, a website can be a really useful tool: “It gives you credibility… as a consumer, I generally don’t purchase services from someone who doesn’t have a website – I want a feel of who they are before I work with them.”

WHAT DOES A WEBSITE OFFER?

A website is not just a portfolio to show samples of your work. It certainly shouldn’t be just an online business card for people to find your contact details. A website can be much more. It offers the chance to personalise in a way other 20

Think about how often in your life today you judge goods or services on whether or not they have a website.

A website, perhaps more fundamentally, offers the opportunity to put your brand front and centre, rather than your name. Your name is what the likes of LinkedIn etc. will put front and centre; any branding associated with your business will be secondary.

IS A WEBSITE NECESSARY?

Yet, of course, a website isn’t always n e c e s sa r y. Ka re n Kay, a f re e l a n c e journalist, copywriter and media trainer, has had a successful career without ever having a website. Why? “For me, I think it will be more of an online business card, with testimonials and a brief outline of services, instead of a comprehensive overview of my business, with endless social media feeds and clutter. Is a website a vanity project or ipsemagazine.co.uk

WHAT ELSE IS THERE

Having an online presence doesn’t have to mean having a business website. Portfolio-based community websites such as LinkedIn and freelancer.com can be extremely useful marketing tools. LinkedIn is one of the go-to job platforms for recruiters looking for employees or self-employed people. Despite not having a website, Karen is set up on LinkedIn, paying for a professional membership: “I think it is a valuable self-updating contact book. As a journalist I feel it’s a great way to see where people are, and stay up to date with an industry that is constantly changing.” DON’T FORGET REAL-WORLD INTERACTIONS Just because you have a shiny new website or another form of online presence, it doesn’t mean you can rely on it solely. IPSE’s Guide to Freelancing flags up the importance of meeting face to face with clients as a means to cement relationships. There’s also the trap of spending too much time building or adding to a website instead of being out there networking. After all, for many a website is probably not a number one source of work. Many self-employed people get work via a referral or through word of mouth. As Karen notes: “In my experience, I don’t know of a single commissioning editor who would look randomly for freelance contributors online; they use journalists they know, or someone the publication has used before, or will try a writer who pitches an idea to them directly. a strategic business tool designed to generate business?” Regularly updating a website can take time. In certain industries, such as journalism, it’s almost a necessity to keep it updated, otherwise prospective clients will see a writer that hasn’t written in some time. The consensus appears to be that it’ll look like you’re not very active or, worse, that you’re unprofessional. As Katy says: “Remember that your online presence should reflect your offline presence, and vice versa. Make sure your website reflects you.” And Karen agrees: “A poorly-executed site is the digital equivalent of turning up to a meeting in crumpled clothes, unprepared and lacking the social and business skills to communicate effectively. It leaves a very bad impression.” Regardless of whether your website is extremely impressive and professional, engagement and interaction are key – see page 34 for more tips on how to market your business. October 2016

“Ultimately, I think that only you can decide whether a website is best for business. They are certainly easier to set up and run than they were, say, five years ago, and they can be a very useful marketing tool. But don’t go and set one up for the sake of it. Give it purpose. Give it professionalism. Give it the right amount of time.”

Words by Nick Walton, IPSE Press & Policy Adviser. Nick crosses between the press and policy teams, covering i n f ra s t r u c t u r e a n d c o - w o r k i n g amongst other things.

This biannual IPSE event gives selfemployed people from across the UK a chance to meet with and learn from financial experts, and to get answers to their business questions. The event was held on the evening of Wednesday 14th September at the Etc. Venues in Victoria, London. Throughout the evening, IPSE ran the hashtag #FreelancerMoneyBox on Twitter so those who could not be there were able to join in the conversation online. In addition to presentations from the likes of leading accountancy provider Brookson and leading contractor insurance provider Kingsbridge, attendees had the chance to meet one on one with experts for advice and guidance on their finances, or to raise any other concerns they might have with their business. Thomas Wynne, Head of Business Development at Kingsbridge, presented a guide to the best – and most important – insurances to take out if you’re a freelancer. Reasons to get insurance are endless but fundamentally they are a key IR35 indicator, they’ll make your business more credible and they will protect your business if the unexpected happens (without forgetting it’s often a contractual obligation anyway). Bruce Nash, a Certified Financial Planner at Wealth Matters, offered simple and effective advice: “You need a proper financial plan! Invest some time in your own financial planning, or better, get help from a trusted professional.” Bruce listed the three main things that can help you grow your wealth and that are often neglected – time, discipline and regular top-ups to your savings. Matt Fryer, Compliance Manager at Brookson, rounded off the evening by presenting his 10 top tips for freelancers. For Matt, the most important tip is to keep an eye on your finances. “Many people don’t actually know how their company is doing on a day-to-day basis, and therefore don’t know how much they have to spend and what opportunities are available to maximise their income. That’s why it’s important to have realtime visibility on your company’s financial position.” The Freelancer MoneyBox event series has become a staple in the freelance calendar – you can keep an eye out for the next one, due in January, by checking IPSE’s events page.

IT’S TIME TO STOP SLACKING OFF ON YOUR BUSINESS PLAN IPSE Magazine former editor Benedict Smith returns, writing about getting a business plan in place for his new freelance career. Not too long ago I went freelance. It was always part of my plan; the one major flaw being that this was where my plan started and, until pretty recently, ended. Sure, I had an idea of what needed to be done to start a business. But beyond those first tentative steps into selfemployment? A business plan? I hadn’t given it a whole load of thought, to be honest with you. Planning for the long term isn’t something my generation are overly familiar with. And as it turns out, I found myself in good company. Some 47% of UK small businesses have never bothered to put together a formal or recorded business plan, while 23% chug along without any kind of strategy at all. Why? They don’t say. But after learning that a business plan can double your chances of success, I got the ball rolling with my own business plan. Why wouldn’t I? Perfect your pitch To start, I outlined my core business proposition. What is it that I do? How does it benefit customers? What sets me apart from the million other content writers out there? Keep it short, simple and ego-free. If you can’t explain it to yourself in a sentence or two, you’ll find it tricky selling it to clients. Do your homework Next up, time for some background research. I took a long look at my competitors. What is it they do to be successful? Where do they fall short? Make things a little easier for yourself and 22

put together a quick SWOT analysis of your closest competitors, individuals and even companies you aspire to emulate. Price wisely Get an idea of competitor prices and average day rates. Whether you sell products or a service, you should forecast the amount of work you need and how much to charge from the very start. Too high, and you’ll struggle for business. Too low, you’ll lose out. Do your homework and hit your pricing sweet spot. Take a look around I did a little industry analysis too. Whether it’s content, design or coding, you want to have your finger on the pulse. Stay on top of news and trends, and make sure you’re an expert in whatever you do. After all, experts are paid better. The more research I carried out, the clearer my business proposition got. It’s funny how quickly you spot where the opportunities lie, and where they really don’t. Research justifies everything you do. It’s proof of what works and what doesn’t.

But a few hours, some fresh air and two coffees later, I revisited it – breaking the list down into manageable chunks, or ‘Sprints’. I rejigged the list and ordered everything by urgency, creating an activity plan with a flexible timeline. I stuck rough estimates alongside each activity. How long will it take? Do I need any apps, software or help to do it? When does it need to be done by? How much will it cost? Do this for general business admin, right through to your marketing plan and business development. Keep it flexible Keep your activity plan and your business plan as flexible as possible. The beauty of running your own business means you can change the direction it’s heading in whenever you like. What matters is having at least some sense of direction to begin with. Get SMART Of course, there will always be a risk involved when you start a business. Quite simply, uncertainty is unavoidable. So make your business plan realistic. It could take a while for the till to start ringing, so the last thing you need is the added disappointment of falling short of unrealistic targets. Make any objectives you set SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Short and sweet does the job The general advice on business plans is to keep them concise. This isn’t a dissertation, so don’t spend forever on it. It’s a brief document to guide you, refer back to in times of crisis, track progress or to help secure business loans and investment. And sure, business planning might not be the most enjoyable part of starting up. But in the early days, can you really argue against anything that might double your chances of success? I don’t think I need to answer that one…

Benedict Smith, Founder, Levo London @benedictmsmith | www.levo.london

Create a plan of action With research done, I jotted down everything that needed completing in ‘Sprint 1’. From building a website and fiddling with logos, to business development and dumping data on Excel sheets, I’d created one big and intimidatingly long list. Put off, fed up and tired out, I shut my laptop and took a walk. One thing I learnt is that a business plan can’t be done in an afternoon. Certainly not in my case, anyway. ipsemagazine.co.uk

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RESEARCH

FIGURE IT OUT! SELF-EMPLOYED NUMBERS ADD UP

working in the UK, one in seven of whom were self-employed. Fast forward to 2016 and it’s one in five – a significant shift towards self-employment.

By now you probably know this. Selfemployment is surging. More people are making the decision to go it alone. We’ve gone from well over 4.5 million a year ago to almost 4.8 million today. Did you know this growth equates to around two in five of the jobs created in the past 12 months? September 2016’s data on employment showed the labour market is going from strength to strength. Despite everything that’s been going on post Brexit vote, from losing and gaining a Prime Minister to a falling pound and further Bank of England intervention. The total number of people in work grew by 559,000 year on year. Almost half, 224,000 of this number came from people who started working for themselves. But a lot of people are questioning whether the rise of the self-employed is a good thing. If you open up the papers you see stories about people being pushed into working for themselves by unscrupulous companies just out to exploit people who should really be employees, denying them basic rights like holiday entitlement, sick pay and national insurance contributions. It makes you ask the question – are all these new jobs related to precarious, bogus self-employment?

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE FACTS

In the past five years low skilled selfe m p l oy m e n t g r e w b y 2 2 % . T h a t ’s everything from window cleaners, to Uber drivers and home carers. In 2011 there were just 622,000 self-employed people that were categorised as low skilled. Five years later that number has reached 758,000. Some low skilled roles are increasingly likely to be filled by self-employed people. In 2011, there were 701,000 cleaners 24

But what about the rise of Uber and delivery services. Taxi driving has a l way s b e e n a t r a d i t i o n a l l y s e l f e m p l oye d p ro f e s s i o n . U b e r h a s n ’t changed this. Compared to five years ago, when these services didn’t exist we have only seen a small rise of professional drivers on the road. And if you look at the percentage that are selfemployed, it’s pretty much unchanged. T h a t d o e s n ’t m e a n we s h o u l d b e complacent, but there are two sides to the story. When companies like Hermes make all of their delivery drivers self-employed is it a case of bad practice or genuine self-employment. In my opinion it’s absolutely correct that HMRC should look at their arrangements. That shouldn’t detract from the fact that the vast majority of the self-employed workforce love what they do and have no desire to be given the same rights as employees.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY

What’s the real story then? High fliers. This is the group of self-employment which is storming ahead. The number of this type of worker far outstrips low skilled self-employed people, rising from 1.8 million to 2.3 million since 2011. So not only is the number of high skilled self-employed people much bigg er, growth has been faster among this group. A new survey of independent consultants by Eden McCallum, a manag ement consultancy firm, gives an indication why this might be the case. They found that 89% of consultants enjoyed independence from bureaucracy and three quarters (74%) found it gave them a greater variety of work. Looking at the workforce as a whole, it has become more skilled in the past 12 months, with the fastest growth being among professionals. This trend has been particularly strong in women at work and

these developments are much stronger among the self-employed compared to the rest of the labour market. The fastest growth amongst the most skilled self-employed people has been with media professionals. Their numbers have more than doubled in the five years to 2016. IT professionals have also seen a rapid rise in number over that period – from 86,000 in 2011 to 127,000 this year.

WHAT IS MOTIVATING PEOPLE TO WORK FOR THEMSELVES?

T h e sa m e E d e n Mc C a l l u m s u r ve y found that independent consultants weren’t going it alone because they were forced to. For six in ten, becoming self-employed was a deliberate choice – either because they wanted to work with clients in a different way, gain more control over their schedule or because they wanted a career change. Our own research shows that four in five (79%) freelancers like working for themselves because they like to be in control of their own work. As a freelancer, you don’t have to answer to anyone but your customers and yourself. Working for this way frees you from the employee mindset as you can choose the people that you work with. And making the tough decisions is your responsibility; you are in control. Better work life balance also drives people to set up on their own, and far from bringing precarity, almost two thirds (59%) of IPSE members are motivated by the opportunity to maximise their earning potential.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD – IS SELF-EMPLOYMENT GOING TO KEEP GROWING?

Increasing numbers of self-employed people seems inevitable. There has been a structural shift in the labour market driven by cultural and technological shifts. It’s only a matter of time before their number outstrips the total working population for the public sector. As long as this way of working delivers higher satisfaction than traditional employment it will only go in one direction.

A n a l y s i s p u t to g e t h e r b y I P S E Economic Polic y Advisor, Lorence Nye. Lorence is our resident economist and works on most research reports we put together. He can be found tweeting from @LorenceIPSE ipsemagazine.co.uk

EVENT

The Women in Freelancing Network (WFN) event at Etc Venues, London Victoria

HOW TO SELL WHEN YOU HATE SELLING “So many women are choosing to become a freelancer, and we must support one another and create a sense of community.” So said Caroline Morgan, one of the founders of the Women in Freelancing Network ( WFN) on the evening of Wednesday 5th October. WFN, founded by IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed, in 2014, exists to help develop just such a community. Expect to see more from the network supporting freelancing women in the year ahead. A programme of events with inspiring speakers is planned for 2017. Attendees at the workshop event on 5th October were treated to an expert walk through the art of selling by entrepreneur, Kim Duke. Kim is founder of The Sales Divas, and certainly knew how to capture a room. As voice and dialect coach, Laura Gausnell, said on the night: “I learned that I don’t have to cold call, I should just be myself. I don’t have to do what everyone thinks I should do.”

Kim Duke, founder of The Sales Divas

October 2016

To read more on the event, visit www.ipsemagazine.co.uk for the full write up from Deputy Editor Sophie Gibson. @SG_IPSE

REVIEW

AFFORDABLE TECH ARE WIRELESS HEADPHONES ANY GOOD? Jabra Move Wireless

A humble set of headphones completely overshadowed Apple’s latest iPhone launch. When the iPhone 7 was released, reviewers didn’t want to talk about its blisteringly fast processor, boosted battery life or water-resistant design. They wanted to talk about the lack of a headphone jack. The public’s imagination was captured by Apple’s wireless in-ear headphones, called AirPods. But not in a good way. A tidal wave of, quite frankly, hilarious tweets and a rather cruel prank resulted in some iPhone 7 owners drilling a hole in their £600 device hoping to reveal a secret 3.5mm headphone jack. Are the AirPod haters shortsighted? Is Apple about to revolutionise the 100-year-old headphone design? Opinion remains divided. Retailing at £159, Apple claims its A i r Po d s a r e “ Wi r e l e s s. E f f o r t l e s s. Magical.” They ’re also the world’s first truly wireless headphones, without a wire connecting the buds. Using a brand new W1 chip for a more reliable Bluetooth connection, they seamlessly connect to your other Apple products, automatically pause and play as you take them in and out of your ears, allow you to make calls and control them through Siri. I’m not convinced. As a freelancer, I rely heavily on my headphones. They shield me from the world when I’m working in a shared location, feed me music when I’m out on a run and let me take calls when I’m out and about. I’m not sure the AirPods offer the sound quality I want. And the design would not survive the hammering my headphones get – they’d probably get lost within a few hours anyway. The concept of wireless headphones is not new, but previous incarnations have delivered diabolical sound quality and poor battery life. But more manufacturers are creating wireless headphones and these concerns are being addressed by improved Bluetooth technology to deliver better audio and battery systems. Wireless headphones are also incredibly freeing. You can walk around and do a 26

range of activities without catching your cables on anything. And you don’t have to spend time untangling cables when you get your headphones out. It’s time to cut the cord. The bad news is that wireless headphones don’t come cheap. Apple’s AirPods are priced pretty competitively for this market. Yes, you can find some pairs as cheap as £10 if you shop around, but most are priced around the £100 figure. Wireless headphones also come in all shapes and sizes and we’ve rounded up the best offerings available for freelancers who want sound without wires.

THE MUSIC LOVER

The best audio quality will come from a pair of wired headphones, but Bluetooth has improved matters a great deal for wireless headphones. For serious music aficionados, the S e n n h e i s e r Mo m e n t u m Wi r e l e s s h e a d p h o n e s c o m e w i t h a n e q u a l ly serious price tag of £379.99, but they are wonderfully luxurious. The stainless steel sidearms connect leather-encased earcups for maximum comfort, which don’t move an inch once you pop them on your head. The sound quality is truly exceptional – and the battery life isn’t bad at 22 hours for a three-hour charge. The Koss BT540i cans are a more affordable option at £169.99. While they may not look the most stylish, these headphones feel robust and provide a balanced and natural sound that’s not too treble- or bass-heavy. If you prefer a bit more bass, the Beats Solo 2 Wireless (£229) is far from style over substance. The stand-out design offers great sound quality and around 12 hours of battery life, but there’s no noise cancellation to minimise outside sound.

THE EXERCISE ENTHUSIAST

I f you’re more l i ke ly t o u s e yo ur headphones in the gym than at your desk, there are plenty of great options out there. Koss BT5401

ipsemagazine.co.uk

The Jabra Move Wireless is a bargain at only £79.99 and stands out from the crowd with its bold design. These headphones are lightweight and the headband is coated with a dirt-resistant mesh fabric that feels breathable if you do work up a sweat. The sound quality is up there with the best and the battery life is a solid eight hours. However, the noise isolation isn’t great, so if you want to turn up your tunes in the library, it may be best to look at other options. I f y o u’d p r e f e r a n i n - e a r s e t o f headphones, the Optoma NuForce BE6i is a water-resistant set of aluminium cans priced at £99.99. Unlike the AirPods, the two earbuds are connected by a tangleresistant wire. With an eight-hour battery life, it’s a tiny but tough set of headphones designed to withstand dust, sweat and rain. The plastic remote to control these headphones is far from inspiring, but it does come with a range of tips to help you find the perfect fit and the sound quality is nicely balanced.

Optoma NuForce BE6i

Beats Solo 2 Wireless Bose QuietComfort 35

The Plantronics BackBeat PRO (£136) is another solid noise-cancelling option with an outstanding 24-hour battery life. While it doesn’t quite match Bose for noise cancellation ( but what does?) these headphones allow you to make and receive phone calls and provide both a great sound and streaming quality. The dual pairing is useful, too, as you can pair the headphones to your tablet and phone, then switch seamlessly between the two.

Gemma Church is the freelance writer who gets tech. @geditorial_uk

THE COWORKER AND COMMUTER

Sennheiser Momentum Wireless

October 2016

If you like to work in a coworking space, library or coffee shop, or you’re a freelancer who travels regularly, you’ll want a set of headphones with solid noisecancelling technology. The Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones ( £ 2 8 9. 9 5 ) a r e t h e f i r s t w i r e l e s s offering from the market leader of noise-cancelling cans. There are few compromises compared with Bose’s wired headphones. The simple design and oval earcups are comfortable to wear and it’s easy to switch between multiple devices. The sound quality can be a little bassy, but there’s also a mic if you need to make a phone call.

Plantronics BackBeat PRO

ADVICE

CAN YOU BE EASILY FOUND AND CONTACTED?

As well as having your own website, LinkedIn can be a huge boost to running your business. In many ways, it’s quite similar to a website in format, as you can upload all your work, articles and more. But, most importantly, it is a community. You can become engaged in various groups as well as communicating directly with others, and it means you can be easily found. Make use of testimonials, both here and on your website, and share great feedback from clients. Be sure to offer your email address clearly on your website; if possible, it’s good practice to avoid using generic Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail accounts. Don’t leave the inbox dormant – it’s important to be polite and get back to someone, even when you’re too busy for their project. They could be your future client.

3 4

ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON THE ‘BLOGOSPHERE’? You may think blogs aren’t for you, but they’re a great way to bring in the crowds. They offer an opportunity to interact personally with your audience and further develop your brand, and can be shared very effectively on social media. Which topic are you passionate about? A top tip you’ve found helpful, a recent experience on a certain project, or perhaps you’ve discovered a shortcut to something ? Let others know about it. If you’ve set up your own business and know your field, you have interesting things to say that others will want to hear.

Words by IPSE Marketing Manager, Elizabeth Stalberg. More top tips from the IPSE team appear in past issues of the Magazine and are available to view online at www.ipsemagazine.co.uk 28

As referenced in an article on page 20, you may not run your business with a website. But if you do, then it’s important to make it a professional operation. There are many providers out there, from WordPress to SquareSpace, making it possible to create a sleek-looking site to rival the big brands. Layout is everything, so order things into categories and ensure you have a portfolio – perhaps a CV too – available to view. Imagery should be clear, not pixelated. Don’t be tempted to grab something from a Google image search as this can get you into trouble, and of course photographers should be properly credited for their work. Going for stock imagery is a safe bet. Domain name is also important. Whether your brand name is your own name or something else, own it and make it your domain. IPSE has recently launched a partnership with 123Reg and Microsoft to offer a package of website management and office tools suited to those with their own business. Find out more at www.123reg.co.uk/ipse/

SHOULD YOU BE USING EMAIL MARKETING?

First ask if e-marketing is right for your business, as it’s not for everyone. If it is, set yourself objectives and tailor your emails towards them. Is your audience looking for advice, information, a deal? Whatever is relevant, stick with it and send out emails at regular intervals. Be as personable as is appropriate to your market. A personal connection goes a long way towards creating ‘brand me’ – one which sets you apart from the competition.

DO YOU HAVE A PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE?

THE CHECKLIST FOR MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS The ultimate marketing checklist for any independent professional.

IS YOUR SOCIAL ENGAGING?

MEDIA

Social media doesn’t have to be a labyrinthine task. First connect with everyone you already know – friends, family, clients. Next, connect with business groups, organisations and charities that operate in your sector. Finally, share unique and interesting content, links to your portfolio of work and, most importantly of all, engage. Let others know who you are and what you do. Don’t limit your engagement to sharing – comment and offer your opinion too. Add to ‘brand me’ by being personable and a thought leader in your industry. ipsemagazine.co.uk

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REVIEW

THE FREEL ANCER’S GUIDE TO...DUBLIN Make your friends green with envy in a capital steeped in history.

The Celtic Tiger (the name given to Ireland’s rapid economic growth from the mid-1990s to the turn of the century) means that Dublin is fast becoming one of Europe’s most important centres of commerce. Low corporation taxes, vast amounts of foreign investment and a strong appetite for global tourism will all appeal to freelancers seeking pastures new. It’s a friendly, intimate city, yet you can still very easily lose yourself among the winding cobbled streets. Although Ireland was hit hard by t h e f i n a n c i a l c r i s i s, D u b l i n h a s re c ove re d q u i c k ly a n d b e c o m e a n alluring destination for start-ups and independent professionals. According to the OECD, around 17% of the Irish workforce are self-employed, so you’ll certainly find yourself among peers.

GET TING THERE AND GET TING STARTED

The city is only an hour’s hop from the UK by air, with Ryanair, EasyJet, BA and Aer Lingus all operating several flights daily from most British airports. Navigating the city itself is best done using Luas – Irish for ‘speed’ – Dublin’s tram/ light rail system. Smartcards, like London’s Oyster cards, are available and services run every four to five minutes. Those favouring a more gentle pace should take advantage of the bike-share scheme – publicly available bicycles are located around the city and can be hired free for up to 30 minutes at a time, and longer for a set fee. Irish regulations for setting up a business are very similar to those in the UK: you can launch as a sole trader, a partnership ipsemagazine.co.uk

to tcube, a work-hub for entrepreneurs, particularly in the web, app and mobile software sectors. Facilities include the typical fibre broadband, high spec kitchen and reception area with concierge; for an extra fee you’ll receive your own desk and phone number, a business address and onsite secure data centre. Prices start from €20 per hour or €195 per month. (8/9 Westmoreland St, Dublin 2) CoCreate Dublin, meanwhile, is based in the heart of the city with a sister work-hub in Dublin 2, and caters more for content creators. It’s not just about the work at CoCreate – although private offices with 24/7 access will no doubt be welcome – there are also regular social events. A five-day HotDesk pass costs €100, or full-time desks are on offer from €250 per month. You can take a free trial day too. (57 Gardiner St, Dublin 1 / 27 Camden St, Dublin 2)

WHERE TO STAY

Those seeking value for money should opt for the elegant Eccles Townhouse. Located in the heart of the cultural quarter, this boutique hotel includes en-suite bathrooms, free WiFi and Sky TV – and still has an authentic Victorian feel. Rooms start from just €80, an extremely competitive price for a good hotel. (Eccles St, Dublin 7)

or a limited company, depending on which suits you best. There’s plenty of support for new enterprises too. Microfinance Ireland, for example, provide loans of between €2,000 and €25,000 for ‘solopreneurs’ and other small businesses. Business support is always close by in Dublin. The Local Enterprise Office was set up as a ‘first stop shop’ for new entrepreneurs and existing micro businesses; it essentially facilitates mentoring and business advice, training and events, plus financial assistance in the form of grants and loans.

WHERE TO WORK

As solo businesses soar in number throughout Europe and beyond, so too have the number of dedicated coworking spaces or work-hubs. Dublin is no exception. There’s desk space available on a flexible basis in every corner of the city with some geared towards the creative freelancer, others towards innovative tech startups, and there’s something for everyone in between. Temple Bar, for example, is best known for its buzzing nightlife, but it’s also home October 2016

Mid-price hotels very quickly become top-price hotels the closer you are to the city, but the Handel’s Hotel bucks the trend. You’ll find three-star accommodation with a full cooked breakfast in the very heart of Temple Bar, with rooms starting at €105. The Olympia Theatre, the Gallery of Photography and the Irish Film Institute are all less than 10 minutes’ walk away,

"Independent and Professional Contractors have contributed greatly to the pool of industry expertise that gives Ireland its brand for excellence" —Michael Dineen, chairman and founder, Contracting PLUS and Dublin Castle is within easy reach too. (16–18 Fishamble St, Dublin 2) If you travel in luxury, then the fivestar Shelbourne Hotel is the one for you. Housed in an iconic 200-year-old building overlooking St Stephen’s Green, guests can expect marble bathrooms, pillow top mattresses and free highspeed internet. There’s also a spa, salon and health club. Rooms aren’t cheap. Doubles will cost you upwards of €250 and suites considerably more, but if you’re prepared to splash out you’ll certainly get your money ’s worth. (27 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2)

WHAT TO DO

No trip to Dublin would be complete without a visit to the Guinness Storehouse. The drink has a more interesting history than you might expect and the experience includes a pint in the Gravity Bar, offering panoramic views across the city. Dublin was the home of James Joyce and W.B. Yeats, plus modern authors J.P. Donleavy, Maeve Binchy and Roddy Doyle. An afternoon on a literary walking tour will therefore tell you all you need to know about Ulysses, Paddy Clarke and the Ginger Man. If that’s worn you out, go

Trinity Business School opens the doors to its new site in 2018. Freelancing will be baked in to how the new building will operate. Dean of the Business School Andrew Burke, says “We are locating hot desk space and an innovation and entrepreneurship hub right in the centre of the school. It means students can become freelancers and cater to businesses that are housed there.” and relax on St Stephen’s Green, Dublin’s beautiful city centre park and home to a number of historical monuments. After nightfall there’s no shortage of restaurants, pubs, bars and clubs to keep you occupied. In Temple Bar, for example, you’ll find piano bars with a bohemian atmosphere, electro-focused nightclubs and everything in between. Be aware that drinking in Dublin can be pricey – freelancers making their money in sterling may find themselves paying significantly more than in the UK. But all things considered, that’s one of very few downsides to this fantastic city. Dublin has a lot to offer, and any freelancer or self-employed professional would do well here.

Words by resident travel exper t (and IPSE Press & PR Officer) Mark Williams. Know about freelancing in Delhi? That’s where we’ll be next , so get in touch pressoffice@ipse.co.uk

FROM WHERE I STAND: A CAREER IN CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION Gary Howard is a forensic professional and owner of Complete Forensics, a not-for-profit organisation raising training standards in forensic science. I started Complete Forensics because I thought there was a big gap between the education being delivered by teachers who have not been trained in forensic science, and what the industry required. I looked at it with a critical eye and thought: “I can do better than that” (rightly or wrongly!). There’s a lot of people out there who are teaching forensics and they ’ve got no background and no experience whatsoever in an industry that is fighting for compliance and national standards to be adopted, so it just gives a completely false idea of what the job’s about. It’s science, and sometimes, everybody thinks they’re a scientist. You could say I’m quite experienced. I attended crime scenes for murder, rape and kidnap on a daily basis for over five years. Before that, I dealt with the repatriations from Iraq and Afghanistan involving death. My first foray into freelancing took me to the Caribbean. I was a crime scene investigator and the job was to go and help with the crime problem there. I designed and built the Caribbean’s first fingerprint laboratory and was given the responsibility of training their crime scene investigators. I designed the training centre and delivered the courses. It was a fantastic experience. When you work for yourself you can pick and choose the kind of work you’re taking on; if I’ve got a school event on one day, I can be working on a case the next. That variety means I can be inspired one day by young people, and the next day, try and make sure the evidence fitting a crime is being reported on correctly. It’s what makes freelancing so different and so fulfilling. 32

No day is ever the same, that’s what gets me up in the morning. There are different kinds of challenges; you’re running your own business, you’re helping victims of crime, you’re inspiring students and seeing their faces light up. There’s no greater thrill than when you see that Eureka moment. Obviously there are distractions too, when working from home it happens a lot.

challenge you on it. I was quite lucky; I was selected to do it yesterday and one of the Piranhas is very high up in the bank and his wife’s a forensic scientist. It went really well. It’s all about networking and putting yourself out there, and finding people who can offer that little bit extra. Or even better, apply for a programme like Entrepreneurial Spark and they ’ll help you out.

As far as development of my business goes, I’ve managed to be enrolled on to the Entrepreneurial Spark programme by NatWest, so I get six months of free office space. There’s business mentoring as well, so you can take your business to the next level. I’d recommend it to absolutely anybody. The office space is a co-working environment, so there are all kinds of other freelancers and companies around you in different types of work, there’s a real buzz. It’s very similar to the IPSEQA Awards where everybody inspires everybody else. They have something called the Piranha Pit – it’s like Dragons Den – where you’re faced with people you’ve never met before. They might be investors, business mentors, whatever, and you pitch your business for them to

I make sure I keep my hand in the actual forensics work though, that’s what gives me authenticity within the education sector. It keeps me current. The way the forensics industry is made up these days, it’s all temporary work – as a case comes in you deal with it, and then you’ll either go and do something else or you go on to another case, depending what happens. You get instructed by a lawyer to look at a case, so there’s a lot of case file reviewing, going over other evidence, finding errors people have made or where things haven’t been checked when they should have been. Just making sure the i’s have been dotted and the t’s have been crossed. Adding to the variety are the different skills required in my day-to-day job. ipsemagazine.co.uk

There’s a lot of maths, a lot of English, time management – a huge skill you’ve really g ot to use – and obviously, attention to detail. It’s about following methodology, and making sure that you carry out the procedures to a set standard. But to make sure we’re not biased, we don’t get a lot of information on the case in advance, especially if it’s in the news. We’re given the evidence and they ’ll say “try and sort that out, it’s involving such and such”, and that’s it – that’s all they ’ll give us. In my opinion, you really have to be careful when paying attention to the press. Most cases are being reported on but you’ve got to be impartial and you’ve got to look at the facts. It’s really important that if you put your name to something, it’s correct. People just won’t engage with you otherwise. That’s why the most important things for both my personal brand and that of the company are reliability, accuracy and integrity. I have to maintain those things in order to deliver in the areas we do. Even on social media, you’ve got to be careful about what you put online as people do look at it. You need to use a very critical eye. If I had one piece of advice for anybody who wants to take the same path as me, it would be follow your dreams and go for it. But seek the advice and help of those that are there around you to help you on your way. Organisations like IPSE and local business mentors present huge value in helping to grow your business. And finally, try to inspire someone else. If you can inspire one person per day, they ’ll inspire you. www.completeforensics.org October 2016

CREATIVE

WHAT’S IN YOUR BAG? EMMELINE PIDGEN In this new feature, the team at IPSE take a peek inside the bag of an inspiring independent professional.

NAME?

Emmeline Pidgen

WHERE ARE YOU BASED?

Lancashire

WHAT’S YOUR OCCUPATION?

Illustrator

H O W W O U L D YO U D E S C R I B E YOURSELF?

Freelancer

HOW MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR FIELD?

Six

PHONE

Obviously it’d be tricky to find someone these days who doesn’t carry their mobile phone with them at all times! My phone acts as my connection with friends and family, as well as allowing me to work on the go, from wherever I am in the world. Social media’s an integral part of promoting my business, so, believe me, those apps are well used!

SKETCHBOOK

As an illustrator, you’re always going to find me with a sketchbook in my bag! I’m pretty sure I have a collection of almost a hundred, but, big or small, they ’re always perfect for jotting down ideas when inspiration strikes or for sketching landscapes and memories as I travel. I love getting away from screens when I can, and as I work with both digital and ink illustration I have a bit of a luxury in that I can grab my sketchbook and work wherever I like, from cafés to forests!

ipsemagazine.co.uk

PENCIL CASE

Another illustrator’s staple, the pencil case! I specifically picked out this Cath Kidston pencil case as it was such a perfect size – just big enough to allow me to carry around my favourite few pens and pencils without letting my bag get messy! I love using brush pens to sketch on the go, as they give such gorgeous paintbrush line-work without the risk of carrying bottles of ink around with me (I’ve learnt about this the hard way…).

PURSE

BOOKS

Over the last five years or so I’ve made a habit of always making sure I carry at least one book with me at all times. I love to read (my home is literally brimming with books), and it’s just perfect to whip out a novel and jump into a fictional world whilst on a long journey, or sitting underneath a tree in a park. I read a lot of sci-fi and ‘magical realism’, as well as of course a lot of graphic novels and picture books (hey, I promise, picture books are for adults too!).

I picked up this lightweight purse whilst on holiday in Orkney, Scotland, earlier this year. I do have another purse (which is absolutely huge), but as I tend to walk a lot I prefer to keep my purse as light as possible to make up for the extra art supplies I carry! I love that this purse is a little bit unusual, and is made of lovely textured felt. You’ll always find my National Trust and English Heritage membership cards in there in case I stumble across a castle or historic gardens on my adventures!

GL ASSES

I’m usually quite forgetful in making sure I have my glasses with me – I only ever use my prescription glasses for the cinema, gigs or for driving, and I’m awful at remembering that I actually own sunglasses and should probably use them. I love a bit of a vintage style with my glasses, and luckily they seem to be the sort of look that suits me!

TOY DINOSAUR

LIPSTICKS

A bold fuchsia lipstick and at least one (or maybe two or three) lip balms are with me at all times. I find the lipstick is a flash-quick way of making me look a little bit more presentable, and once I found this colour I couldn’t get enough of it. I’m a true believer that lip balms are forever useful – they ’ve even come in incredibly handy in slight emergency situations with rubbing hiking boots on a huge mountain climb!

Well, what can I say? There always ends up being some sort of weird thing like this in my bag. Sometimes it’s a mystery, sometimes it’s a memento, sometimes you just need to carry around a toy dinosaur, just in case.

www.emmelineillustration.com 35

REVIEW

THE GUILD, BATH

The vision of a community hub come to life If you are a freelancer living in Bath and work in the tech or creative industries, you probably know all about the Guild. Opened in July 2013, this cutting-edge coworking space offers a mixture of work spaces and meeting rooms in the Grade I listed former Tech College at the Guildhall. Alice, Front of House Manager at the Guild, describes it as a community hub that pulls people out of coffee shops and gives them a quality space and a chance to meet like-minded professionals. “For many people, the Guild acts their introduction to the business community here in Bath,” she says. With regular events, there are plenty of opportunities to network and make new business contacts. The Guild runs tours of the space every Wednesday, which finish with a slice of cake and the opportunity to speak to people already working from there. www.theguildhub.co.uk/en

CO-WORKING & COFFEE CAMPUS NORTH, NEWCASTLE

One of the UK’s best coworking spaces Campus North, situated in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, describes itself as more than just a place to work. Recently r e c o g n i s e d a s 2 01 6 ’s B e st B r i t i s h Workplace by Adzuna, Campus North offers everything from hot-desking and meeting rooms to event spaces. Lyndsey Britton, Head of Campus North, says: “At Campus North, community comes first! We’re all about supporting, promoting and accelerating digital entrepreneurship in the North East by putting the needs of the tech community at the heart of everything that we do. The draw for freelancers who work out of our space is having a supportive community of other freelancers and start-ups to collaborate, share ideas, expertise and network with.”

Know of a great co-working spot that deser ves a feature in the magazine? Get in touch pressoffice@ipse.co.uk 36

If you are new to freelancing in the North East, look out for their monthly community meet-ups, where you can have a beer with other freelancers. There are also regular free events on subjects from web development to e-commerce and front-end development. Hot-desking starts at £15 per day or £100 for a month or you can get your own office from £400 per month. www.campusnorth.co.uk/ @campusnorthuk ipsemagazine.co.uk

IPSE Futures gives you the opportunity to take advantage of group rates for a variety of flexible benefits. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be adding to these throughout the year, but you are now able to join pension, life assurance and private medical insurance schemes at group rates - usually at a fraction of the cost you would pay as an individual.

IPSE Plus members will also automatically receive ÂŁ5000 base life assurance cover as part of their Plus membership.

www.ipse.co.uk/futures October 2016

EVENTS

27 OCTOBER 2016 – 27 JANUARY 2017 IPSE EVENTS WEBINAR: IR35 REFORM IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR 01 November 2016, starting at 12pm Just three weeks prior to the Autumn Statement, IPSE will be hosting a webinar to analyse the government’s damaging proposal to reform IR35 in the public sector. IPSE’s Andy Chamberlain and Kate Shoesmith from REC (Recruitment & Employment Confederation) will be on hand to answer any questions you have.

WEBINAR: TOP TIPS TO MAXIMISE YOUR LIMITED COMPANY

AUTUMN STATEMENT

16 November 2016, starting at 12:30pm

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, will be making his first Autumn Statement on this date. Tune in to @IPSEWestminster to follow the conversation nearer the time.

En s u r e y o u’ r e m a x i m i s i n g y o u r earnings with Brookson’s top tax tips for Limited Company freelancers, contractors and self-employed professionals. This webinar will cover expenses, dividends and more.

03 November 2016, starting at 1pm Kona Coaching are leading on this webinar on mastering your resilience mind-set in order to create personal success, a thriving business and tangible, sustainable results. It is aimed at freelancers, entrepreneurs and business owners.

23 November

CHRISTMAS 25 December 2016 As this is our last issue before the Christmas break, we would like to take the opportunity to wish a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers.

NETWORKING OPPORTUNIT Y: HOW TO NETWORK AND THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA WEBINAR: CREATING YOUR EDGE

OTHER EVENTS

We’ll see you in 2017.

2 November 2016, starting at 6pm, Bristol IPSE will be hosting a panel session to give tips and scenarios on how to successfully network and the impact social media can have on your business. Our panel of experts are confirmed as: Luan Wise, Freelancer Marketing Consultant Tom Dewhurst – Founder of Ordoo Jamie Middleton – Social Media/ Journalist – Tech Spark

Holding an event for freelancers and the self-employed in your area? Let us know and we may promote it pressoffice@ipse.co.uk

ipsemagazine.co.uk

October 2016