The UK's freelance population stands at slightly more than 2m, according to self-employed membership association IPSE. That’s a slight increase, “indicating a period of relative stability following more significant decreases to the overall [freelance] population in previous years,” according to IPSE.

Freelancers make up almost half (49%) of the UK’s entire solo self-employed population (4.12m) and they make an important contribution to the UK economy. Many people operate lucrative freelance “side-hustles” (ie part-time businesses that generate income that supplements their full-time earnings), while others ditch their jobs altogether and go all-in on a new life as a freelancer.

As with everything, there are pros, cons and unique challenges to overcome, with people going freelance for a variety of reasons. In this episode we speak to Sophie Cross, self-employed founder of Freelancer Magazine. For more than a decade, Sophie was a freelance content creator and marketeer. In this episode, she provides tips on how to start and run a successful freelance business.

Thanks to Sage for sponsoring this episode. Sage is currently offering listeners 90% off Sage Accounting for ten months. Visit this link to claim your offer.

Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

James Eder co-founded Student Beans with his brother Mike in Birmingham in 2005. It started as a digital student loyalty platform offering exclusive discounts and has since grown into a global network generating revenue of £30m.

Almost 20 years later James and Mike started Pion, which now has 250 employees and operates in more than 100 countries. Pion is a leader in youth marketing insights, “supporting marketers with full funnel youth marketing campaigns”.

Like many successful entrepreneurs before him, James has experienced failure, too. A tech business that he launched in 2016 didn’t survive, but the experience taught him a lot of valuable lessons. More seriously, James was later diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, where part of the heart becomes abnormally thickened and stiff, which creates serious health issues. It’s fair to say that James has had his shares of ups and downs.

James has just launched his new book – The Collision Code — which explores how human connection can drive life-changing opportunities in an increasingly digital world. In this fascinating episode, he talks about his successes and failures in business, as well as the serious health challenges he has faced.

Thanks to Sage for sponsoring this episode. Sage is currently offering listeners 90% off Sage Accounting for six months. Visit this link to claim your offer.

Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

Creating and maintaining strong supplier relationships is the lifeblood of a successful business. But whereas once it would have been difficult, time-consuming and expensive to find and build a strong relationship with suppliers – especially those in other countries – B2B e-marketplaces are making it much simpler, quicker and cost effective to build a truly global network of suppliers. You can also potentially source a greater range of products far more efficiently and perhaps make a far better margin on your sales.

In this special episode, Michelle Lau of Alibaba.com, the global business-to-business e-marketplace, explains how Alibaba.com is enabling small businesses to source new and trending products at greater margins more efficiently, while building trust with new suppliers.

Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is one of the biggest changes to the UK tax system in recent years – and it’s coming soon. Wondering how this impacts your normal self-assessment obligations? In this final episode of a four-part mini-series on MTD for Income Tax, Helen Wood from TaxAssist Accountants dispels some of the common misconceptions surrounding the MTD requirements for those sole traders and landlords who are impacted.

Helen will clarify that quarterly updates aren’t four mini-tax returns, payments still land on 31st January, and private landlords are included. You’ll need compatible software (HMRC won’t provide a free option), but spreadsheets plus bridging software can still work. Helen also shares practical prep steps – get set up early, lean on training and use webinars. Finally, discover how TaxAssist can smooth your transition with tiered support and recommended software like Xero, QuickBooks, Dext and Hammock.

Thanks to TaxAssist Accountants for sponsoring this mini-series on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. TaxAssist is currently offering listeners the opportunity to register for their free webinar for further advice on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. You’ll get expert guidance on how to digitise your records and meet your obligations, as well as the opportunity to ask any burning questions. Click here to register.

Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

Getting your self-assessment right is about staying on top of the basics – and for many sole traders and landlords, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is now the big one to understand.

Instead of a single annual rush, Making Tax Digital means keeping digital records, using compliant software and sending simple quarterly summaries – so you’ve got a clearer picture of tax due as you go.

In this third episode in a special four-part mini-series on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, Andy Gibbs from TaxAssist Accountants explains who’s in scope, how “qualifying income” is worked out, what quarterly updates include and the end-of-year steps you’ll still need to complete. He also discusses exemptions for digital exclusion, how agents can help, common myths (no, it’s not a full return every three months), and what the new points-based penalties mean if you miss deadlines.

Thanks to TaxAssist Accountants for sponsoring this mini-series on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. TaxAssist is currently offering listeners the opportunity to register for their free webinar for further advice on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. You’ll get expert guidance on how to digitise your records and meet your obligations, as well as the opportunity to ask any burning questions. Click here to register.

Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

From April 2026, any sole traders or landlords earning a combined income of over £50,000 will need to comply with Making Tax Digital, with phased deadlines for lower income thresholds following in 2027 and 2028.

In this second episode in a special four-part mini-series on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, Samantha Skyring from TaxAssist Accountants breaks down how to prepare for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. She explains what the new system means for sole traders and landlords and why moving away from paper records sooner rather than later, will save stress.

Samantha highlights how the right HMRC-approved software can make quarterly updates a simple, automated process, while accountants can provide valuable support for those less digitally confident. She also shares how TaxAssist is helping clients transition through training, webinars and flexible service packages. With early preparation, Making Tax Digital doesn’t have to be daunting – it can even make record-keeping easier and more efficient.

Thanks to TaxAssist Accountants for sponsoring this mini-series on MTD for Income Tax. TaxAssist is currently offering listeners the opportunity to register for their free webinar for further advice on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. You’ll get expert guidance on how to digitise your records and meet your obligations, as well as the opportunity to ask any burning questions. Click here to register.

Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

From April 2026, if you are a sole trader or landlord and earn over £50,000 from self-employment or property, you’ll need to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC, with the entry point dropping to £30,000 in 2027 and £20,000 in 2028. So, how will things change once Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax has been introduced? How will sole traders and landlords be required to keep financial records, and – crucially – report information so that HMRC can work out how much tax is owed? Will they still need to file self assessment tax returns?

In this first episode in a four-part mini-series on MTD for Income Tax, we speak to chartered certified accountant Jo Nockels FCCA, FMAAT of TaxAssist Accountants, a network of accountants across the UK that delivers accounting and tax services to small-business owners. Here Jo explains how sole traders and landlords will be affected by MTD for income tax changes.

Thanks to TaxAssist Accountants for sponsoring this mini-series on MTD for Income Tax. TaxAssist is currently offering listeners the opportunity to register for their free webinar for further advice on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. You’ll get expert guidance on how to digitise your records and meet your obligations, as well as the opportunity to ask any burning questions. Click here to register.

Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.

Higher living costs, record price increases across the board and wages that haven’t kept pace has led many millions of people in the UK to have their own “side-hustle” in recent years, as a way to supplement their main income.

Side-hustles have become hugely popular. Research carried out by leading accounting software provider Sage in 2024 found that almost half (47%) of UK adults had a side-hustle and among the under-34s, 90% planned to turn their side-hustle into a full-time business. More than two-thirds of 16-34 years olds were running multiple side-hustles, earning an extra £546 per month on average.

Coping with the demands of a full-time (or even part-time job) and family commitments can be challenging enough, without running a side-hustle, when there can be many additional tasks to take care of. So, how is it done?

In this episode, we speak to Sam Feller of Popcorn Shed, a highly successful popcorn brand he founded with his cousin Laura Jackson in 2015. For 18 months, while developing their brand and business idea, Sam and Laura held down demanding full-time jobs in London, running Popcorn Shed as a home-based side-hustle. So, what was their recipe for success?

Thanks to Sage for sponsoring this episode. Sage is currently offering listeners 90% off Sage Accounting for ten months. Visit this link to claim your offer.

Show notes for the episode can be found on the Start Your Own Business podcast website. Visit Start Up Donut and sign up to the Donut newsletter for more free start-up news, advice and special offers to help you save time and money.