Is there anyone who is self-employed?

A lot of self employed people have autism and/or ADHD. Especially if they run their own business. No-one taught me about business or how to run one my own brain taught me everything. I didn't know I had autism at the time but realised in August 2023 I had it and learnt more about it and realised what my brain does. I was working in retail at the time my brain was teaching itself about business and my brain was analysing everything, what people were buying, their shopping habits and gender differences. I was made responsible for a section within a department for about 4 months. I knew how much stock to get the manager to order to keep up with demand although some things were not always available to order. I used my logical thinking to entice customers to look at what was there. Because of the amount of money I was making they moved me somewhere else and I applied the same logic and information my brain had analysed to the new section and in 4 weeks I was outselling stores of a similar size in the whole of the UK.

To get into any business it's always best to centre it around something you enjoy, or a special interest. Before turning anything into a business do your research learn as much about what you are selling as you can, learn about what your consumer wants and likes. Look at similar products to what you want to sell and see what prices they are selling for and if they are selling quickly or are slow and look at the cost of time, equipment, packaging and stock. Research where it is best to sell your product as starting the selling in a good place will help you long-term. Know your market and profit margins and factor in costs such as selling fees and postage. There is no point getting into something if you don't have a suitable profit margin.

You may find your brain is able to log a lot of information which will help you progress and expand your business when you feel the time is right.

If you're not used to selling things it's always worth selling your own personal things you no-longer want or need to get a feel for selling and packaging, posting etc. or selling in person at say a carboot or jumble sale/trail. It always worth doing that so you can get a feel for what works for you and  start off small and expand if and when you are ready to do more hours.

I know business owners who do up to 18 hour days and they were making an amount of money that meant they had to be VAT registered and change from sole trader to a limited company. At the moment I don't intend to go to that level of earnings as I don't need to I just want enough to do the things I want to and to be able to save some money as well.

I sell my specialist interest and have the knowledge to sell other items as and when I find them to grab a bigger market share and diversify so I'm not reliant on solely one thing. I've been selling my own bits and bobs for years, it was only last October i decided to take the plunge and give it a go.

Once you have the knowledge you need and are ready to start, register your business name with HMRC and register for self assessment as you will always have to submit one even if you don't make a profit or earn anything. Search on companies house website as that will tell you if there is already someone registered with the business name you decide if you don't choose to just register in your name.

You are also entitled to half hour advice for free from an accountant. The only ones I know are boffix, although as they are well known and respected there is a high demand so best to look at slots available ASAP or you could be waiting a while. Their website will give information on what they can offer you and help you decide whether you want to do everything yourself or you feel you need some support and whether they can offer what you need.

Hope my information is of use to you.

It's really inspiring that you’ve been able to keep going for so long despite the challenges.

I can't remember how I heard about the hub, probably googling "small business support" for your county?

If you start small then you can try it out at the same time as being employed. I am very risk averse so I understand how you feel.

I am actually in the opposite situation of thinking about going back to regular employment but not sure how it will work out!

(Go for it)

I've been a self employed illustrator for about a decade now, but I'm also on limited capability to work because of my autism/mental health issues, so universal credit keeps me afloat in the months that I don't get paid. 

Thanks for your advice. I’ll definitely keep researching what’s available locally. I’m not sure how I’d feel about working with a bank either, but I guess it depends on the type of support they offer.

That makes a lot of sense. It’s good to hear you didn’t have to invest too much upfront either — that definitely eases some of my anxiety around the financial side.

Hi, thanks so much for your message — it’s really helpful to hear from someone in a similar field. I also find self-promotion hard, so it’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one!

That business hub and grant sound amazing — how did you hear about it? I’ve been looking around but it’s hard to tell what’s actually available.

I do have one worry though — if I try self-employment and it doesn’t work out, do you think it would be hard to get back into regular employment? That thought has been holding me back a bit.

Thanks again!

That sounds like a really cool idea! Hope it works out for you.

If love to know myself. As an ex-chef, I have plans to go into the beef jerky business someday. Once eive done all the necessary research and development, I believe it can be a profitable plan to pursue

You’re welcome and happy to help. No I didn’t really invest too much but built things up slowly over time, I never even considered a grant but may have been worthwhile looking into. I think going all in right from the beginning would have overwhelmed me and potentially put me off so starting small was the right thing to do for me. 

Hi Leona26, I am self-employed in the same kind of area you are interested in (although I was forced into it through being made unemployed..... again).

Take5 has good advice about starting small and keeping costs down, it is possible to do this. Like whiteD404 I struggle with self-promotion and the selling side of things which means my income will never be as good as those who are shouty people!

There is a local business hub here that gives business advice and can offer free (?) office space for meeting clients. I got a 100% grant from the county council to buy equipment and tech but they aren't well advertised so it might be worth contacting their local funding team?

Sant**der offer free business banking.

Let me know if you want any practical/making advice.

Thank you so much — that’s really encouraging to read, and I’m glad self-employment has worked out so well for you. Starting part-time and keeping stock small is a really good idea. I think I’ve been putting pressure on myself to have everything figured out right from the start, but maybe I don’t need to go all in immediately. 

I’ve been wondering about the funding side of things, though — even starting small, there are still some upfront costs, and I’m not sure if I should try applying for a small loan or just wait and save slowly. I guess I’m worried about taking on too much financial risk too early. Did you have to invest a lot to get started in your field?

Thanks again for the kind words and the advice — it really helps.

That’s really encouraging to hear — thanks for sharing！

I have been self employed for nearly 20 years (sole trader). I do internal refurbishment, kitchen design and bathroom remodels. I even do this in my spare time at my own house. It’s far from glamorous but I actually really enjoy my work, it gives me so much satisfaction. The best part about what I do is that I work alone for 90% of the time which has been a life saver for me personally. I have been employed many years ago and struggled to make it through the day, spent large chunks of the day in the toilets to reduce the amount of time I spent working closely with others. I think what I’m saying is being self employed was a good option for me  and I’ve never been happier regarding work. Could you perhaps start off part time and see where it goes and keep your stock to a minimum to reduce any big outlay? Then once things pick up you can increase your stock and your hours to suit yourself. 
I wish you good luck and I hope you get to enjoy your work in whatever you choose to do. 

• Checking out what support locally for starting up a small business makes sense. I would see what  is available. Sometimes banks offer  support but not sure how comfortable you would be? My personal advice would be to do your research and start small and see how it goes. Businesses that get into trouble tend to over expand and or not doing their homework properly. 
  I always fancied running my own business but couldn’t face the networking  and selling would be needed

Yeah, I’ve noticed that too — it’s a bit of a postcode lottery when it comes to what kind of help or funding is available.

Right now I’m thinking about making and selling small handmade items, like jewelry. I’m still at the very early stages — no formal training and no proper plan yet, just slowly trying to figure out what might be doable for me. I prefer becoming a sole trader so I don't need to socialize too much. I didn’t know co-operatives were even an option for small setups like this, so that’s something I can look into, thanks for the tip!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I didn’t know councils sometimes offer business courses — that actually sounds like a great way to learn without getting too overwhelmed. 

I’ve been thinking about trying self-employment too, maybe starting small by selling handmade items like jewelry. I don’t have a proper business plan yet, though. I think part of what’s holding me back is feeling like I haven’t had any real training, and I’m also not sure how I’d handle the funding side of things.

Thank you!

What help is available is very regional too, devolved regions will have different set ups and pots of money than England as a whole, but different areas of England may have seperate things too. One of the things I found was that most of the grants available were to large and wanted me to put to much money in, if I had the 10k+ that many were asking I wouldn't have needed a grant. One of the biggest expenses is car or van insurance, it's huge.

Wht are you thinking of doing as a self employed person? Will you be a limited company or a sole trader? If there are any other people you could work with then think of alternative business models such as co-operatives, there's a diferent funding pot for these and you can still be a limited company which will protect you from losing all your money to an extent, but it depends on what you do and the articles you have for your business.

I was self employed for 8 years - way before my diagnosis.  My local council sponsored a "setting up your own business" courses which covered all the necessary details.  I think most Banks will have similar information - but the council run course was good - spread over a number a weeks (think was 1/2 day a week) for say 8 to 10 weeks.

I think you really have to think if the idea is something that given the time and effort you need to put in , then what payment and income you can expect to get from that - vs missed income + employee benefits from being employed or even what impact it may have on any support benefits.

There is usually start-up funding available (google start-up loans) but most of these you'll need to put some money in yourself and then starting paying back or delay (but get hit with growing interest)