Blog: How do you make life more livable for the self-employed?

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How do you make life more livable for the self-employed? This question has been at the center of the RSA’s research into Self-Employment for the past two years. 

One of the aspects that we wanted to draw more attention to was the connection between affluence and self-employment.

And so today, we launch a new short film: “Does it take money to make money?” We hope that by raising awareness of the problem, we can build momentum to help push forward changes that will allow self-employment to be a viable career option for more people.

We have also distilled the thinking from our past research into the new RSA Self Employment Charter which we also launch today. Crucially, the Charter has benefitted from input from Fellows of the RSA, who have fed into both the research underlying it as well as commented on the Charter itself.

We hope that people will share the video, and will find the Charter a useful document.  Our plan for this year is to try and turn some our recommendations into action.  We have already worked closely with the government review into Self Employment, holding a roundtable event that brought together Fellows, RSA experts, and other experts with a key official from the review. 

We now would like to ask Fellows to read the recommendations in the Charter and – if they agree with them – let us know whether they, or any of their contacts, could help bring them to life. Please email [email protected] with your feedback. 

Read the self employment charter

Read more about our work on self employment

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10 Comments

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  • Picture of Jane Walton

    I have been self-employed for nearly 6 years and have worked for the past 15 years to ensure that young people are informed about self-employment as a career option. My experience with young people is that you can teach the technical aspects and some of the skills of being self-employed but it takes resilience and a positive mindset to make it work. I describe myself as a social entrepreneur as although I do need to earn an income I find it as important to be making a difference. I would add to the charter the need to include self-employment to the curriculum in schools and colleges.

  • Picture of Stephen Paul de Looze

    Susan's views are not unusual. Many people can't appreciate what drives someone to strike out on their own. To succeed in running your own business you've really got to want it; you can't just drift into it. The fact that you do take the step means you are happy to dispense with the prosaic aspects of corporate life to create something that has your name above the door.

  • Picture of Richard Hillsdon

    It doesn't have to.  I've run my own businesses for 30 years and each of them has been started with next to zero funds.  I started the current business with £5 I had left and now we're 4 people and hoping to grow more, so depending on the business it doesn't have to need a lot of money to start.


    It's hard work, yes, but every penny I've earned since the age of 20 is what I've made one way or another.  And during this time I was a single parent as well, so it can be done, but you have to be prepared to work hard and do what it takes.

  • Picture of Susan Sullivan

    just reading the title, I would say that it does, I can't for the life of me understand any rationale that has people degrade and deprive themselves to begin a business. It only serves to reinforce my view that we love to punish any difference what so ever.

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