Start your career

Self-employment

Self employment means working for yourself.

Starting a business can mean earning money and building skills in a way that fits your needs and lifestyle.

Being self employed means:

  • you run a business for yourself
  • you have several customers at the same time
  • you can decide how, where and when you do your work
  • you cal sell goods or services to make a profit

There are downsides too:

  • lack of employee benefits, like sick pay and holiday pay
  • possible long working hours
  • responsibility for your own tax returns
  • unpredictable finances

You must follow specific rules on running and naming your business.

Find more information and advice:

The Prince's Trust run a self-employment scheme in Lincolnshire, called Explore Enterprise. It is for 18-30 year olds who are thinking about self employment.

You will get:

  • a two-day online workshop, covering all aspects of setting up and running a business
  • two more days of support
  • one to one planning meetings with a business adviser
  • access to grants and funding
  • two years of support from an experienced volunteer once the business launches