Surviving the pandemic as a sole trader
I caught up with Nadia Harper a
talented make up artist, based in Brighton.
I don’t know one single business that hasn’t been impacted by the pandemic. Sadly it has hit some harder than others with hundreds of thousands falling through the cracks when it came to the government help available.
Lagom Finance supports a real variety of business operating in multiple industries and have guided them all through the government support available to them over the last 5 months.
Lockdown has been tough on many of us but so many have turned adversity into an advantage. New circumstances have fostered creativity and resourcefulness with a raft of new and innovative businesses appearing across the United Kingdom.
I caught up with Nadia Harper, a freelance makeup artist based in Brighton specialising in bridal makeup, to find out how Covid had impacted her business.
TAKING THE PLUNGE INTO FREELANCE LIFE
““I have been doing makeup almost nine years but launched my business a few years ago doing everything from bridal make-up to drag. I started my makeup career at MAC cosmetics, working there for six years. I went from starting on the shop floor to progressing into a Resident Training role for the South East. It was an incredible experience and I learnt everything I know about makeup at MAC. As much as I loved my job, I had always dreamt of working for myself and wanted to be able to do the creative side of my job full time. I wish I could say I was super brave and made the leap to freelance life but MAC went through a huge shake up and I was made redundant, this was actually a blessing in disguise and gave me the push I needed along with the financial backing to start my business.”
FINDING STRUCTURE AMONGST CHAOS
“The hardest part of working for myself is finding a routine and setting boundaries between work and rest! I love what I do so I find myself working at crazy times or sporadically! My work schedule is completely different from week to week so finding a structure is challenging!”
HOW COVID AFFECTED THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY
“Covid has ground my business to a halt, it has been illegal for me to work for the last five months after we were initially locked down! I felt like I had one of the worst careers to have during a global pandemic after initially enjoying freelance life so much.
As I couldn’t physically do my job, I tried to view this period as a gift of time. I have looked at the areas of my business I can improve such as marketing and customer service. I have been busy working with clients to reschedule their weddings, updating my website, organising my kit, making new marketing materials and promoting my services for next year! I am usually rushed off my feet during the summer wedding season so it’s been nice to have the time to reflect and recharge and refine my business.”
FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS FOR HELP
“Having my business ground to a halt was devastating, I do a lot of bridal make up, which means I build up a good relationship with my clients and feel excited for every event I do, seeing weddings be cancelled was heartbreaking.
As I only took the leap into freelance life a couple of years ago, I was sadly one of the businesses that fell through the cracks for full government help, as they took my 2016-2017 tax return into account, at which time I was employed full time at MAC but still filed a self assessment tax return to declare the two weddings I did that year (totalling £500 income). By including the 16-17 return in the average earning calculation, it brought my earnings, from self employment over the three years, right down.
I have had to look at the positives where I can, I am lucky enough to get to do a job I love, working with great clients so making the most of this time to catch up on parts of my business I would otherwise be too busy to focus on has been a gift”.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT?
Get a good accountant, it's one of the best things I have done and relieved a huge amount of stress from my life, just knowing I can call someone up to ask a quick question or check whether I have saved enough tax helps me sleep at night. Check out tips on how to choose the right accountant.
Have at least three months of wages in savings before you take the plunge for peace of mind, with everyone saying “Just do it” it’s pays to stop and be practical, be bold but also be sensible especially if you have bills to pay.
Set up a separate bank account for work that takes your tax payments off automatically and links to your accounting tool, I love Monzo for this but have seen plenty of other great challenger banks supporting small businesses.
Write a business plan, set goals and review them regularly, this helps you keep on track!
Socialise and meet with other self employed people, sharing ideas, thoughts and even woes is really important especially if you spend a lot of time on your own.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
“I would like to continue to grow the bridal side of my business. I have partnered with a talented hair stylist named Gavin Harvie, together we hope to grow our business to a point where we can hire people to work for us and even perhaps run accredited courses for makeup artistry and hair styling! A pandemic won’t stop me building my dream career“.
If you’re starting a business and aren’t sure where to start why not start by learning the differences between a sole trader and limited company here.
HOW LAGOM FINANCE CAN HELP
I support small businesses with all aspects of their finances, whether you’re struggling to register for self assessment or having trouble navigating the government help available as a result of Covid-19, get in touch by booking a free consultation.
