Celebrating Self-Employment: What People Like Best About Going Solo

Choosing the self-employment route is becoming ever more popular, according to recent freelancer statistics. Being your own boss seems to be the main lure into this path, but what exactly is it about self-employment that people like best of all?

We decided to find out by reaching out to freelancers on our social media platforms. Join us as we discover the ultimate rewards of going solo.

Achieving a work-life balance

Whilst flexitime is becoming a more common concept in the traditional working world, there are still many businesses that don’t offer this option. Or, if they do, it’s quite restrictive. This may cause stress or dissatisfaction for those who are unable to align their work goals with personal ones.

Self-employment gives you complete control over your hours. Working in the evenings is a possibility, and many parents find that they can easily do the school run and find time to spend with their children. That’s certainly what freelancer Audrey Allen found:

“The best thing about being self-employed is that I can tie my work in around the children and I am my own boss. As a language tutor, I only answer to myself.” 

Supporting your mental health

A good work-life balance is crucial for positive mental health. Restrictive working hours or being unable to find time for yourself, on the other hand, can cause the opposite. And if you do suffer from mental health issues, it can be a struggle to get through a working day.

Freelancing means you can put your mental health first. You’ll be able to choose exactly when you work and can worry less about the consequences of taking a short break. This is something that Adam Jack Holcroft discovered:

“Being self-employed allows me to look after my mental health. For me, this means working when I’m able to, regardless of the day or time, and not having to let a boss know when I’m too unwell to work.” 

Holding yourself accountable

Some corporate rules may feel like they don’t align with your personal goals, or that they make you unproductive. Whilst collaboration has its benefits, others can sometimes hinder you in completing tasks.

With freelancing, you can set the objectives you want. And you’ll know that if they’re not achieved you’ve either set unrealistic targets or haven’t worked hard enough. This accountability can help you to succeed in your career, and make you become more diligent in how you work – just like Aydenn Wardle:

“I don’t have any silly targets to meet. And if I mess up I don’t have anyone else to blame… well maybe I could blame the kids.” 

Creating a vision for the future

Freelancing can help you achieve not just personal goals but your future career ambitions too. In an employed role, you never truly know what will happen. There’s the fear of the unexpected. The job may not end up being for life, or your duties could change, or you could decide you want something different out of your career.

Self-employment allows you to be in charge of how your career pans out. If you need to make adjustments in order to meet your goals, you have the power to do so. This is what business owner Kelly Gilmour-Grassam has benefitted from:

“For me, it’s about being in control of my future! Being self-employed gives me the freedom to shape work around my goals… you get out what you put in.” 

Completing the Self Assessment tax return

Unsurprisingly, this task wasn’t anyone’s favourite aspect of self-employment. However, it still needs to be done – and many freelancers minimise the time they spend on their Self Assessment by using tax return software. With GoSimpleTax, you simply input your information, let the software do its calculation magic, and submit directly to HMRC.

On top of this, tax-saving recommendations are made so you can reduce your liability. Want to get back to enjoying the best bits of self-employment? Take a free 14-day trial of our Self Assessment software today.

Blog content is for information purposes and over time may become outdated, although we do strive to keep it current. It's written to help you understand your Tax's and is not to be relied upon as professional accounting, tax and legal advice due to differences in everyone's circumstances. For additional help please contact our support team or HMRC.