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| self:self-employment [2025/12/20 14:00] – Dave Darby | self:self-employment [2026/03/26 18:33] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1 |
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| # Self-employment | This topic is part of [[gt:economy|Economy & finance]] and [[gt:learning|Learning & personal development]]. |
| | ====== Self-employment ====== |
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| ## What is self-employment? | ===== What is self-employment? ===== |
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| It’s working for yourself rather than for someone else. It’s one type of worker self-management - others include [worker co-ops](/coop/co-operatives), partnerships or employee-owned businesses. Owning your own job, individually or collectively, means that you avoid: a) being told what to do by bosses, and b) having part of the value of your work extracted by owners or shareholders who do no work. Self-employment is the most basic form of this, as there’s no-one else to do any bossing or extracting. It’s just you, and so the responsibility for success or failure is entirely yours. Depending on your personality, this might be an attractive or a terrifying proposition. | It’s working for yourself rather than for someone else. It’s one type of worker self-management - others include [worker co-ops](/coop/co-operatives), partnerships or employee-owned businesses. Owning your own job, individually or collectively, means that you avoid: a) being told what to do by bosses, and b) having part of the value of your work extracted by owners or shareholders who do no work. Self-employment is the most basic form of this, as there’s no-one else to do any bossing or extracting. It’s just you, and so the responsibility for success or failure is entirely yours. Depending on your personality, this might be an attractive or a terrifying proposition. |
| Why is self-employment a low-impact topic? It’s because self-employment is an important part of a non-corporate economy, and if we are to live sustainably on this planet (which is essential if we’re going to survive), then we have to develop an economy that isn’t dominated by, and has to adhere to rules set by, the corporate sector. See [here](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/economy-thats-not-dominated-corporate-sector-much-better-individuals-communities-nature/) for more. Also, there’s a particular type of self-employment that we’re most interested in – one that helps to provide the essentials of life for local communities. With the current state of the economy, that will require some re-training to provide the products and services covered in our [topics](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/topics-2/). If we don’t provide things for ourselves in our communities - bread, vegetables, meat, cheese, clothes, firewood, baskets, cups, plates, leather goods, shops, restaurants, repairs (cars, computers, houses etc.), renewable energy installations – anything – then we’ll all have to get those things from the corporate sector. | Why is self-employment a low-impact topic? It’s because self-employment is an important part of a non-corporate economy, and if we are to live sustainably on this planet (which is essential if we’re going to survive), then we have to develop an economy that isn’t dominated by, and has to adhere to rules set by, the corporate sector. See [here](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/economy-thats-not-dominated-corporate-sector-much-better-individuals-communities-nature/) for more. Also, there’s a particular type of self-employment that we’re most interested in – one that helps to provide the essentials of life for local communities. With the current state of the economy, that will require some re-training to provide the products and services covered in our [topics](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/topics-2/). If we don’t provide things for ourselves in our communities - bread, vegetables, meat, cheese, clothes, firewood, baskets, cups, plates, leather goods, shops, restaurants, repairs (cars, computers, houses etc.), renewable energy installations – anything – then we’ll all have to get those things from the corporate sector. |
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| ### Some definitions | ==== Some definitions ==== |
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| **Sole trader:** if a self-employed person is a sole trader, it means that there is no distinction between the individual and the business. The person is the business, and so is personally liable for any debts, losses or assets accrued. Not so much paperwork as other options (although you do have to register with HMRC) and you can use your personal bank account rather than having to set up a business bank account, so it’s the easiest and cheapest way to start out. | **Sole trader:** if a self-employed person is a sole trader, it means that there is no distinction between the individual and the business. The person is the business, and so is personally liable for any debts, losses or assets accrued. Not so much paperwork as other options (although you do have to register with HMRC) and you can use your personal bank account rather than having to set up a business bank account, so it’s the easiest and cheapest way to start out. |
| Freelancing is generally not so interesting from a low-impact perspective, as the work usually involves helping to make profit for a large company rather than providing goods and services for your community. | Freelancing is generally not so interesting from a low-impact perspective, as the work usually involves helping to make profit for a large company rather than providing goods and services for your community. |
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| ### A word about the ‘sharing’ economy | ==== A word about the ‘sharing’ economy ==== |
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| What we’re definitely not talking about is the kind of ‘self-employment’ typified by the new ‘[sharing economy](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/beware-the-sharing-economy-back-door-for-a-more-rapacious-form-of-capitalism/)’. Ũber drivers, for example, are tied to a company that provides no vehicles, insurance, minimum wage, job security, sickness, holiday or maternity pay, and which extracts 25% of all the income they generate, for providing a platform that can instead be provided by a drivers’ co-operative. Platform co-ops could become very important and beneficial to self-employed people, allowing them to remain self-employed, but collaborating on mutually-owned platforms to meet customers without other people (who do no work) extracting money from their work. See [here](https://platform.coop/) for more. | What we’re definitely not talking about is the kind of ‘self-employment’ typified by the new ‘[sharing economy](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/beware-the-sharing-economy-back-door-for-a-more-rapacious-form-of-capitalism/)’. Ũber drivers, for example, are tied to a company that provides no vehicles, insurance, minimum wage, job security, sickness, holiday or maternity pay, and which extracts 25% of all the income they generate, for providing a platform that can instead be provided by a drivers’ co-operative. Platform co-ops could become very important and beneficial to self-employed people, allowing them to remain self-employed, but collaborating on mutually-owned platforms to meet customers without other people (who do no work) extracting money from their work. See [here](https://platform.coop/) for more. |
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| ## What are the benefits of self-employment? | ===== What are the benefits of self-employment? ===== |
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| ### For individuals | ==== For individuals ==== |
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| It provides more interesting and satisfying work, rather than what David Graeber provocatively calls ‘[bullshit jobs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kehnIQ41y2o)’. Most people wouldn’t dream of carrying on doing their job after retirement, but often, people take up things like growing food, DIY, pottery, basketmaking, woodwork etc. Why not do those sorts of things for a living, if that’s what you enjoy? | It provides more interesting and satisfying work, rather than what David Graeber provocatively calls ‘[bullshit jobs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kehnIQ41y2o)’. Most people wouldn’t dream of carrying on doing their job after retirement, but often, people take up things like growing food, DIY, pottery, basketmaking, woodwork etc. Why not do those sorts of things for a living, if that’s what you enjoy? |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
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| ### For society | ==== For society ==== |
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| Self-employment helps to build the non-corporate economy. Other people then have more ways to get what they need from non-corporate sources – and it helps steer money away [from the corporate sector](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/economy-thats-not-dominated-corporate-sector-much-better-individuals-communities-nature/). This in turn keeps more money in the local community, and creates [more jobs](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/supermarkets-destroy-jobs-and-local-resilience/). Contrast what happens to your money if you buy (for example) biscuits made by a local person compared to [branded biscuits](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/custard-creams-network-global-corporate-control/). | Self-employment helps to build the non-corporate economy. Other people then have more ways to get what they need from non-corporate sources – and it helps steer money away [from the corporate sector](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/economy-thats-not-dominated-corporate-sector-much-better-individuals-communities-nature/). This in turn keeps more money in the local community, and creates [more jobs](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/supermarkets-destroy-jobs-and-local-resilience/). Contrast what happens to your money if you buy (for example) biscuits made by a local person compared to [branded biscuits](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/custard-creams-network-global-corporate-control/). |
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| ## What can I do? | ===== What can I do? ===== |
| ### Support self-employed people | ==== Support self-employed people ==== |
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| Buy from self-employed people locally. Self-employed people don’t have the economies of scale that large corporations do (or the ability to avoid tax, employ sweatshop labour or get favours from politicians), and so their prices are often higher. What you get is higher quality, but it’s more than that. If you’re aiming to become self-employed yourself – especially to produce quality goods and services for your community – receiving a fair price is essential. In the end, if a loaf of bread costs 50p or a t-shirt £2, then people are being exploited and the environment is being damaged. More on prices [here](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/how-much-should-a-loaf-of-bread-cost/). | Buy from self-employed people locally. Self-employed people don’t have the economies of scale that large corporations do (or the ability to avoid tax, employ sweatshop labour or get favours from politicians), and so their prices are often higher. What you get is higher quality, but it’s more than that. If you’re aiming to become self-employed yourself – especially to produce quality goods and services for your community – receiving a fair price is essential. In the end, if a loaf of bread costs 50p or a t-shirt £2, then people are being exploited and the environment is being damaged. More on prices [here](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/how-much-should-a-loaf-of-bread-cost/). |
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| ### Become self employed | ==== Become self employed ==== |
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| First, decide what you want to do (we have [some ideas](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/topics-2/)) and get training. | First, decide what you want to do (we have [some ideas](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/topics-2/)) and get training. |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
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| ### Networking | ==== Networking ==== |
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| [Local groups](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/local-networking-groups/) can be formed to network small businesses, including co-ops and the self-employed, that can help to provide a ready market of like-minded people who would prefer to purchase from and trade with local, [small-scale](/smal/small) businesses, for the reasons outlined above. Small businesses and the self-employed can commit to trading with each other locally – to be local consumers as well as producers, or ‘prosumers’, if you like. These kinds of groups could develop the basis of a different kind of economy, founded on sustainability and democracy, with [mutual credit](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/collaborative-credit/) as the means of exchange. | [Local groups](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/local-networking-groups/) can be formed to network small businesses, including co-ops and the self-employed, that can help to provide a ready market of like-minded people who would prefer to purchase from and trade with local, [small-scale](/smal/small) businesses, for the reasons outlined above. Small businesses and the self-employed can commit to trading with each other locally – to be local consumers as well as producers, or ‘prosumers’, if you like. These kinds of groups could develop the basis of a different kind of economy, founded on sustainability and democracy, with [mutual credit](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/collaborative-credit/) as the means of exchange. |
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| ## Further resources | ===== Forum ===== |
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| | This topic belongs to the section [[gt:economy|Economy & finance]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/economy). |
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| | It is also in the section [[gt:learning|Learning & personal development]] (Forum: [Learning & personal development](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/learning)). |
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| | ===== Further resources ===== |
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| - [Gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/become-sole-trader) - set up as a sole trader, step-by-step | - [Gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/become-sole-trader) - set up as a sole trader, step-by-step |
| - [Turn2Us](https://www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/information-for-your-situation/self-employment-and-benefits/am-i-employed-or-self-employed) - advice on self-employment and benefits | - [Turn2Us](https://www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/information-for-your-situation/self-employment-and-benefits/am-i-employed-or-self-employed) - advice on self-employment and benefits |
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| ## Specialist curators of this topic | ===== Related topics ===== |
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| | - [[pltc:Platform co-ops]] |
| | - [[coec:Commons economy]] |
| | - [[comy:Community]] |
| | - [[smal:Small|Small is beautiful]] |
| | - [[pers:Personal development]] |
| | - [[wwoo:WWOOFing]] |
| | - [[down:Downshifting]] |
| | - [[mucr:Mutual credit]] |
| | - [[coop:Co-operatives]] |
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| | ===== Specialist curators of this topic ===== |
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