Going solo

The growth of and changes to self-employment over the past decade have been well-documented. The majority of people now entering self-employment are women and part time workers. 

But there has been much less qualitative research into the stories and journeys that drive the new self-employed - and too little consideration of whether policy-makers might do more to respond to the particular challenges faced by some of those with lower savings, income and non-financial capital as they try to build their business.

Going Solo [ 1.4 mb], based on semi-structured depth interviews with nineteen people, tracks the highs and lows of the self-employment journey. It also identifies specific areas where some self-employed people would benefit from additional advice and support, including from peers, to build up their business and to ensure that it continues to thrive in the future.