Self-employment as a key to personal freedom? There has never been a better time to explore the benefits to you of setting up your own business .
A Fork in the Road
Yogi Berra said ‘when you come to a fork in the road, Take it ‘ .Given the events of the past few years, let alone the last 15 months, we have certainly reached a fork. This is not perhaps a bad thing.
Previously engrained attitudes, work, quality of life, the environment and education have been under scrutiny for some time. Scrutiny has morphed into challenge and challenge leads to change. Change is rarely driven by proactivity. Instead major unexpected events are usually the catalyst for innovation and beneficial change.
Some things will revert to the way they were. Many will not. Why, for example, should you not split your time between office and home? If your productivity is maintained and your social and economic wellbeing unaltered why change? Why not reduce the hassle and cost of the daily commute? Why would the employer not wish to reduce the cost of expensive space?
Change and Choice
The way we lived pre-virus has been broken into parts and thrown into the air with no knowledge of where the pieces will land. The consequence is that most of us will have a greater range of choice in the way we organise our lives.
A couple of generations ago the occupation you entered after leaving education was probably the same that you left on retirement. Graduates would probably have entered a profession. Neither now automatically apply. Graduates are frequently found in a whole range of non-traditional graduate activities. Sometimes this is by necessity but often it is a lifestyle choice.
The huge increase in university places since the early 2000’s has not helped many young people. They have been discouraged from following often highly lucrative practical trades. We have a shortage of skilled workers but a preponderance of non-relevant graduates. Who is the winner? The graduate on a low salary and stuck with a massive debt or the school leaver with the earlier purchase of property?
Opportunities are Always Present
The way things work will be re-balanced. First, some people will not keep their jobs after the end of furlough. Second, others will not want to return to work. It follows that it is a good thing to look at setting up your own business in either case. It requires innovation and imagination to survive and prosper.
A strong SME culture is essential to the UK economy. According to the Federation of Small Businesses in 2019/20 https://www.fsb.org.uk employment in small businesses (0-49 employees) was 48% of the total. The combined turnover was £1.6 trillion ,36% of the whole..
There has never been a better time to start your own business, on your terms. You decide how you want to match your business model to your chosen lifestyle. You have a blank sheet of paper.
HW Associates ,Chartered Accountants, Can Help
Spend your time in developing your business and let North Herts based Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors, HW Associates, help you. Accounting software for start-ups are easy to implement and we advise on these as standard. More importantly tap into HW Associates experience-based advice in such key areas as structure, finance, tax, costing, what-if scenarios and importantly, coaching. Please see our article Can SME’s benefit from Business Coaching?
Have you reached the fork and decided to explore the opportunities offered by Self-employment as a key to Personal Freedom of choice ? If so let us show you how we can help you achieve your goals .
We have a range of monthly subscription-based packages, customised to the needs of start-ups and to those existing businesses that want a fresh look at their affairs.
Contact HW Associates
Contact us on 01462 420042 or info@hw-associates.co.uk and book an obligation free meeting at our office at Portmill House, Portmill Lane, Hitchin, SG5 1DJ. You have nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain? Please visit our website http://www.hw-associates.co.uk