Welcome to the new Freelancers/Self Employed topic

[BigTech]

Hello and welcome to the new Freelancers/Self Employed topic.
Please enjoy.....

hello! I'm newly self employed as well - I'm an artist as well as holding down a day job (and singleparenting three dcs) and I've had to go legit as I'm starting to deal with legitimate companies - I'm currently doing t-shirt designs etc and working towards an exhibition.

Hello another artist and t-shirt business here as well! Great topic.

ooh
how interesting
I didn't see the other thread

I am a freelance Project Manager/Business Consultant - I deal primarily with Finance Systems

Edam - I can give you his name if you like. Honestly, best thing I ever did. I literally scrawl on my bank statements what I think various incomings/outgoings are and from that he creates a set of accounts. Magic.

anyone got any tips for good website designers then? (& hello kokeshi!)

well i like these people Stripe Consulting

but should probably declare an interest.....it's DP's company and currently my only freelance client!

I designed mine all myself Persephone, it's just the hosting company that were rubbish. I designed mine on DH's Mac using Rapidweaver (known chez flowery as 'lentilweaver', obviously). Rapidweaver comes with a load of templates you can alter, or you can download billions on the internet - just a case of trawling through them and finding one that fits the look you want and enables you to amend to the colours you need). Then uploaded it myself got DH to upload it to the (rubbish) hosting company (123-reg) and bingo.

Due to incompetence outlined below, am now changing hosting to BT which should be more robust hopefully.

I am very very intolerant of rubbish websites, so if I didn't think it was professional looking enough I would pay a designer, but I think it looks good enough. Soon as it's up again will link for you. It wasn't that hard if you are relatively IT literate and/or have a DH/mate who is.

Should add that I was able to design a good one myself using a template because what I need from my website is very very simple, just looking pretty and giving information I want. So if you need anything remotely flouncy in any way, you need a proper bod.

oooh - hello everyone and thank you Tech for giving us a new home .

I'm currently doing my website, I've done other sites but this is the first ecommerce one so it's taking a while. I'm doing it all free aswell, using Jamroll.

Business is really slow at the moment, pople keep coming in and asking if I have anything new in, the problem is that I can't get new stock until I sell some of the old stuff

Hurrah! have been self-employed in the UK for a year now, befoe that was self-employed in Spain for 3 years. hate all teh admin etc, am hopeless at paperwork. And am pregnant with number three and have no idea how self-employed maternity pay works in the UK so will reading this thread with great interest!!

can you add me to the list? i work p-t as an editor from home - hate working from home but it does fit wel with the babies

staranise - do you play class 2 national insurance? If you do, you qualify for maternity pay. It's not masses - can't recall what it was - I have about £100odd a week in my brain but that could be complete rubbish. Contact revenue and customs.

Thanks JandJ, I have no idea how mat. pay works in Britian but I pay class 2 so it's nice to knwo I may qualify for something!

Here you go staranise, all about Maternity Allowance which is the maternity pay self-employed people get here.

Thank you! I think I can sort of figure it out. I earn on average more than £117 a week, so that means the max. I'll get will be £117 a week?

I'm 15 weeks pregnant so I don't have to do anything about it just yet do I? Haven't even done my tax return yet this year...

I think you have to apply for it when you are 26 weeks (that was what I understood anyway, am 16 weeks pg myself at the moment and that's what I was planning on doing).

Yes you can claim as soon as you are 26 weeks - there's a 'How to claim' section further down that link.

Josh and Jamie who is your bookeeper?

www.cedarassociates.biz is who I use Katryn

VWLady - were you Quad???

No Flame, I'm old Mouselady, and Voiceoftreason.
Why - is Quad a Beetle-ish person too? I shall begin to stalk if she is!
Flowery, if you're about, you said in another thread you'd like me as a client - so will you have a look at my draft contract for my one employee and tell me if it's total crap. It is based on one solicitor prepared for me last year (I think from a standard) but he charged me £250 for doing so! I'm adding in the relevant clauses re sick pay and retaining leave in the same sort of language.
Are you interested and how much will you set me back?

Oooooooooooooooooooh!

Yes, stalk Quad - will find a link to her profile so you can see her pics of vans

down bottom of pics

OOh, that lovely turquoise, don't see that often.
But all them kids squeezing in....
I will look out for Quad.
Right, better go and retrieve dd from neighbour's party - she's been there since 1pm. DH reports (listening over the fences) that a short time ago everyone at the party was chanting "DD DD DD DD" so she must have been up to something. Hope she hadn't found the tequila shots.

VWLady here I am!

I will have a look at whatever you like for free and will tell you if it's crap or not!

I will not charge you that much for a contract. As an MN contact I will give you a significant discount on anything you want/need doing.

Have a look at my website, (yes that's right ladies, it's up and running again!). See the HRcheckup section, that's where I will review everything you have and tell you where you are vulnerable/what you need. If you decide you want to go ahead with anything - revised contract/any policies you must have that you are missing or anything, I'll do it for you for an excellent price. If you don't want anything that's fine as well, but I recommend you use the opportunity to have me look at everything for you.

See what you think. DH is still working on the 'contact us' email link as we speak downstairs, so probably best to email me on flowery dot beanbag at ntlworld dot com if you need to just now.

great topic.:-)can i join? My husband and i run our own web design company..i do the front end and he does all the techie stuff.