Do you have a project in mind and the idea of becoming self-employed attracts you? It’s easy to get lost between the administrative procedures, the choice of legal status, and the formalities! Find in our article all the important information you need to work on your account with complete peace of mind.
Why get on your own?
When you have an idea for a professional project, going into self-employment can bring you a lot of significant benefits. In fact, being a self-employed entrepreneur offers a lot of flexibility in many aspects of your life, such as:
- manage your time : You will be 100% free to manage your tasks. If you work with clients, you can discuss deadlines for the delivery of your projects according to other missions that you have planned on the side. Beyond the professional side, working on your own allows you to free up more time for your personal life.
- choose your workplace Another important advantage: if you can’t keep steady! Being self-employed you can get the facility to work from wherever you want. For example, as a freelancer, you’ll have the choice between home in a hotel, a co-working space, the beach, the beach… Have a good internet connection to continue. Use your equipment! For craftsmen, you can choose between the city, the countryside, the seaside resort…
Be aware that even though the idea of working on your own sounds very appealing in many aspects, it also requires a lot of rigor and a very good sense of organization.
For this you have to organize your work days, your customers, your missions thanks to management tools or by hiring a virtual assistant who will take care of planning it all for you.
What is the best position to become self-employed?
There is no universal situation that suits the projects of all entrepreneurs who want to start their own business. So you have to keep several elements in mind like:
- the nature of your project;
- Your Industry;
- Recruiting (Are you planning to practice alone with partners, colleagues?)…
Each legal position has specific characteristics that will not suit all projects. Some do not require very heavy administrative procedures but are quite limited on the financial side.
sole proprietorships
Sole proprietorship has many advantages if you want to launch your project alone.
Quite light and not too restrictive in terms of construction formalities, sole proprietorship will allow you to get your project started quickly.
Self-employment is one of the most appreciated schemes by entrepreneurs. its benefits? VAT exemption, simplified accounting and administrative procedures that remain much less complicated than in most other situations.
Community
A company, unlike a sole proprietorship, is a legal entity that can and does exist independently of the manufacturer and its affiliates.
To launch your project alone, a sole proprietorship is an option:
- SASU (Simplified Unipersonal Joint Stock Company);
- EURL (Single-Person Limited Liability Company),
If you want to develop your project with one or more partners, you must choose SAS or SARL, their multi-individual versions.
pay portage
There are several significant advantages to wage portage for starting out on your own, but be aware, this position is not suitable for all jobs. It works with a tripartite contract between you, the umbrella company and your client.
The main benefits of Veg Portage are:
- the possibility of performing independent work while maintaining the position of the employee;
- Employment benefits (contribution, social security, etc.).
Simply put, your turnover, which translates into salary, will be deducted from it, Social Security contributions and employer fees.
What are the steps and steps to become self-employed?
1 – Choose an idea and do market research
The first step will be to clearly define your project to ensure the smooth running of this new adventure. Once you have decided on your idea, you will need to conduct a market study that will allow you to check the competition in the field you are about to enter.
Market research will also be your guide while building out other segments of your future project such as your visual identity, your communication channels, etc.
2 – Register your business
Your project is now well defined in your mind, you have done your market research, it is time to move on to the legal processes. If you are starting your first business then this task, which can be quite worrying, is still necessary and should be done with the utmost care.
Therefore the registration of your company will be done after the choice of your legal status. You will generally have the choice between becoming self-employed or forming a company.
As a reminder, building a company subject you to heavy accounting and administrative processes compared to a micro enterprise. However, it also allows you more flexibility in terms of development.
nice to know
If you choose company then you have to open a professional bank account while living in sole proprietorship or micro enterprise, this step is recommended but not mandatory.
3 – Get help setting up yourself
The financial part of a project is always a little worrying, especially if it’s the first one, but don’t worry. Various types of assistance and subsidies are given to all those entrepreneurs who want to start their own business.
Keep in mind that there are many tools that are applicable to very specific situations such as aids:
- Business building for women (Villa Network, Action’Els, Initiative France Honor Loan, etc.);
- non-financial aid (NACRE, Cape);
- Business creation for the unemployed (Active’Crea, ACRE, etc.);
- business acquisition and construction (young farmer donations, financial aid, etc.);
- Financials (BPI, NACRE, ADIE, Credit of Honor, etc.).
Depending on your situation, you are sure to find a solution to help you kick start your business!
3 – Develop and manage your business
Involves implementing solutions on your own to ensure business growth and proper management. To do this, you have to think of several essential elements.
choose the right equipment
Your choice of work tools is essential for the smooth running of your project. By tools, we mean both your equipment (desktop or laptop computer, office, vehicle, etc.) and your management tools! Billing software and accounting solutions (or more simply business management software) and why not project management tools are essential when starting yourself.
In the long term and depending on the growth of your business, you can also choose more specialized tools, such as cash monitoring solutions or CRM tools.
communicate about the project
Communication is a critical element to the success of a project. Thanks to your market research, you will be able to choose the most relevant communication channel according to your area and your goal.
Keep in mind that having an internet presence is almost essential these days and you may need to build your own website or get it done by a professional.
nice to know
Social networks can also be an interesting springboard for many companies, but they are not essential. Be sure to mention your target type and then you can give advice.
Sometimes neglected in favor of digital communication, street-marketing is still an effective solution to make an impact! Think about it if you want to implement an impressive launch strategy that your audience can participate in “in real life.”
find customer
Your project is ready, your strategy is clear, now you have to find customers.
Depending on your field of activity, there are easy-to-access resources for finding clients, such as freelance platforms, for example.
LinkedIn can also prove to be a great ally if you are a freelancer and want to promote on the network. What prospects might be in your address book? Otherwise no worries! LinkedIn is a network of professionals, you will find all the necessary resources to start your promotion.
There is nothing like word of mouth for artisans! Communicate about the launch of your project near you, find out about organizations in your neighborhood… Know that there are solutions for finding workplaces near you too!
To find clients, you can even register on Facebook groups dedicated to entrepreneurs or specialized in your area of interest!
What are the growth areas for self-employment in 2022?
If you are looking to get started on your own but are not ready for your project yet, we have selected a list of growth areas for you in 2022.
Trade
Opening a business has the advantage of being able to explore many ideas! Starting a store, building a virtual reality park or opening a cafe-bookstore… the choice is huge!
To help you find inspiration, we recommend that you take a look at our article on business ideas opening in 2022!
craftsmanship
Craftsmanship is on the rise! Though digitization is at the center of all the discussions and new professions are emerging day by day, craftsmanship remains a useful field as it identifies those professions which are essential for the proper functioning of the society.
Do you have a manual mind and what did you follow the training for? Why not turn to trades like masons or self-employed carpenters? You can also think of starting out as a self-employed plumber as it is a job that can be very interesting in terms of remuneration.
In between craft activities, you can also choose a more creative profession such as making artisan jewelry or opening a craft beer bar!
Services
If neither craftsmanship nor business seem to suit your project, services are also part of the spirited areas this year!
Benefits with this field? Variety of businesses that used to be there! If you have expertise and want to sell your knowledge, then starting out as a self-employed service provider can be a very interesting subject.
Most jobs require significant expertise or experience in the industry. If diploma is not always required, qualification training would be welcome!
questions to ask
What helps you become self-employed?
There are many aids to becoming self-employed. Depending on your project and your field of activity, if you are a woman entrepreneur, you can take advantage of ACRE, Yuva Kisan Daan, assistance from BPI or even AGEPI support deployed by Ple employee.
How much does it cost to become self-employed?
This data is difficult to measure because it varies according to your area of activity, your project and therefore what you will need to invest in it. Note that it is still possible to undertake a project without contributing to the aid deployed by state and private organizations.
What is the best position to become self-employed?
There is no universal position that suits all projects of entrepreneurs who aspire to become self-employed. So you will have the choice between a sole proprietorship, a company or a wage portage.