BE YOUR OWN BOSS Take Back Control


You’re reading this on the train, aren’t you? A lot of people do, of course. For many it is part


of the daily ritual of the commute, along with the over-strength coff ee, delays, standing and excess cold/heat. Sitting down on the train to read the paper is the pavlovian klaxon signalling that the horror is at an end and you’re on your way home. It’s also a great way to avoid eye contact with


that one opposite, with the sniffi ng, and the hair and the anti-social…face. Grrrr. And all this after you’ve put up with the usual


daily nonsense, the meetings, the memos, the customers, the country reports; the young idiots, the old idiots, the ‘bantz’, the boss. Oh yeah, the boss. What on Earth did you do to deserve this? But


perhaps it doesn’t have to be this way. What if you were the boss of you? What if you were the boss of quite a few others as well? Sounds marvellous of course, but don’t


you need lots of money, contacts, a diamond- bullet-in-the-forehead idea and, you know, that certain something that elevates management above mere shop-fl oor fodder? In a word: Nah. Anyone – anyone – can


do it. Want proof? According to the Offi ce of National Statistics, the number of self- employed people in the UK has increased from 3.3 million people (12% of the labour force) in 2001 to 4.8 million (15.1% of the labour force) in 2017. And the fastest growing part of that is people working on their own. So how hard can it be?


Neither is it absolutely necessary to


endure any kind of dues-paying, started-off - with-£1.54-and-no-shoes kind of back story so beloved of the mythology that surrounds entrepreneurs. What you will hopefully glean from reading


this supplement is there is plenty of support available immediately for people who want to strike out, go their own way and become masters of their own destiny. More so than ever, in fact.


Be Your Own Boss will give you the starting knowledge to hit the ground running


Be Your Own Boss will give you the starting


knowledge to hit the ground running, establish the right kind of company set-up, covering all legal and fi nancial obligations, and off er some guidance on funding, marketing, work spaces and building your business. You can also read plenty of examples of


people who have been where you are now and have gone on to establish successful companies in all manner of diff erent fi elds. Get inspired, and look forward to the leap.


How did they do it? Simon


Woodroff e talks getting over fear of the fi rst steps on p7


Useful Resources for a new start-up


Before launching into a new venture, there are some great resources that may help you shape your strategy, provide you with initial capital, or help you fi nd co-founders and like-minded peers. All of the following are crucial:


- Accelerators techstars.com, seedcamp.com, startupbootcamp.org, public.io, zinc.vc, foundersfactory.com


- Angel Networks syndicateroom.com, angelinvestmentnetwork.co.uk


- Government Resources gov.uk/innovate-uk


- Business Co-Founders escapethecity.org


B. Ronnie Dungan


- Tech Magazines TechCrunch, Wired - Books Zero to One, The Lean Startup


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Be Your Own Boss is published and wholly owned by Hurst Media Company Ltd. Every care is taken in compiling the contents of the publications but the publishers assume no responsibility in the eff ect arising therefrom. Readers are advised to seek professional advice before acting on any information which is contained in the publication.


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