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For a successful business, you need a viable business idea, the skills to make it work and the funding. Discover whether your idea has what it takes.

Forming your business correctly is essential to ensure you are protected and you comply with the rules. Learn how to set up your business.

Advice on protecting your wellbeing, self-confidence and mental health from the pressures of starting and running a business.

Learn why business planning is an essential exercise if your business is to start and grow successfully, attract funding or target new markets.

It is likely you will need funding to start your business unless you have your own money. Discover some of the main sources of start up funding.

Businesses and individuals must account for and pay various taxes. Understand your tax obligations and how to file, account and pay any taxes you owe.

Businesses are required to comply with a wide range of business laws. We introduce the main rules and regulations you must comply with.

Marketing matters. It drives sales and helps promote your brand and products. Discover how to market your business and reach your target customers.

Some businesses need a high street location whilst others can be run from home. Understand the key factors from cost to location, size to security.

Your employees can your biggest asset. They can also be your biggest challenge. We explain how to recruitment and manage staff successfully.

It is likely your business could not function without some form of IT. Learn how to specify, buy, maintain and secure your business IT.

Few businesses manage the leap from start up to high-growth business. Learn what it takes to scale up and take your business to the next level.

Why self-employment is working for women

13 December 2022

A new study by IPSE has found that self-employment is increasingly attracting women that want more control over their work-life balance.

New research conducted by the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) has found that the total number of self-employed women now stands at 1,577,000 - 46% of the freelance workforce.

While the COVID pandemic has triggered a drop in the number of freelancers overall, the findings reveal that the number of female self-employed workers has only fallen by 3% since 2020, compared to 7% for male freelancers. In fact, since 2008, the number of solo self-employed women in the UK has increased by 59%.

Self-employment is proving to be a long-lasting career solution for many women, with 46% having worked for themselves for over six years and 44% having been in self-employment for over nine years.

The pros and cons of self-employment for women

Women report that they enter self-employment to get more control over working hours (63%), choice of where to work (56%) and a better work-life balance (55%). Interestingly, becoming a mother is more likely to trigger a move into self-employment than becoming a father; and 15% of freelancers are working mums. However, key obstacles include inadequate Maternity Allowance for working mothers, the gender pay gap and a reduced accessibility to training.

The flexibility and freedom afforded by self-employment is invaluable for many women, particularly when it comes to having a family.

Whilst the average age of women in self-employment is 47 years-old, the largest age groups for self-employed females are 50-59 years (424,000) and 40-49 years (379,000). However, the age group that has seen the largest increase amongst the female self-employed population is the 30-39 age band, which has seen an increase of 8% since 2020.

Vicks Rodwell, head of partnerships at IPSE, said: "It is really encouraging to see so many women making the decision to become self-employed. The flexibility and freedom afforded by self-employment is invaluable for many women, particularly when it comes to having a family, but it is essential that the government now works with the female freelance workforce to improve issues such as Maternity Allowance, access to low-cost childcare and the gender pay gap to foster a more positive environment for women to work in."

Case study: Laura Wallis

Laura Wallis is a self-employed mother of one whose career has focused on expert training design and delivery in the youth and mental health landscapes. She is now working as a freelance writer and speaker with expertise in women's healthcare, neurodiversity and mental health.

"Self-employment has enabled me to explore my passions in a way that traditional employment never did and I have really valued the ability to work on projects that I care deeply about. I have also found that self-employment has enabled me to pursue projects across different specialist areas more easily than I think I would have managed in traditional employment.

"My husband is a shift worker, so for us, my being self-employed makes sense. I do a lot of work around his shift patterns, meaning that we always have someone at home with our little one and we don't need to pay expensive childcare fees. I also really value that, as someone with a chronic illness, I am better able to manage my time and energy and do lots of my work at times that I know I can be more productive, or to take things a little slower if my health requires it."

Written by Rachel Miller.