Practical information & advice
Read our latest news posts about self-employment
Information
Here you’ll find links to various parts of this site where we have information and useful resources relating to self-employment and running your own business.
Make sure you’ve got a business plan which sets out your strategy and objectives. Also give some thought to how you’ll set up your company (sole trader or limited company) and what insurances you’ll need. Useful links include:
- Things to think about if you’ve got a criminal record and are looking to become self-employed or run your own business
- Commercial insurance
- Becoming a Director of a Company
The easiest thing would be to change your name but consider the implications this would have on any qualifications or certificates you’ve gained in your original name and your bank account. Useful links include:
Advice
Here you’ll find some of the common advice we give on self-employment and running your own business. This is based on what we’ve learnt as a charity, as well as the real-life experiences of people with convictions.
- Many people with criminal records opt for self-employment as a way of avoiding prejudice by employers. However, bear in mind that if you’re planning to be a sub-contractor, even on a self-employed basis, you might be required to disclose and/or do a criminal record check.
Frequently asked questions
Here you’ll find some specific questions that we regularly get about self-employment or running your own business and the answers we generally provide. More detailed FAQ’s may be included in the information pages above.
Useful links
Here you’ll find links to useful organisations and websites related to self-employment or running your own business that we refer to in our information and advice. Contact details for some of the organisations listed below can be found here.
Read personal stories
The personal stories below have been posted on theRecord, our online magazine.
Discuss this with others
Read and share your experiences of this on our online forum.
Key sections include:
- Setting up a business – Getting finance and commercial insurance