What is Enterprise and Entrepreneurship?
Self-employment, freelancing, business start-up… It’s all Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. To put it simply, an entrepreneur is someone who runs their own business.
Whether you’re studying Business, Art & Design, or anything in between, you could become your own boss and join the 15% of employed adults in Wales that work for themselves.
What are the different types of Enterprise?
Enterprise generally falls into three categories. All of the options below involve starting a business and being self employed, but there are some differences between them.
An enterprise is a business run by a self-employed person. They’re responsible for their businesses’ success and failure. They aren’t paid through PAYE, and receive their income directly from customers instead.
Self-employed people are also responsible for paying their taxes to the government (via HMRC). They will need to register as self-employed before they begin trading.
Someone can be both employed and self-employed at the same time, for example if they work for an employer during the day and run their own business in the evenings.
Self-employed people work in all industries, but are more common in some than others. Here are some jobs that commonly involve self-employment:
- Accountant
- Beauty Therapist
- Chef
- Childminder
- Cleaner
- Courier
- Content Creator
- Estate Agent
- Fashion Designer
- Gardener
- Handyman
- Hairdresser
- Landscaper
- Labourer
- Personal Trainer
- Retailer
- Tattoo Artist
- Tutor
Freelancers are self-employed people who lend their skills and abilities to a number of clients on a flexible basis. They have the freedom to choose which projects and clients they’d like to work for, and aren’t committed to a single customer – Many freelancers will work on multiple projects for different clients at the same time.
While long-term freelance contracts do exist, it’s much more common to work on defined, short-term projects.
A Freelancer can work from home, a rented office space, or a space owned by a client. Some people do freelance work full-time, and others balance it with regular employment.
What jobs can I do as a freelancer?
Many roles and industries hire freelancers. These jobs are some of the most common:
- Business adviser
- Database administrator
- Event manager
- Film/video editor
- Fine artist
- Graphic designer
- Illustrator
- Interpreter
- IT consultant
- Magazine journalist
- Make-up artist
- Musician
- Newspaper journalist
- Personal trainer
- Photographer
- Publishing copy-editor/proofreader
- Social media manager
- Translator
- Web designer
- Web developer
- Writer
What’s the difference between freelancing and being self-employed?
Freelancers often work alone, taking on contracts from a few clients at a time, and will work towards the specification of the client for an agreed price, depending on the work needed.
For example, a freelance artist might agree to create a specific set of artwork for a video game company. The client will set the specifications of work, and the artist will give them a price for this service.
A Self-employed person will more often offer a pre-established set of products or services to customers for a set price. It is more likely that a self-employed person will have employees, or work with others as part of their business.
For example, a self-employed hairdresser will charge their clients a set price depending on the service they choose from a list of available options.
A social enterprise is a business whose primary purpose is addressing social or environmental issues, rather than creating profit for owners or shareholders.
They bring together the entrepreneurial nature of the private sector, and the values of public service. They deliver positive social impact through their actions and achievements.
Someone who owns a social enterprise is still self-employed.
Check out the video below for some great examples of social enterprises.
Social Enterprise UK: Michael Sheen wants to know where you buy your socks.
Enterprise @ CAVC
Aspire @ CAVC brings Entrepreneurship to you. We aim to engage, equip, and empower learners across the curriculum to help you develop your entrepreneurial skills through a range of activities:
- Guest Talks
- Workshops
- Competitions
- Events
- Test-Trade
- Live Briefs
- Trips
I want to start a business - What's next?
Whether you’ve got a fully-fledged business or a simple idea, we’re here to support you in your next steps.
Book an appointment with your Enterprise Officer to discuss your ideas, discover if self-employment is right for you, and explore what you’ll need to do to turn your ideas into reality.
Abs Bailey – Aspire@cavc.ac.uk
Looking for further support, or want to seek out some more information before you make an appointment? Check out these resources.
Aged 18-24 and looking for Business Support? Check out Big Ideas Wales for information on self-employment, inspirational stories, and support from a dedicated business advisor.
Are you aged over 25 and looking for some business advice? Business Wales is the Welsh Government’s dedicated service to helping you take your first steps into entrepreneurship. Check them out for advice, information, and resources.
Enterprise Nation is a vibrant community of small businesses and business advisers that exist to shortcut your route to trusted business support. Whether you’re starting or growing a business, they’ve got the resources, expertise, and connections to help you get it right.
UnLtd’s mission is to reach out and unleash the energies of people who can transform the world in which they live. Through their competitive Awards Programme they offer support for Social Entrepreneurs of all ages at various stages of their journey.
Prince’s Trust believe that every young person should have the chance to embrace exciting opportunities. They help 11 to 30 year-olds to find the tools and confidence to try free courses and start careers, including becoming an entrepreneur.
Welsh ICE are a co-working space based in Caerphilly where anybody starting up can go to interact and receive support from fellow entrepreneurs in a friendly, creative environment.
There are loads of great resources out there – Here are some of our favourites.
We’ll keep this list updated as we find more great resources, so keep an eye on it.
Creative Arts
- Creative Lives in Progress: A blog dedicated to freelancing advice for self-employed creatives, featuring information for graphic designers, photographers, and illustrators.
- Amy Clarke Films: A blog dedicated to career and freelancing advice for people looking to enter the Film/TV industry.
- Association of Illustrators: A non-profit championing illustrators and the illustration industry with education, promotion and campaigning to achieve a thriving industry for everyone.
- Startups. Guide: How to start an Etsy Shop.
- UAL Guide: How to get paid (and what to do if your client doesn’t pay).
- UAL Guide: Tips for exhibiting at Trade Shows.
Construction/Building Services
- Checkatrade Price Guides: An up-to-date guide to pricing your services for carpenters/labourers.
Childcare
- PACEY: PACEY is the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. They have lots of resources for those looking to become a freelance childminder.
- Startups. Guide: How to become a Childminder.
- Startups. Guide: How to Start a Day Nursery.
Food/Hospitality
- Startups. Guide: How to start a Street Food Business.
- Startups. Guide: How to start a Food Business.
- Startups. Guide: How to start a Food Production Business.
- Startups. Guide: How to start a Takeaway Business from Home.
Hair & Beauty
- Startups. Guide: Beauty Salon Equipment and Software.
- Startups. Guide: Beauty Salon Legislation and Regulations.
- Startups. Guide: How to open a Beauty Salon.