soundo26 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I and my partner have decided to start up a small company to provide Sound engineering services and PA hire, I have worked as a sound engineer for most of my working life and done time as a freelancer both in music and the corporate world but have always stayed away from actually taking the plunge into business. I'm looking to join a professional body who can also provide Public Liability insurance etc within their membership. I've heard many stories about some of the organisations and am confused about others and I am really looking for advice and experiences with the various suppliers in the small business areas. So if you can enlighten me, I'd love to hear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR1 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Your message has a bit of a funny vibe. You state that you are a 'freelancer' and you want to take the plunge into business. There is no such thing as a 'freelancer'. You are or should be Self Employed and as such are already in business as a Sole Trader. You should have Self Assessment Tax arrangements, PLI, PPE, a pension plan and H&S Policies already. You seem to be considering expanding your services by setting up a Limited Company with a partner. A lot of the topics you might want advice on have already been covered on this site so please investigate. I would start with looking at the Production Services Association [PSA]. They are trade body set up to represent businesses like you seem to want to be but be aware that there is no off the shelf plan to set up a business. You have to build up your business model based on your circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundo26 Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Your message has a bit of a funny vibe. You state that you are a 'freelancer' and you want to take the plunge into business. There is no such thing as a 'freelancer'. You are or should be Self Employed and as such are already in business as a Sole Trader. You should have Self Assessment Tax arrangements, PLI, PPE, a pension plan and H&S Policies already. You seem to be considering expanding your services by setting up a Limited Company with a partner. A lot of the topics you might want advice on have already been covered on this site so please investigate. I would start with looking at the Production Services Association [PSA]. They are trade body set up to represent businesses like you seem to want to be but be aware that there is no off the shelf plan to set up a business. You have to build up your business model based on your circumstances. I have spent most of my time as an employee of companies and I have PA equipment which has recently been expanded with the intention of starting a small business the term "freelancer" was a term that I used in the post and refers to a long period of unemployment starting from 2008 until finding full time employment again in 2011 where I was self-employed. I am still in full time employment driving an LS9-32 for my day job and helping out musicians with my own rig around an X32. It's difficult to get public liability cover without being a small business and I am being offered work which I am having to turn down, so have decided to try to make a business out of it. I am not an amateur and have been engineering sound for over four decades and have been a member of this group for many years. I am just looking for some sensible advice please from others who possibly started in the same way and don't want to trip over the bureaucracy that strangles development of a small business these days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Lee Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Ok, lets get the pedantic bit over with first: the term "freelancer" was a term that I used in the post and refers to a long period of unemployment Either you are employed or unemployed. You can be employed in many ways, self employment is just one of them. It's difficult to get public liability cover without being a small business No it isn't, there has been many a post on who to get PLI from. There are a few companies that even specialise in our industry and understand what we do and how best it should be insured. (It is also surprisingly cheap). So, probably the best thing to do is contact the PSA as mentioned by GR1. You should also probably take advice from an accountant as to how to set up a business and contact some insurance providers for quotes on PLI, Employee Liability insurance, kit insurance and, possibly Professional Indemnity Insurance. All the best for the venture as if it works I am sure it is very satisfying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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